"I Just Never Considered That Perspective": Understanding Intercultural Competence in a Preservice Teacher Education Program

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Socializing Candidates Into the Field: Fostering Equity Commitments Through Teacher Identity Development

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine intercultural competence among pre-service teachers over the course of a 10-month teacher education program. Students (n=14) completed pre-and post-assessments using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to measure intercultural competence and participated in qualitative interviews over ten months. Quantitative results indicated pre-service teachers significantly (p < .01) increased their IDI scores. Qualitative data revealed that the pre-service teachers were initially startled by their scores on the IDI but worked throughout the program to improve their knowledge of cultures within their classroom/school internship settings and kept a perspective that continuing to advance their intercultural competence was necessary to their careers as teachers. Not all contexts for intercultural competence supported growth.

Authors

• Holly Sheppard Riesco, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

• Toby Klein, University of Arkansas

• Callie Embry, University of Arkansas

• Jacquelyn Wiersma-Mosley, University of Arkansas

• Christian Z. Goering, University of Arkansas