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Editorial,

Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 2000

"The value of comparison", by Jonathan Brown

After reading so many scripts offered for publication, it was instructive to look at the first three reports in the ESCR Learning Society series that were sitting on my desk awaiting review (Coffield, 1998; Coffield, 1999a and Coffield 1999b). Each of the reports contains six or seven chapters from projects covered by the Learning Society Programme of ESRC. One feature that stands out is the emphasis on, and difficulties of, comparative work. It starts, of course, from language. In the case of lifelong learning Coffield writes: The basic concepts which make up the discourse on lifelong learning such as 'competence', 'key qualifications' and 'skills' not only differ in meaning from one country to the next but also change in meaning within in any one country over time and are often differently interpreted in different parts of that country at one and the same time. (Coffield, 1999a, p 8). Just so. But there is also testimony to the importance of comparison: Cross-national comparisons can at their best challenge, and perhaps even puncture, national myths which tend to feed on confirmatory, but which often ignore contradictory, evidence. (Ibid p 5). This sounds to be just the sort of impact that is needed in the field of access and credit studies where there is much confirmation and less contradiction. For a journal founded to be innovative and provocative, there is a need for more contradiction. So there will be a ready welcome to papers with comparative and non-UK perspectives. In the first Volume of JACS there was little comparative work. The current issue redresses this somewhat in the papers from Clayton & McGill and Murphy & Inglis. [JACS hopes to publish a review article on the Learning Society reports in a subsequent issue].

 References
Coffield F (Ed.) (1998) Learning at Work.
Coffield F (Ed.) (1999a) 'Why's the beer always stronger up North?' Studies in lifelong learning in Europe.
Coffield F (Ed.) (1999b) Speaking truth to power: research and policy on lifelong learning.

All are published in Bristol by Polity Press at £13.99.