Teachers' International Exchange: Intercultural Competence Development through Practice

Teachers' International Exchange:

Intercultural Competence

Development through Practice

Monique Bournot-Trites, Sandra Zappa-Hollman

& Valia Spiliotopoulos

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

The exchange

International exchange of student-teachers between

Canada and Europe

• Participating universities:

• IUFM (=Teacher Education), Reims, France

• Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain

• UBC, Vancouver, Canada

• 7 students from UBC: 5 in Reims, 2 in Tarragona

• Second language: French and Spanish

• Content focus of exchange: Interdisciplinarity

• 4-month exchange

Bournot-Trites & Zappa-Hollman - January 29, 2012 - Tucson, Arizona

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Preparation for exchange

Language test and course

Cultural preparation (CARLA)

• Through inventories and questionnaires

• Maximizing Study Abroad: A Program

Professionals’ Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use (2002) R. M. Paige,

A. D. Cohen, B. Kappler, J. C. Chi, & J. P. Lassegard

• Online discussions before and throughout exchange.

A course on Interdisciplinarity (content focus of the exchange program)


3

Theoretical framework

Deardorff’s (2011)

Intercultural

Competence Model

Profesional identity

(Pavlenko, 2003,

2006; Bernat

2008)


Fantini’s (2009)

ICC conceptualization

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Process Model of

Intercultural Competence

Adapted from Deardorff (2006)


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6





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Goals

Examination of intercultural competence development of teachers through study/work abroad experience

Changes in professional identity (teaching, classroom management) and sense of legitimacy

(language competence and cultural experience

Validation of Deardorff framework through data analysis


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Questions

What is the nature of the participants’ intercultural competence development ?

How does the study/work abroad experience affect the participants’ professional identity and sense of legitimacy?

How suitable is the Deardorff framework for analysing data about intercultural development?


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Participants

Amy

France

Anabelle

France

Canadian. Parents from English background. She had lived in France 1 year in Toulouse as a student, learned French since age 5 in French immersion (K to 12), majored in French at the university. Teaches in French immersion

Mother chinese, father italian, has lived in Canada most of her life. Considers herself, mixed between

European, Asian, Canadian.

Has been in French immersion from K to 12, and majored in French at the university. Has lived in

France for 8 months and in Italy when she was very young. Teaches in French immersion.

Spanish-Canadian. Spoke Spanish to both parents and later English to mother. Visited Spain every summer, dual citizenship, heritage Spanish school from Gr 1 to 7. French immersion from K .

Krista

Spain

Heidy

Spain

Katryna

France

Mary

France

Penny

France

Canadian, lived for 4 yrs in England, travelled to France and Spain, French immersion, started Spanish in Grade 9. Welsh background.

Canadian from English descent. French immersion from K to 12 and majored in French. Lived in

Montreal for a summer. Participated in exchanges in French speaking places.

Canadian-British-Jamaïcan, travelled to France, Quebec, and Japan (1year), learned French in French immersion (K to 12) and majored in French.

Czech-Canadian, lived in Japan for 2 years to teach ESL, late French immersion, fluent in Czech, newly married. Has a sister who teaches in France.


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Study design

• Longitudinal investigation

• Mixed methods

Pre-departure quest. & inter.

(Sep)

• Oct – Jan stay abroad

Year 2

2006-2007

Year 1

2005-2006

• Oct – Jan stay abroad quest. & inter.

(Feb )

• Data analysis, writing & dissemination


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Study design


• Mixed methods

Pre-departure

• Oct – Jan quest. & inter. stay abroad

(Sep)

Year 2

2006-2007

Post-exchange quest. & inter.

