Session Information
10 SES 02 B, Research on Programmes and Pedagogical Approaches in Teacher Education: International Exchange Programs
Paper Session
Contribution
Research on the effects of exchange programmes has a long tradition (see overview in Pettigrew, 2004, p. 770). In general, there is much more empirical data with regard to the effects on personal development than with regard to professional aspects (Thomas, Kammhuber, Chang & Ehret, 2001, p. 9). Focussing on the effects on personal development, an overview of the specific literature stresses the fact that the strongest outcomes are found in the area of cultural enhancement, personality development and foreign language proficiency (Kehm, 2005, p. 21; Maiworm, Steube & Teichler, 1993, p. 110). Focussing on professional aspects of future teachers, hardly any evidence addresses the question of how international student exchange contributes to the development of teaching-specific competencies. The few available studies suggest that the participation in an international student exchange programme contributes to increased self-efficacy beliefs for teaching (Pence & Macgillivray, 2008), to more appreciation for cultural diversity in classrooms (Kambutu & Nganga, 2008; Rapoport, 2008), to an increased confidence for teaching children of cultural minorities (Chieffo & Griffiths, 2004; Wiggins, Follo & Eberly, 2007) and to a conceptual change toward a more global perspective in teaching (Willard-Holt, 2001). However, the existing findings regarding these teaching-specific effects arise solely from retrospective self-report data and from anecdotic evidence. It has to be assumed, therefore, that these findings contain a considerable hindsight bias. Against this background, an experimental study with a pre- and post-test-design focussing on teacher-specific effects of international student exchange programmes promises innovative results. Hence, the present paper investigates how teaching-specific competencies develop during the participation in an international student exchange programme and compares these development patterns with those of students studying at their home university.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Chieffo, L. & Griffiths, L. (2004). Large-Scale Assessment of Student Attitudes After a Short-Term Study Abroad Program. Frontiers: The interdisciplinary journal of study abroad, 10, 165-177. Kambutu, J. & Nganga, L. W. (2008). In these uncertain times: Educators build cultural awareness through planned international experiences. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(4), 939-951. Kehm, B. M. (2005). The contribution of international student mobiltiy to human development and global understanding. US-China Education Review, 2(1), 18-24. Maiworm, F., Steube, W. & Teichler, U. (1993). Experiences of Erasmus-students 1990/91. Kassel: Wissenschaftliches Zentrum für Berufs- und Hochschulforschung der Universität Kassel. Pence, H. M. & Macgillivray, I. K. (2008). The impact of an international field experience on preservice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(1), 14-25. Pettigrew, T. F. (2004). Intergroup contact. Theory, research, and new perspectives. In J. A. Banks & C. McGee Banks (Hrsg.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (S. 770-781). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. Rapoport, A. (2008). Exchange programs for educators: American and Russian perspectives. Intercultural Education, 19(1), 67-77. Thomas, A., Kammhuber, S., Chang, C. & Ehret, A. (2001). Evaluation der langfristigen Wirkungen des deutsch-japanischen Studienprogramms für Fachkräfte der Jugendarbeit oder: Lohnt sich der ganze Aufwand? Regensburg: Institut für Kooperationsmanagement der Universität Regensburg. Wiggins, R. A., Follo, E. J. & Eberly, M. B. (2007). The impact of a field immersion program on pre-service teachers' attitudes toward teaching in culturally diverse classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23(5), 653-663. Willard-Holt, C. (2001). The impact of a short-term international experience for preservice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(4), 505-517.
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