Capstone 1

Running Head: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: THEIR PERCEPTION ON TEACHING
PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES AND ELABORATION OF TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

1
International Students: Their Perception On Their Practicum Experience And Elaboration Of
Informal Teaching Opportunities
Paz Valdivia
University of San Diego

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: TEACHING PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE 2
Abstract
This research presents the perspective international students have on their teaching practicum
opportunities while being abroad. This population of students often face difficulties practicing
teaching because of their visa limitations. International students in the United States are only
allowed to work on their college campus, which makes it extra challenging for them to gain
significant teaching experience throughout their two year long program. This case study explored
the implications and perceptions of international students in relation to their practicum
placements. Additionally, this study aims to present the benefits of developing informal
on-campus teaching opportunities for practice for TESOL international students. The data was
collected through interviews with different international student participants. The preliminary
findings of this case study provide evidence of the challenging nature of the experience
international students have while studying in the US, and also, their need to acquire more
teaching practice in an on-campus context.
Keywords: International student, teacher education, practicum, social justice,
changemaking.
International Student Teaching Practice: Generating Informal Teaching Settings
Introduction
My teaching experience back home, Chile, was mainly within the field of English as a
Foreign Language, teaching my fellow citizens, with whom I shared not only my native
language, Spanish, but also a rich cultural background. When I decided to become a master in
ESL education, I knew I had to prepare myself with the necessary tools to teach students from
different backgrounds, different nationalities, and that speak different languages. Consequently,
when I was in my second semester in my M.Ed. program, I felt a need to teach to this population
of students and gain a more diverse experience as an English Teacher. I seeked opportunities to
teach in different settings, however, my immigration status only allowed me to work within my
campus only. Despite this limitation, I did not give up, and continued seeking for opportunities to
teach within the limits of what my immigration status allowed me.
During my first semester in the program, I was lucky enough to hear about an opportunity
to teach, along with two colleagues, members of the community where my university is located.
After a year working as a volunteer teacher for this community-based learning initiative, I had
the chance to teach speakers of different languages and backgrounds. More specifically, I got to
interact, for the first time in my life, with senior citizens from Vietnam, who wanted to learn
English to improve their communication skills in order to advocate for their community and
themselves.
Throughout this volunteering experience there was a rich exchange of learning for both
teachers and the students, which enhanced my understanding of ESL teaching. I was able to learn
the way in which these students conceive the world and how they understand and process new
knowledge. There was so much respect and love in every single class that we prepared for them.
And, at the same time, there was so much gratitude and appreciation on the part of the students.
Some mornings, students would bring fruits and vegetables they grew in their own gardens to
share with us. It was absolutely pleasant. Unfortunately, this community-based ESL course could
not continue due to external factors, which meant that I would not be able to teach on-campus
anymore. However, destiny had prepared other teaching opportunities for me.
Since I am an international graduate student with plenty of free time and academic need,
during the second semester of my program, I decided to work in a facility service job on-campus.
I worked a part-time job as a cashier at one of the school cafeterias. There, most of my
coworkers had moved to the US from Mexico and used only Spanish to communicate at work.
For me this was an opportunity to use my first language and to rest, a little bit, from the effort of
speaking English every day, all day. At work only a few of my coworkers were able to speak
English and communicate with their English speaking co-workers, customers, and employer. On
numerous occasions I translated personal negotiations between my co-workers and our boss,
which involved personal information and specific vocabulary related to their rights and
obligations. Thanks to those occasions I realized the important need that many campus workers
have, and how this need could also help international graduate students to gain more practice
teaching English as a Second Language. It was the perfect scenario to provide the facility
workers with basic linguistic resources, and for them to provide us with spaces to gain more
experience teaching.
This research explored the experience of international students pursuing their masters
degrees in education and their perception on their practicum teaching experience. In relation to
their experience being abroad, this research provided common narrations from the students’ part
where they share the main challenges and struggles they have faced when living abroad in
relation to their teaching development. Additionally, this research explored perceptions regarding
their teaching practicum placement, as well as the major hindrances of the system, and potential
areas of improvement. One major hindrance is that international students´ practicum experience
is more related to being a teacher’s assistant than a lead teacher: limiting their opportunities to
develop teaching styles and overall classroom management.
As a possible solution, an international graduate student, in collaboration with a domestic
classmate, suggested the creation of an informal teaching and learning setting on campus to a
faculty member, who facilitated the development of the program. The target students of this
informal ESL course would be the facilities personnel of the university who struggle
communicating with English within the campus community.
This research aimed to explore the experience of international students, particularly
within the context of their practicum placements, in order to know if they would like to be part of
this initiative. Also, this research explored the benefits of creating such program, in terms of
teaching experience for international graduate TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages) students and for the overall campus community.
Statement of Problem
International students travel abroad to gain a deeper understanding and broader
knowledge of the academic discipline they are interested in. International study is considered to
be life-changing in terms of the cultural exposure, academic challenge, linguistic development,
and practicum opportunities international students experience (Al-Sharideh and Goe, 1989).
However, in terms of practicum opportunities, international students are subject to very strict
immigration limitations that do not allow them to work off-campus and explore a larger variety
of experiences. As a matter of fact, they are only allowed to work on campus for a maximum of
20 hours, after going through a cumbersome licensing process. Additionally, they are also not
allowed to volunteer off-campus, since it would involve different organizations that might be
unaware of their visa limitations and the possible implications of engaging in illegal activities.
What often happens is that the experience of a class that has both international students and
domestic students differs significantly. Domestic students of different programs can work in a
context of their preference whenever they feel they are ready to work: gaining a much richer
practicum training than international students. Moreover, in the case of students training to
become teachers, this different school experience can really make a difference when in leading a
classroom and also when looking a job after graduation. Domestic students can start teaching in
their first semester, which allows them to put theory into practice simultaneously. This
possibility helps them shape their teaching philosophy and style, their self-perception as teachers,
and ultimately, can help them generate contact networks that might guide them at the moment of
finding a job after graduation. International students, on the other hand, can only live this
experience in their last semester, which reduces their chances of meeting people in the field, to
feel more comfortable teaching, and to assess what is the teaching approach that best suits them.