Year 1

2005-2006

• Oct – Jan stay abroad writing & dissemination


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Study design


• Mixed methods


Year 2

2006-2007

Year 1

2005-2006


• Data analysis, writing & dissemination


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Data

Semistructured interviews

(pre & post)

Questionn aire

(pre & post)

Online reflective postings

(byweekly)

Structured journals

(thematic)


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Data

Semistructured interviews

Online reflective postings

Questionn aire

Structured journals


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classroom management observations classroom management observations

Bournot-Trites & Zappa-Hollman - January 29, 2012 - Tucson, Arizona classroom management observations

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Analyses of the data

Analyses

• Coding manual

• Quantitative analyses of the codes in the interviews

• Descriptive statistics for questionnaires with 23 students (questions about culture and language)

• Qualitative analyses of the interviews, reflective postings and journals.


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120

Results from all interview codes

100

80

60

40

20

0

Attitudes Desired outcomes

Knowl/ Comp


Prof Ident.

Confidence

Skills

Codes Pre

Codes Post

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Results : Attitudes

20

15

10

5

30

25

0

Att curiosity

Att openness

Att relationships


Att respect

Codes Pre

Total codes Post

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Results : Knowledge Comprehension

80

70

60

50

40

10

0

30

20

KC Cultural awareness

Codes Pre

Codes Post

Kc Deep cultural

Knowledge

KCsociolinguistic

Bournot-Trites & Zappa-Hollman - January

29, 2012 - Tucson, Arizona

KC Stereotypes

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Results: Skills and Outcomes

25

20

15

10

35

30

5

0

Skills observe evaluate Skills self reflexion


20

Codes Pre

Codes Post 15

10

5

0

35

30

25

Appropriate behaviour

Internal outcome shift

Codes Pre

Codes Post

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Results Questionnaires: Culture (n=23)

Questions Culture Likert Scale (1 to 7)

Sufficient intercultural competence upon arrival

No stereotypes about country upon arrival

Prep. helped students to ask questions on ways of living

Knowledge of school system upon arrival

Knowledge of political situation upon arrival

Gain of deeper understanding of host country during practi

More positive appreciation of customs in host country

Better understanding of school system (after)

Better understanding of political situation (after)

Still a lot to learn

Students’

Mean

5,20

4.40

5,13

4,59

3,91

6,58

5,87

6,70

5,48

5,96


Classroom management

(Attitudes – Stereotypes)

I have heard that the teachers are a lot more strict [sic] so I am thinking they will be a little less rowdy, not as you know, get up their seats and just walk around like the students do here.

(Anabelle - Pre-interview 101-103)

Well, I think that I probably go with stereotypes because I haven’t been in any classes. But I think probably more disciplined than here. We’re pretty lax with our discipline in Canada, or in

Vancouver ... I’d guess that they are probably more – uh – they show more respect to authority figures in the school because there – they are made to? ... from what I hear, they’re probably more ... disciplined than here?

(Katryna – Pre-interview 118-125)


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(Skills; Attitudes)

In the kindergarten class ... I was shocked by how much she screamed or was hitting on the bum. In every class we were in, there was always a little physicality or like a very firm hand on the shoulder or the head or something, grasping by the face, really stern. In some instances, you could call it corporal punishment.

(Penny – Post-interview 702-712)

We were really shocked. Like that first day in the inner city school, Amy and I were “this is H.E.L.L” We were so shocked. It was just so shocking to us, just the negativity, the screaming, it was overwhelming to us, we were so shocked.

(Penny – Post-interview 985-987)


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(Skills; Attitudes)

It's not like it's a third world country or anything; it's just a different way of doing things. ... We see it as physical aggression, but in France, it's normal. So that’s why they don’t even recognize it. So just the difference for us, it was a surprise.

(Mary – Post-interview 113-124)


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(Attitudes; Adequate Behaviour)

I took that opportunity when I was teaching to use a lot of positive reinforcement, other forms of discipline other forms of classroom management as well. For example, if you wanted silence, I would clap my hands and the kids followed and they were silent and the teachers had never seen that.

