Looking Back: An Exploration of the Influence of a Teacher Education Study Abroad Program on Participants' Professional Choices and Commitments

• In Event: 29.066 - Intercultural Learning Following an International Teaching Experience: Preparing Intercultural Teachers for Social Justice

Abstract

Objectives: In this presentation we discuss findings from an exploratory study of 10 participants from one teacher education study abroad program and consider the ways these teachers make sense of that experience 5 to 10 years after returning home, focusing on how they makes sense of the ways it has influenced their professional choices and commitments.

Theoretical Framework: International teaching experiences, such as study abroad programs, have been proposed as an important educational method to influence preservice intercultural development (Cushner & Mahon, 2002; Marx & Moss, 2011) and international experiences have been found to influence life-long commitments to multicultural education (Merryfield, 2000; Mahon, 2003; Paccione, 2000). Grounded within a constructivist-developmental view of intercultural learning (Bennett, 1993), this study seeks to explore the meaning participants make of their international experiences years after they return home.

Methods and Data Sources: This investigation is an exploratory qualitative study, using an open response survey, followed by semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected participants. The focus was to identify themes from participants who participated in the same teacher education study abroad program in different years over the course of a ten-year time span. The survey questions and interviews participants’ perceptions of their international experiences and the meaning they made of how that experience has influenced their professional careers. Some demographic and professional career information was also collected, such as types and location of employment and participation in professional development activities. The findings from this study will be used in the development of a survey instrument that will be used to investigate the influence of teacher education study abroad programs on a larger sample of participants and across different programs.

Results: Preliminary findings indicate a number of themes regarding the ways the international study abroad experiences influenced participants’ career choices. Participants indicate an increased commitment to teaching in schools that serve diverse student populations and within urban areas. Participants also indicated continued interest in global education and an increased commitment to social justice. Lastly, while there was great indication that participants were interested in seeking out new international experiences, there was limited involvement in such experiences.

Scholarly Significance of the Study: Study abroad programs have increasingly proposed by teacher educators as an avenue to influence students’ intercultural development and culturally responsive teaching (Cushner & Mahon, 2002; Marx & Moss, 2011). However, there have been few studies that have longitudinally studied the influence of such programs on teachers’ professional lives, particularly their commitments to working with culturally diverse student populations. Considering the investment of time and resources into the creation and maintenance of study abroad programs, research on the long-term influence of such programs is crucial.

Authors

• Helen Marx, Southern Connecticut State University

• David M. Moss, University of Connecticut