Abstract
International teaching experiences, even if short-termed, are great opportunities for student teachers to challenge their assumptions and scrutinise their beliefs, to discover different ways of approaching teaching and learning, and to better understand their own education system through a global education lens. They offer student teachers the context to develop their teaching competencies and serve as the milieu to crystallise their teacher identity and build a more global mental schema of teaching. This exploratory study examines how the National Institute of Education, Singapore, strived to broaden student teachers’ perspective by providing them with the opportunity to do their teaching assistantship overseas. Specifically, the inquiry question of the study was to find out what student teachers learned during their international teaching assistantship. To answer the inquiry question, reflective journals of 13 student teachers who participated in 5-week international teaching assistantship in Denmark (n = 5), Sweden (n = 4) and the United States of America (US) (n = 4) were analysed. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse, and report themes that emerged from the qualitative data. The themes were coded as “connection to a wider world (sub-themes: culture awareness, alternative viewpoints, global education lens)”, “observations of the school (sub-themes: class size and composition, learning assessment, technology integration)”, “professional growth (sub-themes: teacher as facilitator, understanding class profile, classroom management practices)”, and “personal growth (sub-themes: overcoming personal limitations, greater flexibility and willingness to change)”. Despite the student teachers in Denmark and Sweden facing language barrier challenges, the results indicate that all the student teachers benefited immensely from the experience. They developed broader perspectives of societies and education, made important observations of the schools, and grew professionally and personally. They noted that although there were differences in the different education systems, there were similarities in the role of teacher as facilitator, as well as curriculum goals and pedagogical approaches. They had greater appreciation of their roles as teachers and the importance of knowing their students. They overcame personal limitations and became more flexible and open to changes. The article concludes with suggestions on how to improve such experiences to enhance the growth and cross-cultural competency of student teachers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acquah, E. O., & Commins, N. L. (2013). Pre-service teachers’ beliefs and knowledge about multiculturalism. European Journal of Teacher Education, 36(4), 445–463. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2013.787593
Amstrong, N. F. (2008). Teacher education in a global society: Facilitating global literacy for preservice candidates through international field experiences. Teacher Education and Practice, 21(4), 490–506.
Anderson, P. H., & Lawton, L. (2011). Intercultural development: Study abroad vs. on-campus study. Frontiers: the Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 21, 86–108. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v21i1.305
Andrew, M. (1990). The differences between graduates of four-year and five-year teacher preparation programs. Journal of Teacher Education, 41, 45–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248719004100206
Andrew, M., & Schwab, R. L. (1995). Has reform in teacher education influenced teacher performance? An outcome assessment of graduates of eleven teacher education programs. Action in Teacher Education, 17, 43–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.1995.10463255
Barber, M., & Mourshed, M. (2007). How the world’s best-performing school systems come out on top. McKinsey & Company.
Batey, J., & Lupi, M. (2012). Reflections on student interns’ cultural awareness developed through a short-term international internship. Teacher Education Quarterly, 39(3), 25–44.
Bodycott, P., & Crew, V. (2000). Living the language: The value of short-term overseas language immersion programs. The Language Teacher, 24(9), 27–33.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brindley, R., Quinn, S., & Morton, M. L. (2009). Consonance and dissonance in a study abroad program as a catalyst for professional development of pre-service teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 525–532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.012
Clement, M. C., & Outlaw, M. E. (2002). Student teaching abroad: Learning about teaching, culture, and self. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 38(4), 180–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2002.10516370
Collins, J., & Geste, A. (2016). The transformative effect of study abroad: Australian teaching experience on US pre-service teacher identity formation. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 15(2), 13–22.
Colton, A. B., & Sparks-Langer, G. M. (1993). A conceptual framework to guide the development of teacher reflection and decision making. Journal of Teacher Education, 44(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487193044001007
Constantinou, P. (2015). The impact of international student teaching experience on teacher identity and cultural competency. International Journal of Diversity in Education, 15(3), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0020/cgp/v15i03/40129
Cushner, K. (2007). The role of experience in the making of internationally-minded teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 34(1), 27–39.