The literature on the subject of teacher practice is consistent in describing the importance
that regular and systematic observations have, but more importantly, they describe the value of
practicing teaching before being in a classroom without the guidance of a mentor teacher (Merç,
2015; Richards and Crookes, 1998). However, the literature does not respond to the question of
international students that do not have the same practicum experiences opportunities when
abroad. For these reasons, this study explores the perspective of international master’s candidates
have in relation to their overall teaching experience in a two-year program. What this study aims
is to provide universities around the world with an insightful reflection on the experience that
international students have, and how they can create opportunities for teaching practice within
their own campus universe.
Generating Teaching Opportunities
Two graduate M.Ed. candidates in TESOL, a domestic student and an international
student, expressed their desire to teach ESL to the campus worker population to a faculty
member. With her help and guidance, they were able to put together an informal ESL course on
campus. The objectives of this on-campus ESL course are twofold: (1) to provide international
graduate students the opportunity to gain valuable practicum experience, and (2) to increase
overall university well-being, and the autonomy and self-advocacy of those worker students who
see their linguistic needs as a limitation in their workplace.
Context
This research takes place in a small, liberal arts, catholic university in Southern
California. The university has approximately 9,000 students, and around 800 were master’s
student candidates in the Fall of 2017. Currently, there are around 600 international students
from 73 different countries, in both in undergraduate and in graduate programs. The overall
student population is generally associated to the wealthiest sectors of the area. In terms of the
facilities workers population, they are mostly hispanic, with a majority of Mexican origin.
The university offers 35 master’s degrees, 4 focused on educational sciences, one for
education on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Culture and Literacy,
that prepares teacher candidates to teach English in multicultural settings. The master’s program
in TESOL received in the fall of 2016, 13 international students who seeked for teaching
instruction in the US, out of 24 student. The totality of the cohort carries out their teaching
experience through almost 150 hours of meaningful observation and 4.5 hours of teaching
practice. Domestic students, on the one hand, are allowed to work off-campus, which gives them
the opportunity to practice teaching while in the program. International students, on the other
hand, cannot work off-campus, and generally only acquire the 4.5 hours of teaching practice that
are officially mandated.
This study aims to explore the challenges and benefits of creating an informal ESL
teaching setting on campus, where international students can gain more practical experience.
This informal teaching setting is focused on teaching English to 5 facility workers of the campus,
who have worked at the university for over ten years, and who have never received formal
English instruction. These students need to develop their linguistic skills due to the fact that they
will be promoted to become leads among their work. These five students came from Mexico
when they were around 20 years old and decided to seek for a better future in the U.S. The
classes take place twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays with a duration of 1.5 hours per
session. These sessions are conducted by two TESOL master’s candidates, who alternate the
days of the week for each. The classes focus on grammar instruction through the discussion of
current topics, related to social events in the country, and also to possible situations in the
workplace. Per the students request, they do not have tests or formal ways of assessment, nor
they have homework, since they feel more confident engaging in in-class activities with each
other and the teacher.
Assessment of Needs/Identification of Gap
To assess the need for this research, I observed the learning context for international
student pursuing their master’s degree in Education in Teaching English as a Second Language.
From the first semester, we had different guests speakers offer opportunities to work, while at
school, at different community colleges and language institutes. However, these offers were
mainly intended for domestic students who were allowed to work off campus. As a result, the
universe of students that graduate from this Master’s has very different practicum opportunities
and experience.
At the same time, as a student in need, I worked in one of the cafeterias on campus: the
only way I could find to make some money while at graduate school. There, I made great friends,
who were 90% hispanic, specifically, from Mexico. The younger employees knew how to speak
English, but the older ones did not. They moved to the United States around fifteen years ago,
but due to their economic needs, they dedicated one-hundred percent of their time to work and
support their families. Because of this, none of them had had formal English instruction in
Mexico nor in the U.S. Working with them, I realized the importance of training the campus
workers in the language. This training could help them in so many areas; From being able to
communicate with those who do not speak Spanish within their jobs, to communication with
students, customers, and employees, the need was clear. Several times I translated meetings
between my employer and my coworkers, helping them discussing various issues, from the daily
functioning of the cafeteria, to sick leave and wages. I realized how important it was for them to
learn English to gain autonomy, self-esteem, and to advocate for themselves.
One day, after attending Ashoka Changemaking1 conference, I thought of the
combination of these two needs, responding to both of them through the elaboration of an
informal ESL program on campus for workers. Surprisingly, a classmate was inspired in the
same way, so we decided to work together and to express our desire to one of our professors who
put this project together.
Research Questions
This research aims to respond to different questions associated to different areas. The first
area is related to the experience international students have in this two year long master’s
program. Based on interviews, this study will explore what is the perception that other TESOL
students have of their overall preparation to become teachers. The main question related to this
area is:
- What is the international student perception of the practical aspect of the program in
terms of preparing them to become teachers?
A different area that this study aims to explore are the implications of creating an
informal English as a Second Language context. This informal setting is intended for workers of
the campus to learn, and for TESOL master’s candidates to teach. This informal opportunity to
teach can potentially be the ideal extra practice that international students need. Some questions
that this research aims to respond are:
1
Ashoka is a social and educational movement that recognizes the need for social innovation. They state that
anyone can be a leader in their own community by changing what needs to be changed.
- How can students and faculty members create spaces of practical training for future
teachers, what are the implications of doing so, and which stakeholders are involved?
And finally, the last area that this research will be associated with is the potential benefit
that campus workers can experience from this opportunity. This study wants to explore the
implications of having informal classes for members of the university facilities providers. The
purpose of answering this question is to evaluate the duration of the program, which, hopefully,
will remain on campus after the graduation of the student collaborators.The main question is:
- How can the campus population benefit from having an informal learning and teaching
opportunity?
