Education in a Global Context: Comparing Systems, Access and Outcomes across Borders’
Dates
4-5 September 2025
Venue
Room: 2.10, King’s College London, Bush House (South-East Wing), 20, Aldwych, London WC2B 4PX
To attend the conference in person or on-line please register.
Conference abstract
In an era of global interconnectedness and dynamic educational transformations, understanding how different educational systems foster learning, democratic participation, and social development has never been more critical. This joint symposium brings together scholars from the UK and East Asia to examine education across cultural and national boundaries, addressing critical issues of access, equity, and outcomes in diverse contexts. Sessions will explore comparative analyses of policy frameworks and cultural influences concerning democratic education, social mobility, internationalisation, and lifelong learning, and examine innovative approaches to mitigating institutional barriers and enhancing global educational collaborations. The event, jointly organised by the Institute of Education-University College London, National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan, and King’s College London, seeks to advance understanding of how educational systems are shaping opportunities of people and societies worldwide.
Provisional programme
Symposium Day 1 (04 September, Thurs)
| 8:30-9:00 | Arrival/registration |
| 9:00-9:45 | Welcome Addresses |
| 9:45-10:15 | Professor Sheng-Ju Chan, Professor, Graduate Institute of Education and Vice-President, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan |
| 10:15-10:30 | Break |
| 10:30-11:00 | Dr. Jan Germen Janmaat, Professor, Institute of Education (IOE)-UCL Education for democracy: Explaining why education systems differ in fostering democratic competences |
| 11:00-11:30 | Dr. Jeremy Townley, Faculty Fellow, Office of Graduate Education and Programme Director, Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, Oregon State University Forthcoming book: ‘I never thought it was even a possibility: First-generation students, study abroad, and social mobility in US universities’ |
| 11:30-12:00 | Mr. Amelio Quetzal, doctoral candidate, College of Education, CCU Internationalisation in mid-tier Taiwan universities |
| 12:00-13:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30-14:00 | Dr. Andy Green, Director, LLAKES Centre, UCL Effects of socio-economic and cultural contexts in high performing upper secondary education systems |
| 14:00-14:30 | Dr. Fiona Victory, Lecturer, IOE-UCL Which differences matter? Developing a typology to compare medium of instruction policies across PISA 2022 participants |
| 14:30-15:00 | Dr. Tarek Mostafa, Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Birmingham |
| 15:00-15:15 | Break |
| 15:15-15:45 | Dr. Robyn Klingler-Vidra, Reader and Vice-Dean for Global Engagement, King’s College London Start-up Capitalism in East Asia |
| 15:45-16:15 | Dr. Joclarisse Albia, Lecturer, College of Education, CCU |
| 16:15-16:45 | Dr. Alice Peng-Fei Chen, Assistant Professor, Dhurakij Pundint University The effect of sustainability awareness on climate emotions of Chinese college students – moderated by future time perspective |
| 16:45 | End of Day 1 |
Symposium Day 2 (05 September, Fri)
| 8:30-9:00 | Arrival/registration |
| Morning Session: Young Scholars’ Forum (doctoral students’ presentations) | |
| 9:00-9:30 | Chie-Yu Lee, doctoral student, College of Education, CCU The status of teachers in East Asia’s Confucian Cultures: A case study of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan |
| 9:30-10:00 | Tsai-Ko Ming, doctoral student, College of Education, CCU Transformation and critique of rural elementary school teacher images in Taiwan: An analysis based on Burbules’ three metaphors of ideological criticism |
| 10:00-10:30 | Chiao-Yuan Ko, doctoral candidate, IOE-UCL Geopolitical internationalisation of Taiwan’s higher education and migration desire of post-study Vietnamese students |
| 10:30-10:45 | Break |
| 10:45-11:15 | Hsien-Ta Cha, doctoral candidate, College of Education, CCU |
| 11:15-11:45 | Jettawat Pravat, doctoral candidate, King’s College London Mitigating institutional lock-in: University-industry partnerships and the upgrading of capabilities and skills in Thailand’s EV sector |
| 11:45-13:00 | Lunch |
| Afternoon Session: Insights on Comparative Adult Education and Training | |
| 13:00-13:30 | Dr. Ai-Tzu Li, Professor, Department of Adult & Continuing Education, College of Education and Secretary-General, CCU |
| 13:30-14:00 | Dr. Ye Liu, Reader, Department of International Development, King’s College London Gender and career paths amongst Millennial generation |
| 14:00-14:30 | Dr. Ya-Hui Lee, Professor, Department of Adult & Continuing Education, College of Education and Director, Center for General Education, CCU |
| 14:30-15:00 | Dr. Natasha Kersh, Associate Professor, IOE-UCL Building bridges between higher education and employment: learning from practically-based Higher Education. |
| 15:00-15:30 | Dr. Chuo-Chun Jean Hsieh, Professor, National Tsing Hua University and Honorary Senior Research Fellow, LLAKES Centre, UCL |
| End of Day 2 |