Compositional Model of Cultural Competence for Teaching Abroad Programs in Teacher Education

• In Event: Developing the Cultural Competence of Preservice Teachers Through Field Experience on Four Continents

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, we propose a compositional model of cultural competence for teaching abroad programs that takes into account different levels of complexity of intercultural teaching experiences; and second, we ground the model in an empirical study to analyze how a teaching abroad program in Tanzania enhances the development of cultural competence of U.S. preservice teachers. We analyze the case of eight preservice students, who taught in Tanzania for one month. Through this study, we aim to understand the transition of the cultural competence of U.S. preservice teachers before, during and after this teaching experience abroad based on the principles of culturally responsive teaching.

Authors

• Lina Trigos-Carrillo, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Nino Kalatozi, University of Missouri

• Kathryn B. Chval, University of Missouri - Columbia