Beliefs and Practices of Effective International School Teachers in East Asia

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: International Teacher Practices and Beliefs (Table 22)

Abstract

In this study we explored the beliefs and practices of nineteen international school teachers in four East Asian countries through direct observations and interviews. Few studies exist for this population of teachers, including research that reflects the importance of working in intercultural settings and the skills that allow teachers to flourish in these settings. We found that the effective teachers in our study had high student engagement, directed most of the learning, and used a wide variety of instructional activities within their lessons. Emergent themes focused on understanding, appreciating, and being responsive to the multi-layered school and cultural contexts that exist in the international school setting. Additionally, teachers’ passionate personal dispositions toward teaching to their success.

Authors

• Leslie W. Grant, College of William & Mary

• James H. Stronge, College of William & Mary

• Swathi Menon, College of William & Mary