Navigating Barriers: Challenges for Canadian and Chinese Pre-service Teachers Participating in International Internships in the Post-COVID-19 Era

• In Event: Roundtable Group 2
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Improving Education

Proposal

Abstract
Amid ongoing travel restrictions and persisting health concerns in the post-pandemic era, pre-service teachers face numerous challenges when engaging in international cross-cultural educational programs. The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to explore the challenges that a group of Canadian and Chinese pre-service teachers encountered during their participation in an international reciprocal learning program between [name of the Canadian university] and [name of the Chinese university] for two semesters. This study reveals the challenges of both Canadian and Chinese participants encountered before and throughout their involvement in the program, which has transformed into their unusual intercultural learning experiences with encouraging outcomes. Findings suggest that limited access to funding creates barriers to participant enrollment and engagement, thereby decreasing motivation, and that conducting the program in different time zones creates scheduling barriers. In addition, technical issues during online interactions further exacerbate the difficulties faced by the participants. However, despite these obstacles, the findings also showcase how reciprocal learning happened among the participants and how they developed their intercultural competence by navigating the barriers they encountered. (173 words)
Keywords: Canadian and Chinese pre-service teachers, international internships, reciprocal learning, post-COVID-19 era

Due to travel restrictions and health concerns in the post-pandemic era, many pre-service teachers have encountered numerous challenges when participating in international educational programs (Ardiyansah, 2021; Kaçar & Fekete, 2022; Karismawati, 2022; Krengel, 2021). This study is a part of Author 2’s [name of the international teacher education program], which is supported by a SSHRC Partnership Grant Project between Canada and China. The program facilitates Canadian and Chinese pre-service teachers’ individual growth as future teachers through three-month reciprocal learning in each other’s country (Author 2 et al, 2019). The present study explores the challenges that Canadian and Chinese pre-service teachers encountered during their participation in [name of the program] spanning two semesters, facilitated by [name of the Canadian university] and [name of the Chinese university].
Adopting Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework, the two authors adopt narrative inquiry as the methodology, utilizing focus group discussion and participants’ reflective journals to gather in-depth insights from them. According to the different temporal dimensions, locations, and personal and social relationships and experiences, the authors will retell and interpret the challenges encountered by these pre-service teachers and explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nature and structure of international internships. Findings suggest that limited access to funding creates barriers to participant enrollment and engagement, thereby decreasing motivation, and that conducting the program in different time zones creates scheduling barriers. In addition, technical issues during online interactions further exacerbate the difficulties faced by the participants. By examining these challenges, the research will provide recommendations and feasible practices to enhance the success and impact of international internships. This research will contribute to the field of teacher education, facilitating the development of culturally competent and globally aware educators who can effectively navigate the complexities of the post-pandemic educational landscape. (296 words) 

Authors

• Yuhan Deng, University of Windsor

• Shijing Xu, University of Windsor