This research will explore the experience of international students pursuing their master’s
degrees in education and their perception on their practicum teaching experience. In relation to
their experience being abroad, this research will provide shared narrations from the students’ part
where they share what have been the main challenges and struggles they face when living in the
US. Additionally, this research will explore their perceptions regarding their teaching practicum
placement, what they consider the major challenges when teaching, and potential areas of
improvement. This exploration is particularly interesting when we take into account that
international student practicum opportunities take place almost completely funder the
university’s tutelage. Consequently, their practicum opportunities are very limited in terms of
location and of actual teaching and classroom management. As a possible solution, an
international graduate student in collaboration with a classmate and a faculty member, suggested
to create an informal teaching and learning setting on campus to provide more opportunities for
teaching practice. This opportunity will guarantee that international students will have a teaching
space on-campus that will provide them with more informal experience teaching a local group of
immigrants. The target students will be the facilities personnel who have not had formal English
instruction before. Ultimately, this research aims to explore the benefits of creating such
program, in terms of teaching experience for international graduate TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages) students and for the overall campus community.
Literature Review
The following sections of this literature review, will present the main aspects of what
international students experience while being abroad, including both the positive aspects and the
challenging areas they struggle with, including their practicum opportunities. At the same time,
these bodies of scholarship will present how practicum experiences are understood and defined,
and what are the benefits they represents to students who get to experience them. Additionally,
this section will provide a description of how practicum is defined and categorized, in order to
better understand international students’ limited possibilities. Finally, this literature review will
present what are the benefits and implications of creating informal spaces for teaching English as
a Second Language to the disenfranchised. These sections are be closely related to the
experiences that my participants shared in our interviews.
Studying Abroad
Studying abroad is an exciting and attractive opportunity to enhance learning and to
broaden cultural and intellectual perspectives. According to Barton, Hartwig & Cain (2015)
“international students should be viewed as unique individuals who experience their study,
professional experience or practicum, and their time away from home differently” (p.150). This
different experience can shape their professional development and define their future in a
significant manner. For students seeking unique learning and cultural experience, it is very
attractive to study in the United States. Farrugia and Bhandari (2014) state that “international
student enrollments continue to increase at U.S. institutions of higher education, reaching a
record high of 886,052 in the 2013/14 academic year, which constituted a 8.1 percent increase
over the previous year and reflecting a global trend of students in higher education wishing to
pursue studies outside their homeland” ( p.1). Moreover, the authors declare that the US receives
more international students than any other country in the world. According to the latter,
international students that come to the US to pursue post-secondary education have a positive
view of the country, believing that it has a “higher quality education system, and a wide range of
schools and programs that can accommodate and prepare a variety of different students” ( p.1).
These variety of learning contexts and opportunities inspire many students around the world to
pursue higher education in the US.
However, international students also face significant challenges when studying abroad.
Pedersen (1991) states that international graduate students generally deal with more difficulties
than their American counterparts. These difficulties may include linguistic barriers, insufficient
academic advisement, and incomplete knowledge of the educational system, teaching methods,
and academic environment (Pederson, 1991). Additionally, the challenges that international
students face in terms of teaching and learning style can be very significant as well. They have to
fulfill participation requirements, get involved in cooperative learning through class discussions,
and ultimately, get familiar with a new style of learning (Al-Sharideh and Goe, 1998). At the
same time, students from different countries might not be familiarized with appropriate “critical
thinking skills, writing ability, efficient note-taking, oral presentations and comprehension of
readings assigned in class” (Spencer, 2003), which makes their academic experience extra
challenging. International students may not understand some of the academic expectations and
requirements of American education. At the same time, instructors may not be aware of this
difference and of how international students do not always share the same attitude toward
knowledge (Chen, 1996).
Furthermore, international students may experience personal emotional challenges.
Losing their social relationships with people from their countries might make them experience
feelings of loneliness and isolation. In addition to being away from friends and family and their
own cultural system, international students have to learn the nuances of social interaction in
different country (Al-Sharideh and Goe, 1989). The authors state that “unfamiliarity with
American customs, norms, and values may make it difficult for international students to
effectively interact with Americans and meet personal and academic demands” (p. 699).
Consequently, international students have a hard time meeting people and creating strong,
meaningful relationships with their American counterparts. As such, “students may experience a
loss of social status since the status they enjoyed in their native countries may not be recognized
by others in their new environment” (Al-Sharideh and Goe, 1989, p. 699). They conclude that
international students must create their own approach to face the demands of this new socio
cultural environment in order to satisfy their personal and emotional needs in hand with adequate
academic performance (Al-Sharideh and Goe, 1989). Additionally, international students that
come to the US from non-English speaking countries face challenges related to their ability to
communicate, which can potentially affect their self-esteem. López and Bui (2014) state that
“English language confidence among international students studying in the U.S. would also be
positively related to self-esteem” (p. 316). It can be inferred that when international students are
not confident of their English proficiency, their self-esteem is directly impacted.
However, these challenges and barriers are balanced by the experience international
students go through, which is defined by Al-Sharideh and Goe (1989) as a life changing
opportunity that shapes and broadens students’ perspectives. Cisneros-Donahue, Krentler, Reinig
and Sabol (2012) add that when students go back to their hometowns they describe their
experience abroad as “life-changing and transformative” (2012, p.170) including improvement in
their intellectual development and also their socio-cultural awareness. Further, domestic peers
agree that the diversity international students add to their school environment is valuable (Chen,
1996, p.2).
