ABSTRACT
In his proposal for comparative education, Marc Antoinne Jullien de Paris argues that the comparative method offers a viable alternative to the experimental method. In an experiment, the scientist can manipulate the variables in such a way that he or she can see any possible combination of variables at will. In comparative education, or in comparative anatomy, which was Jullien's reference point, the experimental method is not available, for practical and ethical reasons. He therefore suggests using the naturally occurring variation in variables as a substitute for manipulating variables directly. The focus of the experimental method is the testing of theories and hypotheses, by finding a way to link single observations into a comprehensive test in a systematic way. It follows, in this line of thought, that the focus of scientific comparative education, as Jullien saw it, was to link individual, or anecdotal observations, to create a comprehensive generalisation or law. This has been a constant theme of comparative education since the early nineteenth century, and the purpose of this article is to trace attempts to make the study of comparative education scientific to the present day, in the light of different interpretations of what it means to be scientific.
