Integrating global norms with local context: examination reforms and educational priorities in Jamaica

• In Event: Balancing Global Standards, Local Realities, and AI in Education

Proposal

This study analyzes the changes in Jamaican secondary school entrance examinations and examines the relationship between global educational trends and national contexts. In particular, it investigates how Jamaica's education system navigates global trends driven by global norms, competition, and technological advancements while preserving local cultural values. The primary issue the study addresses is how national curricula and secondary school entrance examinations adapt to global educational standards while maintaining local relevance.
Through content analysis, the study investigates the transition from the Revised Primary Curriculum to the National Standards Curriculum and the implications of their corresponding exams, the Grade Six Achievement Test and the Primary Exit Profile. The analysis reveals that the Jamaican government attempts to integrate local educational practices with global standards in the NSC despite maintaining traditional examination methods. This shift reflects an effort to balance the development of 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, with a strong sense of local identity.
The study builds on existing neo-institutional theory and comparative education literature by examining how Jamaica responds to global isomorphism in education. It reflects the pressures on nations to adopt global educational practices while preserving their identity by incorporating local ideas into its curriculum and assessment practices. This analysis is situated within the national context of Jamaica but is relevant to any geopolitical setting where global standards intersect with local education. Educational policies and practices can and should balance global digital transformations with local cultural values. Additionally, this study highlights how countries might resist full homogenization by embedding local ideas into global frameworks. Overall, this research demonstrates how global standards can be adapted in ways that are sensitive to national contexts, contributing to the broader conversation on education in a digital society by showing how educational systems respond to technological and global shifts.

Author

• Chelsea Dixon, Stanford Graduate School of Education