Challenging, eye-opening, and changing. U.S. teacher training in Korea: Creating experiences that will enhance global perspectives

Abstract

This study explored the short-term international experience of pre-service teachers to create and enhance global perspectives. These teachers (n=5), all female graduate students at a university in the U.S., were fully immersed in a foreign culture for three weeks while teaching English to primary and secondary students in Korea. Pre-, during-, and post-data were collected using surveys, interviews, and journals to investigate how the participants work and live while being completely immersed in a new culture. Overall, teachers expressed a transformation in both their teaching philosophy and cultural perspectives despite the short duration of the experience. They also reported that this linguistic and cultural immersion had not only advanced their global perspective but had also provided them with the necessary tools and understanding to work with diverse populations more emphatically and effectively. The findings suggest that additional teacher training is needed to best prepare new teachers for today’s classrooms.