Abstract:

To prepare teacher candidates for the evolving 21st-century classroom, many teacher education programs are making efforts to internationalize their campuses in the U.S. There is a general consensus that preservice teachers need cross-cultural experience working with diverse populations in order to develop this knowledge and skills (Phillion, Malewski, Sharma, & Wang, 2011; Lin, 2018). Guided by cultural intelligence (Ang et al., 2007; Thomas, 2006), this project examines the impact of a short-term study abroad program on preservice teachers’ perceptions of personal and professional development. Twelve preservice teachers who studied abroad in several different countries over the last three years participated in this study. All of them were female except one. They were mostly sophomores and juniors when they participated in a faculty-led study abroad program.

Study abroad programs are academic experience in which students engage in cultural interaction and exchange overseas. The benefits of participating in a study abroad program have been examined for more than two decades. Study abroad has been recognized as a high-impact practice for college students’ greater academic engagement and retention (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2018). As a result, participation in this practice could be life-changing (Kuh, 2008). As cultural institutions, universities have always had a role to play in assisting students to make positive contributions in this globalized society. Though study abroad is just one of the components contributing to the internationalization of many universities, its impact on personal growth, intercultural awareness, and professional development can last for a long time. Franklin (2010) found that study abroad played a role in participants’ professional success and the sense of professional ethics even after a decade upon returning to the U.S.

The findings of this study support what previous research concluded: study abroad provides experiential learning experiences for the preservice teachers to develop cultural intelligence and reflect on their identity professionally and professionally (Klein & Wikan, 2019; Hauerwas et al., 2017; Nguye et al., 2018). The findings of this study point to the fact that regardless of prior experiences with “others,” experiences while abroad offer a plethora of opportunities that can shift preservice teachers’ perceptions of “others” and potentially affect how they will teach students in their future classrooms. Participants all agreed that to truly capitalize on the transformational power of study abroad experiences, prior to the study abroad trip, study abroad participants should receive instruction regarding what they might experience while abroad. Medina, Hathaway, and Pilonieta (2015) adds that debriefing class sessions while abroad and upon return are beneficial to make connections to the classroom. Nevertheless, firsthand observation and teaching hours should be the ultimate priority and as well as cultural immersion. In conclusion, experiences while studying abroad impact preservice teachers as individuals and as future classroom teachers as well. Despite the limitations of the study, the findings of this study can be further optimized for the future course design for study abroad. A quantitative measure can also be developed to examine the effectiveness of the study abroad programs that can be used across disciplines universally.

Keywords:

Cultural intelligence, intercultural competence, study abroad, teacher education, global education.