Teacher Education Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse International Students in the U.S.: Perspectives of Five Chinese Students

Dr. Xiaoming Liu

November 1, 2017
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Towson Room, Cook Library

Dean Laurie Mullen and the College of Education faculty and staff welcome you to the Fall 2017 College of Education Dean’s Sabbatical Lecture Series. Dr. Xiaoming Liu, associate professor in Elementary Education, will present a lecture titled Teacher Education Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse International Students in the U.S.: Perspectives from Five Chinese Students. Light refreshments will be served.

About the Presentation

Internationalization is now a prominent trend in higher education world-wide. Take the United States for example, according to the recently released annual Open Doors report (Institute of International Education, 2016), the number of international students enrolled in American colleges and universities has exceeded one million for the first time in the 2015-16 academic year. While education may not be the top choice of discipline for many international students, the field of education has witnessed an increase in international enrollment in recent years. In 2015-16, ten percent more international students chose education as an area of study compared to the year before (Institute of International Education, 2016). With the growing number of international students, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the issues and experiences of these students as they adjust to a new culture and academic life.

A research project was conducted recently to investigate the teacher education experiences of international students who have graduated from an initial teacher preparation program at a large public university on the east coast (May 2012-May 2016). This presentation reports finding from five Chinese pre-service teachers, including: opportunities and challenges in both on-campus coursework and off-campus internship, cultural impact on their teaching beliefs and practice, suggestions to enhance the program, and advice for future international students. Culturally responsive recommendations are also discussed to foster academic success for international students in the teacher preparation program.