The Learner’s Perspective Study provides a vehicle for the work of an international
community of classroom researchers. The work of this community is reported in a
series of books of which this is the fourth. International comparative and crosscultural
research has the capacity to inform practice, shape policy and develop
theory. Such research can reflect regional, national or global priorities. Crosscultural
comparisons of social practice in settings such as classrooms can lead us to
question our assumptions about what constitutes desirable learning or effective
instruction. International comparative research offers us more than insight into the
novel, interesting and adaptable practices employed in other school systems. It also
offers us a new perspective on the strange, invisible, and unquestioned routines and
rituals of our own school system and our own classrooms. In addition, a crosscultural
perspective on classrooms can help us identify common values and shared
assumptions across geographically disparate social settings, which in turn can
facilitate the adaptation of practices from one classroom for use in a different
cultural setting. The identification of structure and recurrence within cultural
diversity can help us to distinguish between fundamental commonalities and local
conventions. Research into the phenomenon of student voice in different classroom
settings can provide profound contrasts and unexpected similarities, supporting the
constructive interrogation of entrenched practices and established theory.