Teaching Practicum
Moreover, international students do not only travel abroad to gain content and theoretical
knowledge, but also practical and working experience. This practical experience seems
particularly important for students who are preparing themselves to become teachers. Merç
(2015) defines the teaching practicum experience as “a multidimensional activity involving
student teachers, cooperating teachers, university supervisors, administrators, and students”
(p.44), who are key components of carrying out education. This multidimensional activity has
many components which include lesson plans, observation reports, visits of mentors,
assessments, etc. At the same time, Merç states that “during the teaching practicum, student
teachers basically benefit from lesson observation, the cooperating teacher and practicum school,
university supervisors’ supervision, communication with other school members, and the peer
teachers” (2015, p.44). The holistic benefits of teaching practicum seem evident when we
consider all the valuable interaction student teachers gain. Richards and Crookes (1988), argue
that “the goal of the teaching practicum for preservice teachers includes gaining practical
classroom experience” (p.9). Through this experience, student teachers are able to put into
practice the theory they are learning, the techniques they observe in experienced teachers with
the ultimate goal of broaden their awareness of what they would like to achieve, reflecting
deeply on their own teacher identity and philosophy. Moreover, in most MA in Tesol programs,
the practicum course represents the only instance for student teachers to acquire practical skills
and to learn the most effective ways to teach English as a Second Language (Richards and
Crookes, 1998). According to these authors “A little bit of practice is no longer enough to attain
appropriate teaching skills. Practice does not necessarily make perfect: What is needed is good
practice” (1988, p. 13). In the light of the benefits of practical experience, it is important to
mention that it also provides teacher students confirmation that what they are studying is the
correct professional path they should follow, which tends to be questioned when there is a lack
of actual teaching experiences (Phairee, Sanitchon, Suphanangthong, Graham, Prompruang, De
Groot, & Hopkins, 2008).
There are two main categories of teaching experience, which are: (1) campus based, and
(2) field based. The first type of teaching experience, campus based, refers to those experiences
where student teachers teach English to students from their own university. These ESL students
might be attending a language institute within the university, aiming to transfer and take
mainstream courses there. Field based experience are those outside the university facilities and
are usually better equipped in terms of staff, support system, and facilities, which provide the
student teacher with a more adequate experience than those offered on campus (Richards and
Crookes, 1988, p. 12). Additionally, the practicum experiences teacher students go through, can
be categorized according to the level of participation they have. Thy can be direct, or first hand,
or indirect, or second-third-hand. Direct experiences, on the one hand, are those that involve the
student teacher teaching a class, teaching peers, or teaching a class that was made especially for
them to practice teaching. On the other hand, indirect experiences are those in which the teacher
students watch someone else teaching. Both types of experiences normally constitute a practicum
experience for Tesol student teachers (Richards and Crookes, 1988). What is more, there are 5
main aspects of a Tesol practicum: it is integrated into the academic curriculum; its approach has
a team nature that includes a mentor teacher, a university supervisor, and practicum student
teachers; it provides deep modeling and coaching; integrates methodical and extensive
observations; the final result of the practicum is cumulative, generally in the form of a portfolio
that encompasses the student teacher artifacts (Gan, 2013, p.2).
Nevertheless, there are considerable aspects concerning the practicum experience that
international students encounter affecting their teaching performance negatively. To begin with,
teacher students experience high levels of stress when being assessed by their superiors. Also,
when being placed in a classroom, teacher students have expressed frustration when dealing with
different student behaviors, like lack of participation and low proficiency. At the same time,
when fulfilling their practicum experiences, teacher students have indicated that their mentor
teachers do not provide appropriate feedback and support (Canh, 2014). Equally important,
students have expressed that their practicum experiences have been too brief to consolidate
confidence inside the classroom (Celen and Akcan, 2017). Also, often international teacher
students considered as non-native speakers of English have a negative self-perception in terms of

their confidence in the classroom. As Canh (2014) states “high level of English competence is a
requisite for successful practicum experience for non-native preservice ESL teachers because
this may lead to enhanced confidence in their teaching ability and an adequate sense of
professional legitimacy” (p. 104).
Practicum Limitations for International Students
Additionally, international students experience considerable limitations when thinking
about finding jobs and practicing teaching outside their university campus. Students holding an
F-1 Visa can only work on-campus for a maximum of 20 hours a week. Many universities do not
have ESL programs for international students to practice teaching consistently from the first
year. Most master’s programs require practicum experience in the last semester and only a few
hours. Furthermore, international students are advised not to commit to volunteering projects
outside their campus since their universities are responsible for their immigration status.
Considering these limitations, international students have a very different practicum experience
in comparison to their domestic counterparts. Students normally get involved in teaching jobs in
their first semester, gaining much more teaching training and insight.
Generating Informal Teaching Opportunities
Fortunately, this teaching practicum need can be addressed with the elaboration of
informal teaching and learning settings that student teachers can benefit from. There are different
types of informal teaching settings, such as community-based programs, after school programs,
neighborhood organized programs, among others. These informal settings constitute a useful and
beneficial space for teacher students to gain teaching experience, and to contribute to their
community and society. Following the lines of informal teaching contexts, specifically in the
discipline of English as a Second Language, volunteering can provide the space for teacher
students to gain valuable teaching practice. According to Becker, Larson and Travelers and
Immigrants Aid of Chicago (1995), the role that volunteers play in the process of literacy for
immigrants is key. This role is diverse and peculiar in the sense that it provides a service to
English learners who strive in their daily communication due to their low English proficiency
level. Volunteering and informal teaching settings go hand in hand when it comes to providing
spaces to practice teaching for teacher students and also to provide meaningful linguistic
resources to immigrant learners. Some of these informal settings can be carried out “in sites
located at community-based organizations, churches, libraries, senior citizen centers, local
educational agencies, community colleges, prison settings, and businesses” (Tenenbaum, Strang.,
& Westat 1992, p.2).
Furthermore, these types of programs have made a considerable contribution to society
and to immigrants’ development of reading, listening, speaking, writing and comprehension
skills. At the same time, these instances represent an opportunity for immigrant students to
immerse themselves in a different culture, and to get to know the culture of their classmates
(Eckardt, 1993). Volunteer teaching English as a Second Language can also help student
teachers feel part of their learning community. Some other benefits are related to the
cost-effectiveness of having volunteers teaching English to those who might struggle to afford
formal instruction. Volunteers experience the opportunity to improve their community by
“expressing love and concern for others civic duty establishing a reputation as a civic leader
improving visibility (dubs or organizations)” (Becker and Larson, 1995). In addition, this type of
instruction can provide the students with a personalized experience, where the classes are
designed according to their needs. Also, volunteering programs can function with more
flexibility in terms of schedule than formal programs. These programs represent a great
opportunity for students with little classroom experience to explore their own creativity and
involvement in their community (Becker and Larson, 1995).
