ABSTRACT
This chapter examines English language teaching and teacher education within the context of assertions that national competence in English is a prerequisite for economic growth in a globalized world. Accepting this as a fact, many governments have been motivated by international comparisons of educational effectiveness to search for ‘best practice’ internationally with a view to reforming and enhancing the performance of their education systems. However, decisions about which dimensions of international comparisons are prioritized in the educational discourse of particular countries are as much political as educational in nature; and the relevance of reforms which often travel from one country to another as a result of these international comparisons needs to be considered in specific sociocultural and educational contexts.
