ERIC Number: EJ1464417
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2577-5081
EISSN: EISSN-2577-509X
Available Date: 0000-00-00
"I Don't Even Know Where Turkey Is.": Developing Intercultural Competence through E-Pal Exchanges
Miranda Lin
Journal of Global Education and Research, v2 n2 Article 1 p68-81 2018
Using current events to help preservice teachers understand the world they live in encourages preservice teachers to learn about global issues. It also encourages them to develop skills in analytical thinking and reflective judgment by reading and discussing complex real-life scenarios. A semester-long pen-pal project was crafted to help understand how preservice teachers develop intercultural competence, critical empathy, and become less ethnocentric. Twenty-Six American early childhood preservice teachers in Midwestern state were randomly paired with Turkish early childhood preservice teachers as their pen-pals. The findings of this qualitative study revealed American preservice teachers had learning curves, but many eventually came to unpack their privileges and preconceived notions, as well as expend their worldviews. Implications of how to assist preservice teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students are addressed.
Descriptors: Preservice Teacher Education, Current Events, Teaching Methods, Cultural Pluralism, Interpersonal Competence, Preservice Teachers, Cultural Awareness, Student Attitudes, Global Approach, Skill Development, Empathy, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Reflection, Electronic Mail, Letters (Correspondence), Computer Mediated Communication, Writing (Composition), Knowledge Level, World Geography, Foreign Countries, Early Childhood Education
University of South Florida M3 Center. 8350 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243. Tel: 941-359-4563; Fax: 610-500-5092; e-mail: info@jger.us; Web site: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jger/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A