(Krista – Post-interview 251-260)


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20

15

25

Professional identity

10

5

0

Prof identity self confidence language

Prof identity self confidence teaching

Prof identity self confidence legitimacy


Codes Pre

Codes Post

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Results Questionnaires: Language competence (n=23)

Questions Language Competence Likert Scale(1 to 7)

Students’

Mean

Linguistic preparation adequate before leaving

5,85

Language course long enough

4,50

Language course excellent quality

5,22

Language course helped my self confidence to live abroad 4,70

Language performance improved 6,09

Ability to distinguish different accents improved 6,30

Knowledge of idioms improved 6,78

Knowledge related to profession improved

More self-confidence about language after exchange

5,96

6,14


Professional Identity

I feel my professional identity has changed, but I kind of felt when I was there that I was observing a lot of differences? ... But I kind of felt that – cause their system was so different, it might have been starting to be negative on me.

And that’s why I started feeling I was losing my Canadian touch, cause when you’re witnessing this kind of strict strict harsh discipline, no praise, sometimes physical with the kids, it’s when you’re only observing that then you kind of – you get used to it.

(Amy – Post-interview 293-296)


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Professional Identity

I think as a teacher I really enjoyed seeing how they taught in the classrooms, how they, especially in the one school we were in which was in a low socioeconomic area, and so ... they had to keep it very fairly strict in classroom management because these kids needed boundaries, but they also were very good at giving and taking, so as not to have the kids rebel against them. I thought that, the thing I took from that was how I will manage my classrooms and try to stay calm, that was the thing.

(Katryna – Post-interview 75-89)


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Results: Deardorff’s IC Model

Deardorff’s IC Model as a helpful framework to guide data analysis

• components useful to generate coding categories that came up in data

• need to expand it with other concepts

(relationships and professional identity)


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Conclusions

• The intercultural competence of the participating teachers developed through study/work abroad experience

• Broader perspectives on teaching and reinforcement of values about teaching

• Enhanced feeling of legitimacy


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Final thoughts

• Post secondary education is embracing the goal of fostering intercultural development

• This study provides an example of how that

IC development can happen within an institutional framework and by means of a study abroad experience.


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References

Bernat, E. (2008). Towards a pedagogy of empowerment: The case of ‘Impostor Syndrome’ among preservice Non-Native Speaker Teachers in TESOL English Language Teacher Education and Development

Journal, 11 , 1-8.

Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10 (3), 241-266.

Deardorff, D. K. (2009). The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage.

Deardorff, D. K. (2011). Assessing intercultural competence. [Article]. New Directions for Institutional

Research, 2011 (149), 65-79. doi: 10.1002/ir.381

Fantini, A. E. (2000). A Central Concern: Developing Intercultural Competence. SIT Occasional Papers

Series: Addressing Intercultural Education, Training & Service, Inaugural issue: on the occasion of the SIT

35th anniversary , 23-42. Retrieved from WWW.sit.edu

Fantini, A.E. (2006). Assessment tools of intercultural communicative Competence . http://www.sit.edu/publications/docs/feil_appendix_f.pdf

Fantini, A. E. (2009). Assessing Intercultural Competence: Issues and Tools. In Deardorff, D. K. (ed.), The

SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage, 456-476.

Pavlenko, A. (2003). "I never knew I was a bilingual": reimagining teacher identities in TESOL. Journal of

Language, Identity, and Education, 2 (4), 251-268.

Pavlenko, A. (Ed.). (2006). Bilingual minds: Emotional experience, expression, and representation .

Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.


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Teachers' International Exchange: Intercultural Competence Development through Practice

Teachers' International Exchange:

Intercultural Competence

Development through Practice

The exchange

Preparation for exchange

Theoretical framework

Goals

Questions

Participants

Study design

Study design

Study design

Data

Data

Analyses of the data

Results from all interview codes

Results : Attitudes

Results : Knowledge Comprehension

Results: Skills and Outcomes

Classroom management

Classroom management

(Skills; Attitudes)

Classroom management

(Skills; Attitudes)

Classroom management

Professional identity

Professional Identity

Professional Identity

Results: Deardorff’s IC Model

Conclusions

Final thoughts

References

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Teachers' International Exchange: Intercultural Competence Development through Practice