Problematizing International Field Experiences: Do They Promote Intercultural Competence or Reinforce Euro-Western Privilege and Ethnocentrism?

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Internationalization is a key strategic focus in higher education in many countries. As such, the objective of this symposium is to critically examine the issue of international field experiences for pre-service and in-service early childhood educators from decolonizing, poststructural, and postcolonial perspectives. It also examines the development of programs that utilize new methods to support ethnorelative reflection, critical consciousness, or contextually appropriate practice during international field experiences. The aim of the symposium is to address questions such as: Do international field experiences promote cultural competence or foster ethnocentric stereotypes? What is the relationship between international field experiences and the production of Western privilege, power and knowledge? What types of international programs allow early childhood educators to develop critical consciousness?

Sub Unit

• SIG-Critical Perspectives on Early Childhood Education

Chair

• Mary Jane Moran, The University of Tennessee

Papers

• Contextually Appropriate Practice: Interrogating the Assumptions of White Western Early Childhood Educators in Nepal and Kenya - Samara Madrid Akpovo, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville; Lydiah Nganga, University of Wyoming

• International Student Otherness: Pedagogies, Differences, and Uncertainties? - Sonja Arndt, University of Waikato; Marek Tesar, The University of Auckland

• Swimming Outside of the Fishbowl: Cross-Cultural Insights From the Field - Lucinda G. Heimer, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater; Lynell D Caya, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater; Paige Lancaster, CESA #2

• "Enough About the U.S., I'm Here Now": Deconstructing Overseas Student Teaching Experiences - Martha J. Lash, Kent State University

Discussant

• John W. Nimmo, Portland State Univeristy