Reimagining transcultural identity: a case study of field experiences for international preservice teachers

ABSTRACT

Around the world, over 5.3 million students were engaged in international education in 2017. In Australia, international students made a significant contribution to the country’s economy and its society. However, there is a paucity in theory and of empirical research on the effects of field experience on international preservice teachers (IPSTs). Addressing this gap, the paper contributes to an understanding of the changes to the identities of IPSTs engaged in field experiences. Drawing on a single case study of a group of first-year IPSTs undertaking a non-assessed field experience, the concept of ‘transcultural’ is employed to understand the links between culture, place and identity that the cohort experience in the host education sites. This paper shows the emergence of how IPSTs understand how children learn and its connection with pedagogy as part of them becoming transcultural. While this study occurs before COVID-19, it argues for shared responsibility between universities, education sites and teachers to enable the transcultural meanings to be established within the field experience, thereby creating inclusive conditions central to IPSTs’ contribution to the existing cultural and linguistic diversities in education settings. This is even more vital under the changed circumstances of COVID-19.

KEYWORDS:

• Transcultural
• identity
• international preservice teachers
• field experiences
• teacher education
• cultural diversity

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their in-depth and valuable feedback, and the editorial support provided by the Research in Educational and Social Inclusion Research Group, University of South Australia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Office of Learning and Teaching [EX15-0155].

Notes on contributors

H. Soong

Dr Hannah Soong is a senior lecturer and educational sociologist in international education, teacher education and migration. She has specialised interests in the effects of social and cultural forces shaping the education and migration nexus. Her current research publications and projects lie in the empirical studies and theorisation of transnational mobility and education of pre-service teachers and international students ; sociology of Asia literacy and teacher identity work in an ‘East-meets-West’ curriculum. One key area is the investigation around developing ethical engagement with global shifts and relations in education. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1798-4881

L. Kerkham

Dr Lyn Kerkham is an adjunct research associate and tutor in teacher education. Her research covers topics ranging from literacy, professional learning, place-based pedagogies, to educational equity.

R. Reid-Nguyen

Rebecca Reid-Nguyen is a lecturer and year level coordinator in UniSA Education Futures. Prior to teaching at UniSA, she worked in DECD school leadership as a primary school principal.

B. Lucas

Bill Lucas is a senior lecturer and year level coordinator in UniSA Education Futures. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of social justice, culturally responsive pedagogies and educational leadership.

R. Geer

Dr Ruth Geer is an adjunct lecturer in teacher education in UniSA Education Futures. Her research interests are in the development of effective online pedagogies and design, interactivity and cognition in online spaces, and the use of digital and mobile technologies to engage learners and thus enhance their learning.

M. Mills-Bayne

Dr Martyn Mills-Bayne is a senior lecturer in early childhood education in UniSA Education Futures. His research interests lie in the use of dialogue to foster young children’s empathic reasoning in the early years of school.