Additionally, volunteer teaching of English as a Second Language is strongly based on
social justice principles and advocacy. According to Theoharis and O’Toole (2011) “This
advocacy stance is inherently connected to the growing ELL population and the historic
marginalization of these students and their families. Taking up the charge of ensuring equitable
and excellent education for ELLs is an essential component of social justice leadership” (p.648).
Volunteer teachers are able to put their empathy into practice while gaining valuable
multicultural teaching experience.
On the other hand, Tenenbaum, Strang and Westat (1992) argue that if it takes years of
training for teachers to become confident and knowledgeable educators of a second language,
volunteers with little practice may not have the necessary skills to teach beginner learners.
According to the authors “caring is necessary but not sufficient. The adult literacy instructor also
needs knowledge, skills, strategies, and an understanding of the adult learner” (1992, p.4).
Additionally, there are limitations of volunteering classroom settings explained by Becker and
Larson (1995) which mainly involve a high number of dropouts after perceiving little or no
progress. Another important issue that develops in this kind of environment is that students’
irregular attendance can lead to termination of the program, and students lack formal classroom
knowledge can problematize teaching efforts. Students may not know how to take notes, how to
approach the teacher, how to participate, among others.
Despite all the challenges presented above, it is also important to take into account that if
beginner teachers do not have the space and context to develop all those meaningful skills, they
will never be ready to put in practice their own teaching style. It seems like volunteering might
be the perfect space to put theory into practice, especially when it provides an opportunity for
minorities to attain autonomy and self advocacy resources. According to Theoharis & O'Toole,
(2011) “This advocacy stance is inherently connected to the growing ELL population and the
historic marginalization of these students and their families. Taking up the charge of ensuring
equitable and excellent education for ELLs is an essential component of social justice
leadership” (p.648).
Defining Constructs
The constructs that have been observed through this qualitative case study are the
following: international graduate student experience, teaching practicum, informal teaching
settings and social justice. According to Barton, Hartwig & Cain (2015) “international students
should be viewed as unique individuals who experience their study, professional experience or
practicum, and their time away from home differently” (p.150). While studying abroad, they
experience diverse feelings and emotions that go from excitement and challenge, to loneliness
and isolation. Moreover, they travel to different countries to acquire specific knowledge on
different disciplines, but also to gain valuable practice experience abroad. This teaching
experience is defined as “a multidimensional activity involving student teachers, cooperating
teachers, university supervisors, administrators, and students” (Merç, 2015, p.44). Richards and
Crookes (1988), argue that “the goal of the teaching practicum for preservice teachers includes
gaining practical classroom experience” (p.9). The authors state that there are mainly two
categories of teaching practice, which are on-campus and field based.
Additionally, this study explored the relationship between the creation of on-campus
teaching practicum and volunteering as an opportunity for M.Ed candidates to enrich their
teaching experience. Volunteering in teaching English as a Second Language to immigrants,
have meant a considerable contribution to the literacy development of this population.
Finally, one last construct that this case study analyzed was the generation of social
justice and advocacy teaching opportunities through teaching English as a Second Language.
Methodology
This design of this research is qualitative. Qualitative research is “a means for exploring
and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem”
(Creswell, 2009, p. 4). The selection of the research design is based on what would be the best
strategy to observe different elements that might affect students’ perception on their practicum
experience and possible volunteering experience. On the one hand, international student teachers
were able to share their experience while getting their master’s degree and fulfilling practicum
experience at the same time. On the other hand, student workers were be able to express what
their experience has been having teacher candidates teaching them English on campus, including
the benefits, challenges, and areas of improvement. Additionally, this research explored the
challenges and implications of creating an on-campus program that provides a space for
international students to practice teaching, and provides student workers with linguistic tools for
self-advocacy.
This research takes a case study approach. A case study is defined as “a strategy of
inquiry in which the researcher explores in depth a program, event, activity, process, or one or
more individuals” (Creswell, 2009, p.13). For this case I have observed the experience of
international students, their practicum experience, and have evaluated whether or not they could
benefit from informal teaching practice carried out in the university campus, and why. Yin
(1981) explains that in certain research “case studies are the preferred strategy when "how" or
"why" questions are being posed, when the investigator has little control over events, and when
the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life context” (p.1). Once again,
this phenomenon is the experience of international students in relation to their teaching
practicum opportunities while abroad.
The purpose is to explore and observe the different perceptions about international
student experience in terms of their practicum experience while in the master’s program as the
main case. In order to understand the implications of teacher candidates feeling this need for
more informal practice, this case study was based on Yin’s definition of case study. The author
states that “Case study research assumes that examining the context and other complex
conditions related to the case(s) being studied are integral to understanding the case(s)” ( 2012,
p.4). This case study explored the context of international student pursuing their master’s degree
taking into account their immigration limitation, which does not allow them to be involved in
off-campus work. At the same time, the context of possible opportunities for student candidates
to volunteer and teach on campus to facility workers. Finally, this case study explored the
importance of creating a program that will promote social justice and a better work environment
and resources for the campus workers.
Researcher Background and Bias. As an international student myself, I got to experience the
challenges of living in a different country pursuing postgraduate education in first hand. Being in
the US getting my master’s degree has been one of the most significant and impactful
experiences I have ever lived. This experience ranges from encounter academic and intellectual
development, to feel the limitations of being away from a my social and cultural comfort zone.
Feeling loneliness, frustration, incapability to cope with the demands of being away from home
were some of the many emotional challenges of the studying abroad journey.
