Transcending the ‘humanistic versus neoliberal’ narratives? Student teachers’ profiling of globally competent teachers and visions of their ‘possible professional self’

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Teacher preparation through peace education and global engagement

Proposal

Introduction

In the past few decades, the educational agenda of teacher education programmes (TEPs) in many countries has shifted from training ‘locally ready’ teachers “towards globally competent teachers” (GCTs) (Darji & Lang-Wojtasik, 2014, p. 55; Ying et al., 2025). Global competence is featured increasingly as “a component of teachers’ professional competence” (Orazbayeva, 2016, p. 2659). This shows that globalisation is shaping teachers’ professional identity as they are expected to “think, and teach beyond local boundaries” (Goodwin, 2021, p. 5). Cobb and Couch (2018) noted that this shift was reflected in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports (2016, 2018) that accentuate TEPs to play central roles in preparing GCTs. They argue that the OECD discourses facilitate “a new form of pedagogic identity” (p.37) and “a new form of global pedagogical governance” (p.35). However, there is so far no common profiling of the professional identity of a GCT, or what a GCT should be like or do. PSTs’ understanding of global competence, its significance, and relevance for the teaching profession varies across contexts (Guler & Ullom, 2023). In some contexts, PSTs are found to be ill-prepared to teach global knowledge and issues (Guler & Ullom, 2023; Merryfield, 2000). Often, teacher education is regarded as serving the local educational needs by preparing teachers who are equipped with subject-focused knowledge and knowledge about the local society (Koh et al., 2022). Global competence might not be a commonly used notion among teachers and PSTs (Karanikola et al., 2022). Or developing global competence is not regarded as essential by some PSTs (Guler & Ullom, 2023). This dynamic is reinforced as the teaching profession is strongly defined by testing and accountability regimes across the world (Ro, 2018).

Hong Kong is an international city. On one hand, raising global awareness and perspectives among its people persists as a major concern for curriculum developers, policymakers, and educational institutions (Lee & Leung, 2005). Cultivating global awareness and perspectives is also listed in the teaching and learning goals of its universities with TEPs (Zou, 2021). On the other hand, it is believed that the highly exam-oriented, competitive education system in Hong Kong makes it challenging for teachers to understand their profession beyond ‘teaching to test’ (Berry, 2014). It is in this context that this study explores how local PSTs in Hong Kong profile GCTs and how they envision their professional self as a GCT in their future career. Specifically, based on semi-structured interviews with 18 PSTs enrolled in Bachelor of Education programmes at University X, this study will answer the following questions:
1. How do preservice teachers in Hong Kong profile globally competent teachers?
2. How do they envision their professional selves as global competent teachers in their future teaching career?

Methodology
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 local Hong Kong students enrolled in Bachelor of Education programmes in University X in Hong Kong (Table 1). Semi-structured interviews allowed researchers to ask prepared, open-ended questions to answer the research questions while allowing participants space and flexibility to share their perceptions, ideas, and reflections in the order and to the extent they prefer (Bernard & Ryan, 2010). Thus, it fits as a data collection method for this study. Ethical approval was obtained from the University Human Ethics Review Committee (Ref no. anonymised for peer review). To gather data on experiences and reflection with a relatively diverse disciplinary background of participants with certain experience of learning and reflections on interview questions, participants from Year 2 or above from different Bachelor of Education programmes were invited to participate. Online or face-to-face interviews were conducted in Mandarin or Cantonese based on participants’ preferences. Interviews, lasting from 26 min to 61 min, were recorded (audio- or video-) with the participants’ consent. Interviews were transcribed into simplified (Mandarin) or traditional (Cantonese) Chinese respectively and analysed through a thematic analysis method (Braun & Clarke, 2019). The transcripts were read repeatedly to identify, interpret, and theorise how PSTs in Hong Kong profile GCTs, how they envision the possibilities and challenges of becoming a global competent teacher in their future teaching career.

Discussions
Findings show that the participants profile GSTs and envision themselves as GSTs as teachers with global, national, and local knowledge and perspectives, interculturally competent, inclusive teachers, and ‘competitive’ teachers with hard and soft skills. Meanwhile, they also envision challenges, including exam-oriented school culture, low self-efficacy in global competence, and unequal educational landscape, to become and practice as GCTs in the future profession.

PSTs’ profiling of GCTs resonates with both what is termed as ‘humanistic’ and ‘neoliberal’ narratives of professional identities of GCTs in the existing literature. The first profiling of GCTs as teachers with global knowledge and perspectives echoes with GCTs as globally minded and aware of global issues and challenges and possessing skillsets to help their students acquire global knowledge, awareness, and perspectives (Brennan & Holliday, 2019; Crawford et al., 2020; Darji & Lang-Wojtasik, 2014). The second profiling of GTCs as ‘interculturally competent, inclusive teachers’ echoes the profiling of teachers with awareness of student diversity (e.g. Kopish, 2016; O’Connor & Zeichner, 2011), capacity to teach students from diverse backgrounds and in diverse contexts (e.g. Darji & Lang-Wojtasik, 2014; Parmigiani, Jones, Kunnari, et al., 2022; Quezada, 2011; Wu, 2023), and the capacity to equip students with cross-cultural understanding and awareness (e.g. Brennan & Holliday, 2019; Darji & Lang-Wojtasik, 2014). Moreover, GCTs’ practices to treat students equally, regardless of their backgrounds and academic performance, show their understandings of GCTs as critical pedagogical agents for change with ‘professional agency’ (Byker & Putman, 2019) and a commitment to equity and social justice (Crawford et al., 2020; Kopish, 2016). Meanwhile, PSTs’ profiling also shows ‘neoliberal’ narratives of professional identities as they view GCTs as teachers with ‘competitiveness’ (Cobb & Couch, 2018). Therefore, it can be argued that Hong Kong PSTs’ profiles and visions transcend the binary ‘humanistic versus neoliberal’ narratives around the professional identities of GCTs. For most participants in this study, GCTs can be simultaneously globally minded, interculturally competent, inclusive practitioners, and competitive employees who could successfully navigate the global labour market and prepare their students as such.

Author

• Ji Yumjyi Ying, Education University of Hong Kong