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Understanding the Impact of International Travel on Pre-Service Teachers
Colleen Sodano & Dr. Jeremy Lynch, Special Education Department, cns1013@sru.edu & jeremy.lynch@sru.edu
Introduction
When studying abroad, students can experience a shift in
both their professional and individual mindsets. For preservice teachers, this shift is especially important as they
can be more equipped to address diversity within their own
classrooms (Alfaro & Quezda, 2010; Constantiou, 2015;
Cushner, 2007; Cwick & Benton, 2009; DeVillar & Jiang,
2012; Egeland, 2016; Jiang et al., 2010; Keengwe, 2010;
Quezada & Alfaro, 2007). The goal of this study is to discern
how both international travel and education experiences can
change the pre-service teacher’s cultural knowledge and
their personal and professional identity.
Two questions will be guiding our study:
What change, if any, occurred to teacher education students’
personal and professional identity after participating in an
international travel and international education experience?
What change, if any, occurred to teacher education students’
cultural understanding after participating in an international
travel and international education experience?
Methods
Participants:
The participants of this study are students that are currently
enrolled in the College of Education and SRU and they are
participating in an international teaching experience such as
a spring break trip, international student teaching, or any
other international program facilitated by a faculty member
from the College of Education.
Procedures:
Before their trips, a series of meetings with the students will
take place to discuss important information regarding the trip
such as what to pack, trip events, and general information
about the country. Students will then be asked to answer the
Pre-Trip Survey:
1. Describe your preconceptions of [ ]’s culture.
2. What are your expectations about their schools?
3. What do you hope to gain from being in the country?
4. Is there anything else you would like to share about the
trip/country?
While on the trip, students must journal their experiences at
least three times a week, and supplemental questions will be
provided should the students need any ideas. In these journals,
students are encouraged to discuss their weekly encounters
with teaching, any notable developments, an anything they
found surprising, for example. After the completion of the trip, a
meeting will take place where students will answer the Post-Trip
Survey:
1. How did your experiences support or contradict your
preconceptions of [ ]’s culture?
2. How did your experiences support or contradict your
expectations of their schools?
3. What did you gain from this experience?
4. Is there anything else you would like to share about your
experience?
Analysis:
Once the data has been analyzed, brief summaries of the
results and data will be sent to each participant by the principal
investigator. Participants will be given the choice to meet with
one of the faculty researchers to discuss their results as viewed
within the City as Text © and Constantiou (2015) frameworks.
We will use the procedures for qualitative content analysis
described by Schreier (2012) to apply the theoretical framework
developed by Constantiou (2015) and the City as Text © model
(Braid & Long, 2000) to the data. We will use the NVivo 12 data
analysis software to analyze the data in the following order: (1)
decontextualize, (2) recontextualize, (3) categorize, and (4)
compile.
Results
Due to the unprecedented events of the past year,
international abroad trips have been cancelled from the
pandemic. For this reason, we have been unable to gather
results for this study. Following the completion of the India
program, we will begin to analyze their journals entries and
gather what they have gained from the experience.
Furthermore, student teaching trips are being planned for
Ireland for the Fall 2021 and for Spain in the Spring of 2022.
More data will be collected during these programs to come.
Discussion
Data from this study has the potential to confirm and/or
elaborate on the existing body research regarding the
importance of connecting diversity experiences and teacher
preparation. Results could support the need to increase
programming and funding for international education
experiences, thus providing the opportunity for more
students, especially those from other socio-economic
backgrounds, to gain these experiences.
References
India Experience
This year, student teachers have been working with a preschool in India over Zoom. Over a three-week program in each
semester, a group of student teachers observed the teachers in
the meeting and then took turns teaching the students each
week. They are able to experience different aspects of the
culture in India and adapt lessons to be taught over Zoom; the
students chronicled their experiences in their journals.
“The children truly have such a personality that is shown
even through zoom. I feel connected with these children
even through zoom, which I thought would be hard to form
bonds virtually.” – Student teacher
“I learned so much about what it is like teaching to
students who have grown up in a different country. I
learned about how to teach virtually and to make
meaningful connections with students.” – Student teacher
Ateşkan, A. (2016). Pre-Service Teachers’ Cultural and Teaching Experiences Abroad. Journal of Education for
Teaching, 42(2), 135-148.
Braid, B. & Long, A. "Place as Text: Approaches to Active Learning" (2000). NCHC Monographs Series.
Constantinou, P. (2015). The Impact of International Student Teaching Experience on Teacher Identity and Cultural
Competency. The International Journal of Diversity in Education, 15(3), 17-32.
Egeland, P. C. (2016). How does International Student Teaching Shape the Participants? Professional and
Personal Perspectives and Decisions. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 15(2), 2337.
Francis, R. W. (2015). Demonstrating Pre-Service Teacher Learning through Engagement in Global Field
Experiences. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(11), 787-792.
Marcus, A. S., & Moss, D. M. (2015). Enhancing Intercultural Understanding for Pre-Service Teachers through
Developing and Sustaining Education Abroad Experiences. Journal of International Social Studies, 5(2), 22-37.
Salmona, M., Partlo, M., Kaczynski, D., & Leonard, S. N. (2015). Developing Culturally Competent Teachers: An
International Student Teaching Field Experience. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(4), 3.
Schreier, M. (2012). Qualitative Content Analysis in Practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Acknowledgements
Special Thank you to Dr. Linda Zane and Dr. Sara Tours from
the Elementary/Early Education Department, who are CoInvestigators of this study.