Fortunately, I consider myself a person who needs to be constantly challenged to feel that
I am living life to the fullest. And my experience in the US was no exception. I felt that I had to
do more as long as I had the time to do more. Particularly when it came to valuable experiences
that would only provide me with meaningful and authentic interactions with people in the US.
Also, I believe that my authentic search for opportunities to work and teach, have led me to meet
the right people who have connected me to resources that my university had available, but that
not everyone was willing to take. I have been extremely fortunate to meet people that have
helped me so much throughout this experience. From international friends in other programs, to
my Chilean advisor and mentor.
In terms of teaching opportunities, when I realized that teaching contexts on campus were
scarce, and that, unfortunately, I was not allowed to partake in off-campus teaching, I did not
give up, and thought about alternatives to keep teaching as much as I could. Having that
on-campus job with many hispanic co-workers opened my eyes to realize that those teaching
opportunities were there all along.
My objective as a researcher was to be as objective and unbiased as I possibly could.
However, I do have to recognize that my own personal experience, consciously or not, might
have influence my collection and interpretation of data. I have been as attentive as possible
during the processes of selecting participants, collecting and analyzing data, and identifying main
findings, however, I do recognize that my background experience might have shaped the way I
conducted this case study.
Instruments and Data Collection
The data in which this study was based, was collected through two research instruments:
interviews and personal observations and experiences. These interviews were semi-structured in
order to “invite interviewees to express themselves openly and freely and to define the world
from their own perspectives, not solely from the perspective of the researcher” (Hancock, &
Algozzine, 2006). At the same time, these interviews were conducted in order to collect
information on the experience of other international graduate candidates, alumni, faculty
members, and worker students. My personal observations and experiences served as an
instrument to collect my experience as an international student in the master’s program and in
the participation of an informal teaching and learning context.
One set of questions were asked to the TESOL M.Ed alumni with the purpose of
understanding what their experience was while in the program and at the moment of looking for
a job after graduating. A different set of questions was asked to second year TESOL M.Ed
candidates in order to elucidate what their experienced has been like while in the program and
what is their perception on their preparedness to teach. At the same time, a different set of
questions was be asked to first year TESOL M.Ed students to explore what their awareness and
expectations are like in terms of their practicum experience while in the program. Additionally, I
would like to know what is their level of interest in participating in an informal teaching setting
on campus that will provide them with a valuable opportunity to gain teaching experience. At the
same time, a different set of questions was be asked to a faculty member, in order to observe
what is her perception on international student preparedness to teach once they graduate, and
also, to describe what are the implications and stakeholders behind creating an informal teaching
setting on campus. Finally, a few questions were asked to the worker students to know what are
the possible benefits and potential improvements of the informal ESL learning setting they are
part of. Additionally, my own personal experience as an international student was be valuable
data for this case study. For this purpose, the data collection was based on my own personal
experience and observations as an international student teacher. In them I have described what
my experience has been like in the M.Ed program, and how this experience might encourage
other international student to participate actively in informal teaching contexts on campus.
Participants
International Students. This study explored the experience of 6 M.Ed international
students in the US. One of these students has already graduated, two are in their first year, and
three are finishing their second year, including me, the researcher. Our experiences provided
evidence on how being abroad can be both exciting and challenging. Additionally, our
testimonies and reflections mainly covered three different perspectives: our experiences and
expectations starting the program, our experiences and challenges while in second year and close
to finalizing the program, and their experience after graduating and finding a job in the US.
Faculty Member. In addition, one faculty member participated sharing her perception on
international student teaching practice. She presented what she sees are the main challenges and
limitations international students experience, and what is their contribution to the program. At
the same time, she shared what her reaction is to students’ initiative on creating an informal
learning and teaching as a facilitator of teaching opportunities. This faculty member also
provided a detailed explanation on the implications of creating an informal teaching and learning
setting on campus for facility workers and the stakeholders involved.
Student Workers. Finally, this research concluded by exploring the perception of the
student-workers who consistently attended to more than 25 sessions between the months of
January and May. Through their experience, this research provided a guideline to what their
needs are and to what could be improved for future TESOLers to continue teaching on-campus.
Analysis
The data was analyzed in detail after the transcription of all the interviews in order to
identify the constructs explained above within the perspective of the interviewees. In first place,
international student and their experience in practicum placements and willingness to volunteer
in an informal teaching setting. In second place, the perception of a faculty member on the
experience international students gain through their practicum and the implications of creating an
informal teaching setting on campus. And finally, the impression student workers had on this
project, including the benefits, challenges and suggestions for the future.
Data Analysis
This data analysis was divided first into four main sections based on the participants that
shared their experience. The first section is international students, including first and second
year, and one student that already graduated. Within this section, there are three subsections
which detailed the experience of international students being abroad and their self-perception as
student teachers, their practicum experience and their willingness to volunteer and participate in
this informal teaching setting.
The second section is the faculty member’s perspective about international students’
practicum opportunities. Within this section there are four subsections in which this faculty
member described her view on the practicum opportunities international students have, potential
areas of improvement in the context in which this research takes place, her reaction to students
initiative to participate in an on-campus ESL course, and the implications and stakeholders
behind putting this teaching setting together.
The third section describes the characteristics of this on-campus course, based on my
personal experiences and observations. Within this section there are four subsections in which I
explained what this course is about, the way in which it is organized, the main challenges that we
faced, and potential areas of improvement.
And the last section is the worker student outcomes and their perspectives on being part
of this ESL class. Within this section there are three subsections in which the participant
described his perspective on this initiative, what he has gained from it and suggestion for the
future.
International Student Experience
This qualitative study has provided deep and insightful perceptions of five international
graduate students, one who graduated last year, three in their second and last year, including the
researcher, and two in their first year. There responses are based around three main areas: their
self perception as multilingual teacher candidates, their view on the practicum placement they
have experienced so far, whether it has been through observations of actual teaching, and finally,
their opinion about partaking in informal volunteering teaching opportunities.