Cushner, K., & Brennan, S. (2007). The value of learning to teach in another culture. In K. Cushner & S. Brennan (Eds.), Intercultural student teaching: A bridge to global competence (pp. 1–11). Rowman & Littlefield.
Cushner, K., & Chang, S.-C. (2015). Developing intercultural competence through overseas student teaching: Checking our assumptions. Intercultural Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2015.1040326
Cushner, K., & Mahon, J. (2002). Overseas student teaching: Affecting personal, professional, and global competencies in an age of globalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 6(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315302006001004
Darling-Hammond, L., & Bransford, J. (Eds.). (2005). Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. Jossey-Bass.
Dolby, N. (2004). Encountering an American self: Study abroad and national identity. Comparative Education Review, 48(2), 150–173.
Doppen, F. H. (2010). Overseas student teaching and national identity: Why go somewhere you feel completely comfortable? Journal of International Social Studies, 1(1), 3–19.
Doppen, F. H., & An, J. (2014). Student teaching abroad: Enhancing global awareness. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 43(2), 59–75.
Economist Intelligence Unit. (2009). Global diversity and inclusion: Perceptions, practices and attitudes. Economist Intelligence Unit.
Faulconer, T. (2003). These kids are so bright! Pre-service teacher’s insights and discoveries during a three-week student teaching practicum in Mexico. Paper presented at the 2003 annual meeting of the American educational research association (ERIC document reproduction service no. ED482507), April 23.
Florida, R. (2011). How diversity leads to economic growth: A new study suggests that countries with high levels of diversity are better able to adapt new technologies and ideas. CityLab Daily. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-12/how-diversity-leads-to-economic-growth
French, J. R., & Raven, B. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 150–167). University of Michigan Press.
Goh, C.T. (1997). Shaping our future: Thinking schools, learning nation. Singapore Government Press Release. Speech by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the Opening of the 7th International Conference on Thinking, 2 June.
González-Carriedo, R., de Nava, J. L., & Martínez, M. S. (2017). International student teaching: A transformational experience. Journal of International Students, 7(3), 841–855. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.570037
Hairon, S., & Dimmock, C. (2012). Singapore schools and professional learning communities: Teacher professional development and school leadership in an Asian hierarchical system. Educational Review, 64(4), 405–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2011.625111
He, Y., Lundgren, K., & Pynes, P. (2017). Impact of short-term study abroad program: Inservice teachers’ development of intercultural competence and pedagogical beliefs. Teaching and Teacher Education, 66, 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.04.012
Heng, T. T., & Song, L. (2020). A proposed framework for understanding educational change and transfer: Insights from Singapore teachers’ perceptions of differentiated instruction. Journal of Educational Change, 21, 595–622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-020-09377-0
Ho, B. T., Netto-Shek, J. A., & Chang, S. C. A. (Eds.). (2004). Managing project work in schools: Issues and innovative practices. Prentice Hall.
Intolubbe-Chmil, L., Spreen, C. A., & Swap, R. J. (2012). Transformative learning: Participant perspectives on international experiential education. Journal of Research in International Education, 11(2), 165–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240912448041
Jiang, B., Coffey, D., DeVillar, R. A., & Bryan, S. (2010). Student teaching abroad intergroup outcomes: A comparative, country-specific analysis. Journal of International and Global Studies, 2(1), 36–55.
Kissock, C., & Richardson, P. (2010). Calling for action within the teaching profession: It is time to internationalize teacher education. Teaching Education, 21(1), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210903467008
Koh, T. S., & Lee, S. C. (2008). Digital skills and education: Singapore’s ICT master planning for the school sector. In S. K. Lee, C. B. Goh, B. Fredriksen, & J. P. Tan (Eds.), Toward a better future: Education and training for economic development in Singapore since 1965 (pp. 167–190). The World Bank.
