Playing God: Education data visualizations and the art of world-making

Sotiria Grek*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

The chapter explores visualizations as instruments of the expansion of metrics in the transnational governance of education. It investigates the strategies that visualization experts adopt in the measurement of education, focusing on interactive visual rankings produced by major international organizations. Building on visual and discourse analysis, the study details how the politically sensitive nature of the global governance space, and the increasing pressures for “decolonizing” education, influence how data are visualized. The study makes two contributions to the study of education data visuals. First, it details the move away from league table formats toward multivocal interactive layouts that seek to mitigate the competitive and potentially dysfunctional pressures of the display of “winners and losers.” Second, it theorizes data visuals in global governance as governing tools that entice country buy-in in performance measurement exercises and seek (by avoiding antagonizing lower performers) to align actors around common global education agendas.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Education and Globalization
EditorsPaola Mattei, Xavier Dumay, Eric Mangez, Jacqueline Behrend
PublisherOxford University Press
Chapter24
Pages518-536
Number of pages19
ISBN (Electronic)9780197570715
ISBN (Print)9780197570685
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Jan 2024

Publication series

NameOxford Handbooks
PublisherOxford University Press

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • education
  • education data
  • global governance
  • visualization
  • world-making

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