First Year International Students. In order to maintain their anonymity, these two
students have been assigned with fictitious names which are Laura and Nicole.
These two international students are currently in the second semester of their master’s program.
In terms of their experience abroad, Laura had been in the United States before, as part of a
Work and Travel program.
Experience Abroad. In relation to the way in which first year international students
perceive their experience abroad, the two of them agree that it has been very different from their
culture, but very exciting at the same time. Nicole says that she has only experienced positive
aspects of being abroad. She appreciates what she is learning in the M.Ed. program and also,
states that she enjoys the different lifestyle that she can experience in the US, in contrast with her
hometown, China. One of the main challenges she said, was to feel adjusted to the country’s
system. Nicole says “I spent a lot of time adjusting my style to the life here”, emphasizing how
challenging it was to encounter a different way to, for instance, rent an apartment, open a bank
account, in which, she says, “have encountered a lot of difficulties”. Laura shares this
perceptions and explains how she has also experienced a different and new way of interacting
with people in the US. She says that in China, people normally do not greet others in public
contexts, including services, which has meant a process of adjustment in order to prevent her
from being rude. In terms of academic adjustment, Nicole says that it was hard for her to
adequate to the US demands, and especially to the language proficiency expectations. She says
that she was afraid of participating at first, because she did not know if she would be understood.
Additionally, writing her first essay was extremely challenging because, as she explains, “I only
had the title and I had to write four pages. But I did not know what to write and include in my
paper, and how to get a high score”. As Spencer (2003) mentions, “critical thinking skills,
writing ability, efficient note-taking, oral presentations and comprehension of readings assigned
in class”, which is what Nicole describes. Both first-year international students feel a limitation
in terms of their English proficiency. Moreover, Laura declares “We cannot speak as fluently as
native speakers, and they [the listeners] might get confused”.
View of Practicum Experience. Both international first year students were aware of their
working and practicum limitations. They knew that finding teaching opportunities on campus
represented an enormous challenge.
In terms of their practicum experience, both students have been placed in practicum
observations during their first and second semesters. They both see their mentor professors as a
model of what they could teach and how they can put themselves in the shoes of their students to
assess what would be an effective lesson plan. They experience so far had been what Richard
and Crookes (1988) defined as indirect, which means that they have only observed their mentor
teacher teach. Laura shared that she has learned that “the most important thing is that most
teachers put themselves in the same level with [their] students”. She has enjoyed to experience
how her mentor professors are really good at interacting with their students practicing respect.
She compares her appreciation of both American and Chinese teachers stating that “in some
countries the teachers do not have a good relationship with the students”. Through her
observations she has been able to reflect on her own expectations as a teacher saying: “I would
prefer to be [an] interactive teacher because I think the responsibility of the teacher is not only to
teach students well and make them go to college or get a better job, but the most important thing
is the students mind. The feeling that students have about the teacher”. She adds that teaching
practice has two main benefits in both the emotional and psychological realm. Laura believes
that teaching practice has provided her with metacognitive awareness. “I think it is like the
balcony thing”, she says to explain the metaphor of seeing oneself from an outsider’s
perspective. Moreover, these two international students, as the researcher, have not had
experience teaching ESL, but only EFL. They appreciate this practicum experience which
provides them with meaningful observation of teachers who teach multilingual speakers. Laura
adds that in her practicum placement “the teacher and the students have multicultural
background, so I see the difference of teaching practice and methods between native speakers
and multicultural students”. She appreciates this observation experience deeply as a first step
before starting teaching ESL herself.
Willingness to Participate in Other Teaching Contexts. Both international students have
demonstrated a big interest in having more opportunities to teach. Especially if this teaching
opportunity can be carried out on-campus. They believe that the benefits of teaching practice are
numerous. Nicole says that “as a teacher, you are always nervous when you stand in front of
your students. And if you get this chance [volunteering teaching on-campus], you can talk to
students freely. And you apply your teaching personal and what you learn in class…you can
have the opportunity to practice”. Additionally, Laura states that she sees the value of teaching
English to speakers of other languages. “I think because the US is a country with every nation of
people. Everyone comes here, so you have to learn everything, try your best to respect every
culture. And if you can handle the balance teaching native speakers and international students I
think it would help”, Laura declares about a possible teaching opportunity on campus.
Concerning the volunteering nature of the course, they believe that experience is more valuable
than actual goods. They would love to experience teaching students of multicultural
backgrounds.
Second Year International Student. This second section of data analysis is based on second
year international students and their perception on their experience studying abroad, their view of
their practicum placement, and their willingness to participate in an informal ESL teaching
settings. These two students, and the student researcher, have been in the US for almost two
years, and feel more adjusted to the cultural differences. However, they have become more
critical of their opportunities teaching and of what they have observed in their mentor teacher’s
classroom. These two students have been assigned with fictitious names too, in order to maintain
their anonymity: Emma and Olivia.
Experience Abroad. In terms of their experience abroad and the way it has affected their
self-perception, the perspective of these two students is strongly focused on their roles as
students and future teachers, more than the general difficulties of being abroad. The manner in
which these two international students perceive themselves being abroad is closely linked to the
way they perceive themselves as non-native speakers of English. Which, despite the fact that
they have been in the US for almost two years, they both agree on how it represents a limitation
in the way they communicate. During our interview Emma shared that she frequently questions
her call as a teacher. She says “because I am a non-native Speaker [of English]. I am always
afraid of saying something wrong, like some grammar point, or native cultural thing. Maybe my
students will ask me and I don’t know the answer. And that makes me feel bad. I am the teacher,
I should know it”. Emma’s lack of confidence as a speaker of English, is closely related to her
confidence as a future teacher. Olivia, at the same time, says she is not confident enough,
especially as a teacher. She says “Sometimes I do not know what is going on and what I can do
to be the teacher I want to be”. This lack of confidence is part of the studying abroad experience
that López and Bui (2014) describe when they present the relationship between linguistic
confidence and self-esteem. This perception of them as non-native speaker teachers also affects
their understanding of how teaching English as a Second Language will actually be like. Olivia
says it will be more challenging since “it is harder to relate. And when I teach English to Chinese
speakers I can think about my experience as a language learner”. She says her experience
learning English can help her identify patterns of errors that students make, however she is afraid
that she won’t be able to assist EFL learners in the same way. Additionally, both students are
aware of the limitations of their immigration status. Emma says “yes, international students have
so many limitations and restrictions” making reference to the laws that do not allow them to
work off-campus. They think that the paperwork to have permission to work in their last year,
during their practicum course, is too difficult and simply prefer not to do it, despite the fact that
they would make a great use of an extra income while in school.