Kuechle, J., Ferguson, P., & O’Brien, R. (1995). A collaborative student teaching program in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Action in Teacher Education, 2, 36–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.1995.10463241
Lee, J. K. K. (2011). International field experience: What do student teachers learn? Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(10), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n10.4
Levin, B. B., He, Y., & Allen, M. (2013). Teacher beliefs in action: A cross-sectional, longitudinal follow-up study of teachers’ personal practical theories. The Teacher Educator, 48(3), 201–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2013.796029
Liu, W. C. (2017). The teaching profession and teacher education. In O. S. Tan, E. L. Low, & D. Hung (Eds.), Lee Kuan Yew's educational legacy (pp. 29–42). Singapore: Springer Nature.
Liu, W. C., & Tan, O. S. (2015). Teacher effectiveness: Beyond results and accountability. In O. S. Tan & W. C. Liu (Eds.), Teacher effectiveness: Capacity building in a complex learning era (pp. 335–345). Singapore: Cengage Asia.
Lu, H.-L., & Soares, L. (2014). US elementary preservice teachers’ experiences while teaching students in Taiwan. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning, 14(1), 59–74. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v14i1.4170
Lupi, M., & Batey, J. (2009). Short-term international student teaching internships: Creating successful transformational experiences. SRATE Journal, 18(2), 48–55.
Mahon, J. (2006). Under the invisibility cloak? Teacher understanding of cultural difference. Intercultural Education, 17(4), 391–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980600971426
Mahon, J., & Cushner, K. (2002). The overseas student teaching experience: Creating optimal culture learning. Multicultural Perspectives, 4(3), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327892MCP0403_2
Maye, D., & Day, B. (2012). Teacher identities: The fingerprint of culturally relevant pedagogy for students at risk. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 78(2), 19–26.
Merryfield, M. M. (2000). Why aren’t American teachers being prepared to teach for diversity, equity, and interconnectedness? A study of lived experiences in the making of multicultural and global educators. Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 16(4), 429–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(00)00004-4
Merryfield, M. M., & Wilson, A. (2005). Social studies and the world: Teaching global perspectives. Cowan Creative.
Mesker, P., Wassink, H., & Bakker, C. (2020). How everyday classroom experiences in an international teaching internship raise student teachers’ awareness of their subjective educational theories. Teacher Development, 24(2), 204–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2020.1747531
Ministry of Education (MOE). (2009). Report of the Primary Education Review and Implementation Committee (PERI). Singapore.
Ministry of Education (MOE). (2020). Project work: Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Higher 1 (2019) (Syllabus 8808). https://www.seab.gov.sg/docs/default-source/national-examinations/syllabus/alevel/2022syllabus/8808_y22_sy.pdf
Ministry of Education (MOE). (2021). The framework for 21st century competencies (21CC). https://www.moe.gov.sg/education-in-sg/21st-century-competencies
Moustafa, A., Ben-Zvi-Assaraf, O., & Eshach, H. (2013). Do junior high school students perceive their learning environment as constructivist? Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22(4), 418–431.
Natarajan, U., Lim, Y. T. K., & Cheah, H. M. (2018). Twenty Years of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation (TSLN) Vision: Reflections on Singapore’s ICT Masterplans. (Report No. 2). Singapore: The HEAD Foundation.
National Institute of Education (NIE). (2009). TE21: A Teacher Education Model for the 21st Century. Singapore: National Institute of Education.
Ng, P. T. (2005). Innovation and Enterprise in Singapore schools. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 3(3), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-004-8240-z
Ng, P. T. (2008). Educational reform in Singapore: From quantity to quality. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 7, 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-007-9042-x
Olmedo, I., & Harbo, L. (2010). Broadening our sights: Internationalizing teacher education for a global arena. Teaching Education, 21(1), 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210903466992
Pence, H. M., & Macgillivray, I. K. (2008). The impact of an international field experience on preservice teachers. Teaching & Teacher Education, 24(1), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.01.003
Quezada, R. L. (2004). Beyond educational tourism: Lessons learned while student teaching abroad. International Education Journal, 5(4), 458–465.