Colleen Sodano & Dr. Jeremy Lynch, Special Education Department, cns1013@sru.edu & jeremy.lynch@sru.edu
Introduction
When studying abroad, students can experience a shift in
both their professional and individual mindsets. For preservice teachers, this shift is especially important as they
can be more equipped to address diversity within their own
classrooms (Alfaro & Quezda, 2010; Constantiou, 2015;
Cushner, 2007; Cwick & Benton, 2009; DeVillar & Jiang,
2012; Egeland, 2016; Jiang et al., 2010; Keengwe, 2010;
Quezada & Alfaro, 2007). The goal of this study is to discern
how both international travel and education experiences can
change the pre-service teacher’s cultural knowledge and
their personal and professional identity.
Two questions will be guiding our study:
What change, if any, occurred to teacher education students’
personal and professional identity after participating in an
international travel and international education experience?
What change, if any, occurred to teacher education students’
cultural understanding after participating in an international
travel and international education experience?
Methods
Participants:
The participants of this study are students that are currently
enrolled in the College of Education and SRU and they are
participating in an international teaching experience such as
a spring break trip, international student teaching, or any
other international program facilitated by a faculty member
from the College of Education.
Procedures:
Before their trips, a series of meetings with the students will
take place to discuss important information regarding the trip
such as what to pack, trip events, and general information
about the country. Students will then be asked to answer the
Pre-Trip Survey:
1. Describe your preconceptions of [ ]’s culture.
2. What are your expectations about their schools?
3. What do you hope to gain from being in the country?
4. Is there anything else you would like to share about the
trip/country?
While on the trip, students must journal their experiences at
least three times a week, and supplemental questions will be
provided should the students need any ideas. In these journals,
students are encouraged to discuss their weekly encounters
with teaching, any notable developments, an anything they
found surprising, for example. After the completion of the trip, a
meeting will take place where students will answer the Post-Trip
Survey:
1. How did your experiences support or contradict your
preconceptions of [ ]’s culture?
2. How did your experiences support or contradict your
expectations of their schools?
3. What did you gain from this experience?
4. Is there anything else you would like to share about your
experience?
Analysis:
Once the data has been analyzed, brief summaries of the
results and data will be sent to each participant by the principal
investigator. Participants will be given the choice to meet with
one of the faculty researchers to discuss their results as viewed
within the City as Text © and Constantiou (2015) frameworks.
We will use the procedures for qualitative content analysis
described by Schreier (2012) to apply the theoretical framework
developed by Constantiou (2015) and the City as Text © model
(Braid & Long, 2000) to the data. We will use the NVivo 12 data
analysis software to analyze the data in the following order: (1)
decontextualize, (2) recontextualize, (3) categorize, and (4)
compile.
Results
Due to the unprecedented events of the past year,
international abroad trips have been cancelled from the
pandemic. For this reason, we have been unable to gather
results for this study. Following the completion of the India
program, we will begin to analyze their journals entries and
gather what they have gained from the experience.
Furthermore, student teaching trips are being planned for
Ireland for the Fall 2021 and for Spain in the Spring of 2022.
More data will be collected during these programs to come.
Discussion
Data from this study has the potential to confirm and/or
elaborate on the existing body research regarding the
importance of connecting diversity experiences and teacher
preparation. Results could support the need to increase
programming and funding for international education
experiences, thus providing the opportunity for more
students, especially those from other socio-economic
backgrounds, to gain these experiences.
References
India Experience
This year, student teachers have been working with a preschool in India over Zoom. Over a three-week program in each
semester, a group of student teachers observed the teachers in
the meeting and then took turns teaching the students each
week. They are able to experience different aspects of the
culture in India and adapt lessons to be taught over Zoom; the
students chronicled their experiences in their journals.
“The children truly have such a personality that is shown
even through zoom. I feel connected with these children
even through zoom, which I thought would be hard to form
bonds virtually.” – Student teacher
“I learned so much about what it is like teaching to
students who have grown up in a different country. I
learned about how to teach virtually and to make
meaningful connections with students.” – Student teacher
Ateşkan, A. (2016). Pre-Service Teachers’ Cultural and Teaching Experiences Abroad. Journal of Education for
Teaching, 42(2), 135-148.
Braid, B. & Long, A. "Place as Text: Approaches to Active Learning" (2000). NCHC Monographs Series.
Constantinou, P. (2015). The Impact of International Student Teaching Experience on Teacher Identity and Cultural
Competency. The International Journal of Diversity in Education, 15(3), 17-32.
Egeland, P. C. (2016). How does International Student Teaching Shape the Participants? Professional and
Personal Perspectives and Decisions. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 15(2), 2337.
Francis, R. W. (2015). Demonstrating Pre-Service Teacher Learning through Engagement in Global Field
Experiences. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(11), 787-792.
Marcus, A. S., & Moss, D. M. (2015). Enhancing Intercultural Understanding for Pre-Service Teachers through
Developing and Sustaining Education Abroad Experiences. Journal of International Social Studies, 5(2), 22-37.
Salmona, M., Partlo, M., Kaczynski, D., & Leonard, S. N. (2015). Developing Culturally Competent Teachers: An
International Student Teaching Field Experience. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(4), 3.
Schreier, M. (2012). Qualitative Content Analysis in Practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Acknowledgements
Special Thank you to Dr. Linda Zane and Dr. Sara Tours from
the Elementary/Early Education Department, who are CoInvestigators of this study.