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Teacher Development
An international journal of teachers' professional development
Volume 15, 2011 - Issue 1
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Articles

A window of opportunity: perspectives of preservice teachers from the United States on the customs and practices of teaching in primary schools in England

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Pages 37-52 | Received 16 Jun 2009, Accepted 24 Jun 2010, Published online: 18 Mar 2011
 

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of preservice teachers from the United States on the customs and practices of teaching in primary schools in England resulting from their participation in a study abroad experience. Participants were 17 teacher education candidates from a university in the southeastern United States who studied in primary schools in England for a four‐week internship. Data were collected from student reflective journals, tutors' observations, and of the study abroad experience by three researchers who also serve as tutors for the programme. The researchers used a hermeneutic approach to interpret the preservice teachers' narratives of their experience and their perceptions of the customs and practices that were distinct to the English context. Emerging themes were organised into the following four categories: learner‐centred and holistic approaches, planning and delivery of curriculum, the structured system with relaxed interactions and the role of the school in the community. Findings are discussed in relation to research and policy discourses in the US and the UK.

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