Short-Term Study Abroad for Pre-service Teachers: Personal and Professional Growth in Brighton, England

Abstract

This study examines the personal and professional development of 34 pre-service teachers who participated in a study abroad program for education majors in Brighton, England. The participants completed a variety of assignments and learning activities before, during, and after the program, including 20 hours of observation in area schools. The results indicate that in terms of personal development, the pre-service teachers experienced increased levels of self-confidence, autonomy, tolerance for ambiguity, flexibility and adaptability, and interpersonal skills. Professionally, the participants identified the role of culture in education and pedagogy, described being better equipped to work with diverse learners in the United States, and developed instructional strategies to use in their future classrooms.

An emotional path to pre-professional skills? Mobility competence of EduHK students attending summer courses in France

“…Participants in this programme demonstrated both personal and preprofessional development. The results of our study are consistent with all studies about mobility and the gain for the participants, as quoted by Mikulec (2019), even if most of the quoted studies are based on longer experiences of mobility. In the present study, the final task, when the students shared their presentations, was a relevant exercise that revealed their mobility competence.…”

Disrupting Neoliberal and Neocolonial Ideologies in U.S. Study Abroad: From Discourse to Intervention

“…This rhetoric represents the problematic assumptions and expectations surrounding international education that study abroad, in and of itself, automatically results in crosscultural interaction which leads to future success (Doerr, 2012(Doerr, , 2013(Doerr, , 2015Ogden, 2006). On the contrary, research continues to tell us a different story, that "global citizenship" or "intercultural learning" is highly dependent on multiple factors including but not limited to the structure and length of the program (Czerwionka, Artamonova, and Barbosa, 2015;Walters, Charles, and Bingham, 2017); demographics (Goldoni, 2018;Terzuolo, 2018); identity (Hartman et al, 2020;Johnstone, Lachelle Smith, & Malmgren, 2020) and pedagogical approaches (Mikulec, 2019;Perry, Stoner & Tarrant, 2012).…”

Using The Prism Model as A Framework for Preparing Educators on Study Abroad

“…Unfortunately, this initiative is yet to produce high numbers. Additionally, teacher education programs often have very rigid degree plans, which makes it extremely difficult for students to add study abroad (Mikulec, 2019). As reported by Shively and Misco (2015, p. 107), "The efforts to incorporate a global dimension into an already crowded teacher education curriculum can be a challenge."…”