Education Quarterly Reviews
ISSN 2621-5799
Published: 10 November 2022
EFL Pre-service Teachers’ and Interns’ Expectations and Satisfaction of International Practicum: An Exploratory Study on Patterns and Influential Factors
Bao Kham, Tran Thi My Phuong
Hue University (Viet Nam), The UK Academy International School (Viet Nam)
Download Full-Text Pdf
10.31014/aior.1993.05.04.587
Pages: 230-244
Keywords: International Practicum, Pre-service Teachers, Interns, Expectations, Satisfaction
Abstract
This exploratory study explored EFL pre-service teachers’ and interns’ expectations and satisfaction of their overseas practicum. The data was collected from in-depth interviews with five fourth-year students in a regional university in Viet Nam, who participated in their international practicum in Thailand. Analyzed on the basis of a conceptual framework of personal, supervising, professional, and contextual elements, the results showed three distinctive patterns: (1) high expectations - high satisfaction, (2) medium expectations – high satisfaction, and (3) medium expectations – medium satisfaction. The findings also indicated various influential factors for each pattern such as confidence, creativity, supervision, mentors’ manners, and expectation (mis)match. The research results highlighted three significant emergent issues: the role of personal element, the impact of the supervisor, and the importance of practicum work-load. The study suggested practical implications for EFL trainee teachers, EFL teacher trainers, and practicum organizers and administrators.
References
Andrade, M. S. (2006). International students in English-speaking universities: Adjustment factors. Journal of Research in International Education, 5(2), 131–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240906065589
Ateşkan, A. (2016). Pre-service teachers’ cultural and teaching experiences abroad, Journal of Education for Teaching, 42(2), 135-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2016.1144634
Barton, G. M., Hartwig, K. A., & Cain, M. (2015). International students’ experience of practicum in teacher education: An exploration through internationalization and professional socialization. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(8), 149-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n8.9
Bonilla, S.X., & Rivera, P.M. (2008). Mentoring in preservice teaching: from reflection on practice to a didactic proposal. Revista Actualidacles Pedagogica, 52, 79-90.
Chan, B., Chan, E., & Qu, H. (2002). A comparative analysis of changing job selection attitudes and expectations of hospitality students in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 14(1),14-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2002.10696720
Cord, B., Bowrey, G., & Clements, M. (2010). Accounting students’ reflections on a regional internship program. Australasian Accounting Business and Finance Journal, 4(3), 47-64.
Cruickshane, K., & Westbrook, R. (2013). Local and global – conflicting perspectives? The place of overseas practicum in preservice teacher education. Asia Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 41(1), 55-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.753989
Cutrone, P., & Datzman, B. R. (2015). Japanese EFL university students and the study abroad experience: Examining L2 development and program satisfaction after three weeks in North America. TESOL International Journal, 10(2), 24-47.
Fagan, T. K., & Wise, P.S. (2007). School Psychology: Past, Present, and Future (3rd ed.). National Association of School Psychologists.
Fitzsimmons, P., & McKenzie, B. (2006). Super or superfluous in the South Pacific? Unearthing the benefits of an overseas teaching practicum. Journal of Research in International Education, 5(2), 177-189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240906061861
Florio-Ruane, S. (2001). Teacher Education and the Cultural Imagination: Autobiography, Conversation and Narrative. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Gilliland, B. (2015). Benefits and challenges of supervising an international practicum. CATESOL Journal, 27(2), 201-209.
Gupta, P. B., & Burns, D. J. (2010). An exploration of student satisfaction with internship experiences in marketing. Business Education & Administration, 2(1), 27-37.
Hackman, J. R., and Oldham, G. R., (1980). Work Redesign. Addison-Wesley.
Hamano-Bunce, D., Murray, R., & Campbell, B. (2019). The effects of a short study abroad program on Japanese learners’ L2 listening. Asian EFL Journal, 3(4), 106-129.
Hendra, R., Mukmimin, A., Tersta, F.W., &Priyanto, N. (2019). An international teaching practicum: Pre-service teacher exchange in Southeast Asia (SEA Teacher)’s cultural and teaching experiences. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 8(10),190-196.
Heng, K., Ch’ng, P. J., Hung W. R., Ooi, X. C., and Soh, C. Yi. (2012). Internship satisfaction: a preliminary study on undergraduates from the Faculty of Business and Finance of University Tunku Abdul Rahman. Final Year Project, UTAR.
Hobson, A. J., Ashby, P., Malderez, A., &Tomlinson, P. D. (2009). Mentoring beginning teachers: what we know and what we don't. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(1), 207-216. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.001
Jaszay, C., & Dunk, P. (2003). Training Design for the Hospitality Industry. Delmar Learning.
