Making Meaning of International Intercultural Reciprocal Learning in Pre-service Teacher Education: Narratives of Canadian Novice Teachers

This proposed project aims to inquire into Canadian novice teachers’ induction by exploring the long-term impact of international intercultural learning experiences they had during their pre-service teacher education. More specifically, my study expects to answer the three key questions: 1) What are the professional experiences of the Canadian participants in the Reciprocal Learning Program as novice teachers in China? 2) What are the challenges and opportunities they have encountered as novice teachers? 3) How have their 3-month international internships in China influenced their personal and professional development? This proposed study will adopt Xu and Connelly’s (2019) concept of reciprocal learning as the theoretical framework to guide me in analyzing how Canadian novice teachers make meaning as they engage in learning and teaching activities in different contexts. The field texts will primarily be gathered from participant observation, field notes, and interviews. The findings are expected to offer a window into a more comprehensive understanding of how novice teachers develop professionally during the transitional stage in different cultural contexts as well as the value of international intercultural learning components in Ontario’s pre-service teacher education programs.

Faculty Supervisor:

Shijing Xu

Student:

Partner:

Southwest University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Windsor

Program: