How do teachers learn to teach international students? Teachers’ informal professional learning in international vocational education

ABSTRACT

The majority of the literature in the field of international education focuses on the experiences of international students, while much less is known about how teachers learn to teach this cohort. Research on teachers’ informal professional learning and critical moments of growth in their endeavour to enhance the learning experiences of international students in the vocational education and training sector is even scarcer. This article responds to the dearth of existing literature. related to teachers’ professional learning in international vocational education It is based on a study that includes semi-structured interviews with 102 staff in Australian vocational education and training. The article uses positioning theory as a conceptual frame to analyse teachers’ narratives of informal professional learning relation to teaching international students. The findings show that teachers position international students as valuable resources contributing to their informal professional development. The study indicates that it is crucial for teachers’ on-the-job learning experiences to be factored into the broader policy frameworks concerning teacher professional development. The article provides the evidence base to inform the development of situated and targeted professional learning for teachers teaching international students.

KEYWORDS:

• International students
• teachers
• international education
• informal professional learning
• vocational education and training

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the very helpful comments from the reviewers which helped us significantly improve this article, and the valuable contributions of the participants to the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Australian Research Council [DE140101473]

Notes on contributors

Ly Thi Tran

Dr Ly Thi Tran (PhD) is a Professor in the School of Education, Deakin University, Australia. Ly has produced over 200 publications on international education, student mobilities, international students and Vietnamese higher education. Ly’s book Teaching International Students in Vocational Education: New Pedagogical Approaches won the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Excellence Award for Best Practice/Innovation in International Education.

Rinos Pasura

Dr Rinos Pasura has more than 30 years’ experience researching and teaching in Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training (VET) sectors. He currently teaches and supervises students in Educational Research and Capstone Projects at the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Graduate School of Education and the Australian Catholic University respectively. His PhD thesis investigated situated realities influencing international students’ outcomes in private VET providers in Melbourne, Australia. Rinos’ published works include teacher professional development, international students’ characteristics, teacher perceptions about themselves and pedagogic issues.