“Ecosystem”: A Threshold Concept That Comparative and International Education Needs and Can Fruitfully Adopt

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

This paper opens Thematic Session 1 of the XXIV Bulgarian Comparative Education Society Conference, arguing that “ecosystem” functions as a threshold concept urgently needed in Comparative and International Education. Through critical reconstruction of the historical use of “context” over the past 125 years, it shows context has often been applied one-sidedly—from deterministic educational forces, to societal outcomes, to narrow single-variable approaches. The conclusion proposes ecosystem as a balanced framework for two-way interrelationships between education systems and their social environments, with caveats emphasizing agency and extending analysis beyond the nation-state to global dimensions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The notion of a “threshold concept”: conceptual clarification

“Ecosystem”: conceptual clarification

Comparative and International Education during the factors and forces phase

Part 1 Comparative and International Education “Ecosystem”: A Threshold Concept That Comparative and International Education Needs Charl Wolhuter Charl Wolhuter, Prof. Dr., North-West University, South Africa Abstract This paper serves as the opening contribution to Thematic Session 1 of the XXIV Bulgarian Comparative Education Society Conference, whose theme is Education as an Ecosystem: A Global Dialogue. It defends the thesis that the concept of “ecosystem” constitutes a threshold concept that the field of Comparative and International Education urgently needs and can fruitfully adopt. By reconstructing and critically assessing the historical use of “context” as a central concept over the past 125 years, the paper demonstrates that while context has been persistently invoked, it has often been applied in a one-sided or reductionist manner—first as deterministic forces shaping education, later as education’s societal outcomes, and more recently through narrow, single-variable lenses. The paper concludes that “ecosystem” offers a more balanced, integrative, and dynamic framework for understanding the two-way interrelationship between education systems and their societal environments. Two important caveats are noted: first, that any adoption of the ecosystem concept must incorporate individual and systemic agency, not just structural forces; and second, that comparative scholars must extend their analysis beyond the nation-state to include the global context as an integral dimension of any education ecosystem. By embracing these refinements, the field can move beyond historical lopsidedness and toward a more coherent, theoretically robust, and globally inclusive research agenda. Keywords: Comparative and International Education, context, ecosystem, global, Global South Introduction The theme of this XXIV Bulgarian Comparative Education Society Conference, being Education as an Ecosystem: A Global Dialogue, this opening paper on Thematic Session 1: Comparative and International Education, takes the concept of “ecosystem”and defends the thesis that “ecosystem” constitutes a threshold concept that the field of Comparative and International Education needs and can fruitfully adopt. The paper commences with an explanation of the notion of a “threshold concept” in a scholarly field, followed by a clarification of the concept of “ecosystem”. It then traces the historical evolution of the field of Comparative and International Education over the past one anda quarter of a century, showing that while “context” has developed into a focus of interest, in each phase, scholars dealt with “context” in a highly preposterous way. The notion of“ecosystem” is then clarified and investigated regarding its potential value in the field, and found to be commendable. In conclusion, two caveats in this regard, in employing this notion in the field, are noted. The notion of a “threshold concept”: conceptual clarification The notion of a threshold concept was introduced in Meyer and Land (2003) . It has since then been elaborated upon in a regular stream of publications; ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) lists 513 publications dealing with the concept (ERIC, 2025) . Similarly, the use of the concept has found fertile ground in a range of disciplines (Rodger et al., 2015, p. 546) . A threshold concept is more than just a key concept or core concept in a scholarly field. Meyer and Land (2003, p. 412) explain it as: …akin to a portal, opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something. It represents a transformed way of understanding, or interpreting, or viewing something without which the learner cannot progress. As a consequence of comprehending a threshold concept there may thus be a transformed internal view of subject matter, subject landscape, or even world view. This transformation may be sudden or it may be protracted over a considerable period of time, with the transition to unders

FAQs

What is the central thesis of the paper?

“Ecosystem” is argued to be a threshold concept that Comparative and International Education needs and can adopt fruitfully.

How does the paper assess the historical use of “context”?

It reconstructs and critically assesses how “context” has been used in one-sided or reductionist ways, shifting across deterministic forces, outcomes, and narrow single-variable lenses.

What framework does the paper propose instead of the one-sided “context” approach?

It proposes “ecosystem” as a more balanced, integrative, and dynamic framework capturing two-way relationships between education systems and societal environments, including global dimensions.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake