Discourse Analysis of Preservice Teachers' Shifting Beliefs About Education and Society: The Transformative Role of Comparative and International Education

• In Event: Higher Education, Beliefs and Ethics

Proposal

Introduction
Many scholars argue that integrating comparative and international education in teacher education programs is crucial in the globalized world, nurturing globally competent educators and countering neoliberal influence (Aydarova & Marquardt, 2016; Goodwin, 2020; Kubow & Blosser, 2016a, 2016b; Salajan, 2021). Comparative and international education enhances preservice teachers' global and cross-cultural awareness, empowering them as agents of change and aiding in deconstructing their positionalities (Aydarova & Marquardt, 2016; Kissock & Richardson, 2010; Kubow & Blosser, 2016a, b; Salajan, 2021). Despite its significance, comparative and international education remains undervalued in teacher education (Ruscoe, 1973; Salajan, 2021; Wolhuter, 2014). This study aims to address the gap in understanding preservice teachers' learning experiences and belief changes through comparative and international education by examining their beliefs about education and society and how they are challenged, modified, sustained, or transformed.

Theoretical Frameworks
This study applies Mezirow's transformative learning theory (1978, 1997, 2008) and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (1979, 1994) as frameworks. Transformative learning theory emphasizes modifying perspectives and transforming frames of reference through critical reflection and engagement in activities like reading, listening, and self-reflection, with a focus on adult learning (Mezirow, 2008).
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (1979) explores the dynamic interaction between individual development and environments through a five-system model of interconnected environmental structures that influences human interactions and development.
- Microsystem: Immediate interactions (family, school, peers).
- Mesosystem: Connections among microsystem elements.
- Exosystem: Indirect impacts (institutions, social structures, parents' occupations, neighborhoods, media).
- Macrosystem: Cultural context (ideological patterns, belief systems).
Chronosystem: Time dimension.

Methods
This study adopts discourse analysis, guided by Gee (2010, 2014), Fairclough (1993, 2003), and Tobin (2000) to reveal U.S. preservice teachers’ shifting beliefs in relation to the larger social discourses. Discourse analysis explores the meaning of language-in-use and its effects on shaping minds and social relations (Bakhtin, 1992; Fairclough, 2003; Freeman, 2016; Gee, 2014). The study analyzes written reflections from 10 undergraduate education students enrolled in a comparative and international education course at a southeastern public research university. I examine textual cues like wording, aporia, binary, intertextuality, and repetition in their reflections. Using a methodological framework (Table 1) inspired by discourse analysts (Andrelchik, 2016; Burck, 2005; Fairclough, 2003; McVee et al., 2004; Souto-Manning, 2014: Tobin, 2000), I interpret these cues to understand how participants use language to make sense of their world (saying), express themselves (being), and construct versions of the social world (doing) based on their beliefs about education and society (Burck, 2005; Gee, 2014).

Table 1: A Methodological Framework

Saying Being Doing
Significance - Being O Doing O
Politics - Being O Doing O
Connections - Saying O Doing O
Figured Worlds - Saying O Being O
Framing - Doing O
Positioning - Doing O
Heteroglossia - Saying O Doing O

Findings and Discussion
This study reveals five key findings on the transformation of preservice teachers' beliefs through comparative and international education. This paper will highlight two of the findings.

Reconceptualized Views on Minorities and Diversity Issues in the United States
Participants initially had a limited understanding of diversity and minority issues in the U.S., but exposure to coming-of-age novels about students from immigrant families helped them recognize implicit biases and limited knowledge. One participant, Liam (pseudonym), reflected on a book about a Chinese American immigrant girl and stated:

The challenges presented to the protagonist are extremely daunting for just about anyone. … It wasn’t until after I read the full novel that I discovered that the author shared all the same hardships. … The entire time I was reading the novel I was in utter disbelief that something like the events in the plot could be happening. When I found out the author lived through everything, I was in complete shock.

Liam used 'binary' language to distinguish his initial belief about the novel from its true story nature. His specific wording, like “extremely daunting,” "utter disbelief," and "complete shock," conveyed his profound reaction to the realities of young immigrants. This revealed his limited exposure to immigrant families, reflecting his 'figured world' and social background (being). Additionally, I noticed the 'significance' he attributed to learning about children from immigrant families (doing), which he might not have encountered otherwise. Reading firsthand perspectives of minoritized students enabled preservice teachers to recognize diverse educational experiences influenced by social class, region, and community within the United States.

Gained Insights into Viewing Educational Approaches through Different Cultural Perspectives
Participants gained awareness of diverse cultural values in teaching practices through comparisons with other countries. Observing teachers from Japan and the United States react differently to student fights in a video clip led one participant, Isabella, to question and reflect on her own approach, saying:

In the United States, children are viewed as unresponsible and heavily dependent upon adults, which translates into the educational system and student-teacher relationships. An example would be that American teachers are expected to quickly intervene in student disagreements and fights. … On the other hand, Japanese teachers will let students argue with each other for a couple moments to see if the students are able to solve their disagreement without any assistance. Thus, the Japanese society views children as more socially independent than American society.

The 'binary' structure in the quote contrasts teachers' perceptions and actions in the United States and Japan. 'Wording', such as "since" or "thus," indicates causal relationships, while "dependent" or "independent" conveys judgments. These cues ‘connect’ different intervention approaches (doing) and ‘frame’ Japanese teaching practices as more supportive of children's independence compared to American approaches (saying). By learning about new approaches in other countries, participants gained insights into diverse cultural ideologies and belief systems beyond their own macrosystem, highlighting the close relationship between culture and education.

Significance of the Study
This study emphasizes how integrating comparative and international education in teacher education acts as a collective "power of protest in education," aligning with the theme of the CIES conference. By reflecting on their own experiences and comparing diverse perspectives, it empowers preservice teachers to develop critical consciousness, global responsibility, and cultural competence, leading to challenging the unjust status quo and transforming educational conditions.

Authors

• Jonga Lee, University of Georgia

• Gayle Andrews, University of Georgia