Jin, A., Parr, G., & Cooley, D. (2020). An Australian international teaching practicum in China: exploring multiple perspectives. The Australian Educational Researcher, 47(2), 263-281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-019-00343-1
Jin, A., Parr, G., & Hui, L. (2020) ‘The sun is far away, but there must be the sun’: Chinese students’ experiences of an international teaching practicum in China. Educational Research, 62(4), 474-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2020.1826340
Kabilan, M.K. (2013). A phenomenological study of an international teaching practicum: Pre-service teachers' experiences of professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 36, 198-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.07.013
Kahn-Horwitz, J., Mittelberg, D., Bell-Kligler, R., & Gelfman S.R. (2017). Mentoring-learning in a cross-language and cross-cultural framework: Australian pre-service teachers and Israeli mentor-teachers. In A. Fitzgerald, G. Parr, & J. Williams (Eds.), Narratives of Learning Through International Professional Experience (1st ed., pp. 77-93). Springer.
Lam, T., & Ching, L. (2007). An exploratory study of an internship program: The case of Hong Kong students. Hospitality Management, 26, 336-351.
Major, J., & Santoro, N. (2016). Supervising an international teaching practicum: Building partnerships in postcolonial contexts. Oxford Review of Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2016.1195734
Mansour, M., and Achoui, M. (2007). Job satisfaction of Saudi female employees: An exploratory study. http://kfupm.academia.edu/MouradMansour/Papers/559721/Job_Satisfaction_of_Saudi_Female_Employees_An_Exploratory_Study
Marinakou, E., & Giousmpasoglou, C. (2017). Student satisfaction and expectations from internships in Greece: A comparison between Greek and International students. [Paper presentation] CHME 2017 Conference, Aalborg, Denmark.
Muhammad K.K., Hallijah, H., Nooraishah Z., Anna C.A., Hairul N. I., & Mahbub A.K. (2017). International teaching practicum in Bangladesh: an investigation of TESOL pre-service teachers’ professional development experiences. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction (MJLI), Special Issue on Graduate Students Research on Education, 117-140.
Nur, A. (2016). International teaching practicum. Prosiding ictte fkip uns 2015, 1, 706 -709.
Okay, S., & Sahin, I. (2010). A study on the opinions of the students attending the Faculty of Technical Education regarding industrial internship. International Journal of the Physical Sciences, 5(7), 1132-1146.
Parr, G. B., & Chan, J. N. (2015). Identity work in a dialogic international teaching practicum. Teaching Education, 26(1), 38-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2014.997701
Paulins, V. A. (2008). Characteristics of retailing internships contributing to students’ reported satisfaction with career development. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 12(1), 105-118.
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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.01.003
Rahman, S., & Nurullah, N. (2016). School mentors and Iranian EFL student teachers’ expectations during practicum experiences. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Study. 3(3), 58-39.
Ruhanen, L., Robinson, R., & Breakey, N.(2013). A tourism immersion internship: Student expectations, experiences and satisfaction. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education,13, 60-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2013.02.001
Sahin, M. (2008). Cross-cultural experience in preservice teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 24(7), 1777-1790.
Sherry, M., Thomas, P., & Chui, W. H. (2009). International students: a vulnerable student population. Higher Education, 60, 33–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9284-z
Tambyah, M. (2019) Intercultural understanding through a ‘similar but different’ international teaching practicum, Teaching Education, 30(1), 105-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2018.1453795
Uusimaki, L., & Swirski, T. (2014). Cross-cultural “distance”, “friction” and “flow”: exploring the experiences of pre-service teachers on international practicum. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(3), 425-436. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2014.961897
Wen, K. P. (2010). Determinants of internship effectiveness for university students in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Baptist University.
Wikan, G., & Klein, J. (2017). Can international practicum foster intercultural competence among student teachers? Journal of the European Teacher Education Network, 12, 95-104.
Williams, G.M., & Oikonomidoy, E. (2017). Exploring the L2 motivational self-system of Japanese study abroad students. Asian EFL Journal, 19(2), 141-159.
Yan, C., & He, C. (2021) ‘Seeing is believing, but not necessarily perceiving!’: Chinese EFL M.E.d. student teachers’ perceptions of school visit experiences. Journal of Education for Teaching, 47(1), 47-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1846991
Yazidu, S.M. (2016). Professional scaffolding of student-teachers during practicum in Tanzania: Roles, skills and challenges. Asia Research Journal of Arts Social Sciences, 1(6), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.9734/ARJASS/2016/3026