The Implementation and Analysis of an International Student Teaching Program

Abstract

This chapter provides an account of an international student teaching exchange program between the University of North Texas (UNT) and the University of Seville (UdeS) from inception to implementation. The first section of the chapter offers a rationale for the program including a review of research related to international exchanges specific to educator preparation. Section two includes a discussion of program establishment, a description of initial contacts between the universities and steps taken to form legal agreements binding the institutions to the program. Logistical aspects of the program are detailed, including agreements with local school districts. The final section synthesizes the research conducted at UNT using Mezirow's (1991) transformative learning theory to study the effects of the program on its students. Three years of data have shown a clear pattern in regard to the personal and professional growth student teachers experience as a result of their participation in the program.

Transformation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Teacher Candidates in an International Student Teaching Program

“…12–13). Transformative learning has been used across disciplines (e.g., Jones, 2009; McWhinney & Markos, 2003), and our interest in this study was the possibility for transformational learning through the experience of international student teaching, similar to previous studies involving preservice and early career teachers (Dixon et al, 2017; Driscoll et al, 2014; Landry-Meyer et al, 2019; Moseley et al, 2008; Mwebi & Brigham, 2009).…”

“…Because faculty do not remain in the international setting, the program is not considered a faculty-led study abroad program. Faculty in partner institutions in Spain and Costa Rica provide support for the candidates in the international setting (Dixon et al, 2017) to ensure the candidates “live and perform” in a foreign school’s culture without direct influence from an American teacher educator.…”

“…These include traditional study abroad courses specifically tied to educator preparation and, less commonly, international student teaching programs that place teacher candidates in classrooms to gain authentic teaching experiences in another country (Cushner & Mahon, 2002). Existing research suggests that immersing teacher candidates in a different culture may provoke personal transformation and generate cultural understanding (Dixon et al, 2017; Lupi & Batey, 2009). Additional emerging research suggests participants are able to use their intercultural understanding when they become practicing teachers; however, this literature is limited and future impacts are unclear (Cushner & Brennan, 2007; Felts, 2018), and the question of whether and how international experiences impact future practice remains substantially unanswered.…”