Preparation for a Study Abroad Program in the United Kingdom: Prospective Teachers' Experiences

• In Event: Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Cultural (Mis)Understanding

Abstract

This study aims to explore the preparation experiences of three Turkish pre-service English teachers who chose to study in the United Kingdom (UK) as part of the Erasmus program. By examining their lived and imagined experiences, and imagined communities (Anderson, 2006) under the methodological practice of interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009), we found that participants experienced a complex and dynamic decision-making and a stressful but exciting preparation process. Their imagination of the experience was characterized by hopes, concerns, plans, and a stereotypical image of British culture with superficial cross-country comparisons. Furthermore, participants viewed this program as “once in a lifetime” opportunity for their teaching career.

Authors

• Emrullah Yasin Çiftçi, Middle East Technical University

• A. Cendel Karaman, Middle East Technical University