Quezada, R. L. (2011). Global student teacher transformation experiences: Living the faith through the shared Christian praxis learning process. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 14(4), 417–440. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.1404052013
Roose, D. (2001). White teachers’ learning about diversity and “otherness:” The effects of undergraduate international education internships on subsequent teaching practices. Equity and Excellence in Education, 34(1), 43–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/1066568010340106
Sahin, M. (2008). Cross-cultural experience in preservice teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1777–1790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.02.006
Smagorinsky, P., Cook, L., Moore, C., Jackson, A., & Fry, P. (2004). Tensions in learning to teach: Accommodation and the development of teacher identity. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487103260067
Spalding, E., Wilson, A., & Mewborn, D. (2002). Demystifying reflection: A study of pedagogical strategies that encourage reflective journal writing. Teachers College Record, 104(7), 1393–1421. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9620.00208
Stachowski, L. L., & Sparks, T. (2007). Thirty years and 2.000 student teachers later: An overseas student teaching project that is popular, successful, and replicable. Teacher Education Quarterly, 34(1), 115–132.
Stanton, T. K. (2008). New times demand new scholarship: Opportunities and challenge for civic engagement at research universities. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 3(1), 19–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1746197907086716
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage Publications.
Tan, L. S., & Chong, S. K. (2018). Local evidence synthesis on teacher learning. Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education.
Tang, S. Y. F., & Choi, P. L. (2004). The development of personal, intercultural and professional competence in international field experience in initial teacher education. Asia Pacific Education Review, 5(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03026279
Tan, O. S., & Liu, W. C. (2015). Developing effective teachers for the 21st century: ASingapore perspective. In O. S. Tan & W. C. Liu (Eds.), Teacher effectiveness: Capacitybuilding in a complex learning era (pp. 139–157). Singapore: Cengage Asia.
Tharman, S. (2004). To light a fire: Enabling teachers, nurturing students. Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education, at the MOE Work Plan Seminar 2004 at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Centre, Singapore, 29 September.
Thomas-Ruzic, M., & Prudencio, F. E. (2015). North-South collaborations: Learning from a decade of intercultural experiences for teachers and faculty in one Mexican and US university partnership. International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, 27(3), 382–392.
Toncar, M. F., & Cudmore, B. V. (2000). The overseas internship experience. Journal of Marketing Education, 11(1), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475300221007
Valli, L. (1997). Listening to other voices: A description of teacher reflection in the United States. Peabody Journal of Education, 56(2), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327930pje7201_4
Walters, L. M., Garii, B., & Walters, T. (2009). Learning globally, teaching locally: Incorporating international exchange and intercultural learning into pre-service teacher training. Intercultural Education, 20, 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980903371050
Walters, L. M., Green, M. R., Wang, L., & Walters, T. (2011). From heads to hearts: Digital stories a reflection artifacts of teachers' international experience. Issues in Teacher Education, 37–52.
Willard-Holt, C. (2001). The impact of a short-term international experience for preservice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(4), 505–517. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00009-9
Wilson, A. H. (1982). Cross-cultural experiential learning for teachers. Theory into Practice, 21(3), 184–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405848709543321
Yan, C., & He, C. (2010). Transforming the existing model of teaching practicum: A study of Chinese EFL student teachers’ perceptions. Journal of Education for Teaching, 36(1), 57–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607470903462065
Yang, C. C. R. (2011). Pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of an overseas field experience programme. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(3), 92–104. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n3.4
Zhao, Y. (2009). Catching up or leading the way: American education in the age of globalization. ASCD.
Zhao, Y., Meyers, L., & Meyers, B. (2009). Cross-cultural immersion in China: Preparing pre-service elementary teachers to work with diverse student populations in the United States. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 37, 295–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660903058925
Funding
This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
This study was conducted with the approval of the Institutional Review Board of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, W.C. Singapore’s approach to developing teachers: a foray into international teaching assistantship. Educ Res Policy Prac (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-021-09301-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-021-09301-0