View of Practicum Experience. In terms of their practicum experience perception, both
students have been engaged in more than one-hundred hours of classroom observation. Olive
says that the teaching practicum provides them with an opportunity to observe actual teaching
and not just theoretic teaching. She says that through her observations she is learning new
strategies on how to deal with different situations and “new teaching styles or different teaching
principles”. This experience has provided them with a critical eye when it comes to evaluate their
mentor professors’ teaching performance. The view they have on their practicum experiences is
tightly connected to a lack of agreements from their mentor professors and them. They have
expressed that their roles in the classroom as observers are not clearly stated from the beginning
of their practicum experience. They both have shared how their role in the classroom is more
related to that of a student than that of a student teacher. Emma says “I just sit in the class, and
sometimes I am more like a student there. And I asked him if he wants me to be a TA (teacher’s
assistant), but because there are only two students [in the class] it’s more like tutoring so I don’t
have to do anything. I just sit there and take notes”. This unclear relationship with their mentor
teachers has affected their overall practicum experience and their participation as teachers.
Unfortunately, they have not felt that their last semester observing has been of
meaningful learning. Furthermore, Emma says that, thanks to her mentor teacher, she has learned
what she does not want to be and do. She says “I do not like his teaching style. I think I learned a
few things from him because he is so boring”. Olivia is more explicit in showing her
disappointment saying that “I really wanted to learn some teaching strategies for teaching the
skills I am not very good at myself. But no. My mentor teacher is not very organized”. She has
the impression that her teacher never prepares his classes. She declares that her mentor teacher is
very knowledgeable, but that he lacks bridging strategies. Furthermore, after teaching her first
simulation lesson, she realized her teacher had imitated some of the things she did.
Additionally, they do not feel comfortable teaching in front of a teacher that do not know
them, or their background and process of learning in the US. Emma says: “[If I teach in front of]
my mentor teacher, I feel nervous. I am afraid that I am making mistakes. I am afraid of them
grading me. [When] you feel too nervous, the more you make mistakes”. They both have a deep
appreciation for the practicum experience they have gained in front of their peers. They feel
confidence and a deep appreciation for their classmates’ feedback. They value the opportunity to
provide each other with valuable feedback, since they have all experienced a similar growth as
teachers. Emma says that her teaching experience is mainly “the experience to talk to my cohort.
We exchange our ideas, we try to practice a little bit and I get feedback and they help me a lot”.
Both international students agreed that their actual teaching instances are not enough to build
teaching style and teacher confidence.
Willingness to Participate in Other Teaching Contexts. In relation to their willingness to
participate in a different teaching context, both students demonstrated high interest. They make a
distinction between formal teaching practicum and informal teaching practicum. Emma says “the
formal teaching would be too much pressure, because you need to be in charge of the class. You
have responsibilities and need to be a qualified teacher”. She says that she is not sure of how she
would teach without a mentor teacher but that she would love to try it. Also they value the fact
that an informal teaching setting would mean less stress during, an already very stressful, last
semester. Olive says that “because [when] being observed, sometimes I would focus on the
observant. Like ‘what should I do to impress this person’, instead of focusing on my students”.
Her perspective can be related to what Canh (2014) describes in terms of how student teachers
feel nervousness and anxiety when being evaluated by their mentor teachers.
Both second year international students agree that ultimately the experience is the most
valuable outcome. They also think that if this teaching opportunity is within a volunteering basis,
they stakes would be considerably lower. Olive says “Maybe I feel like I am not qualified
enough, but if it is volunteering, then, deep down, I would feel like it is okay to mess up”. They
both consider that there is a relationship between getting paid and a sense of freedom to just
teach.
International Student that Graduated. This third section of data analysis is based on the
experience of an international student who graduated in the Spring of 2017. This student has
been assigned with a fictitious name, John, in order to protect his identity. His self-perception as
an international student, and now, worker, has more layers and complexity due to the fact that he
has been in the US for longer, and that he got a job that offered him a working visa.
Self-Perception. In relation to John’s self-perception as an international student, his
experience differs a little bit from the ones from other international students, described above.
Due to the fact that John has more experience teaching, what he expressed in relation to his
self-perception is closely related to his role as a teacher and to what he has experience within a
professional context. He said, for instance, that one of the main challenges international students
experience is a loss of native privileges. He shared that “We [international students] do not have
those [professional] connections. We are completely new to everything, so we need to build
those from ground zero”. Additionally, most of what John shares in terms of his self perception
as an international student is related to the fact that he is a non-native speaker teacher of English.
He says that teaching English to native speakers made him feel “anxious all the time”. This
anxiety relates to López and Bui’s (2014) in which they indicate how international students
struggle with their self-esteem and confidence. When teaching ELLs (English Language
Learners), on the other hand, he feels that he is familiar with the process of learning a new
language and dealing with the implications of living in a country away from home.
Additionally, John shared that he had teaching experiencing as an English as a Foreign
Language teacher in China. However, he reflected on how, back them, he did not have a clear
method of teaching and that his teaching was “purely organic”. At that point of his professional
path he had not read any books on either education nor second language acquisition theories.
View of Practicum Experience. John could be defined as a very driven international
student who seeked for practicum experiences and volunteering experiences since his first
semester of his second year in his master’s program. He declared “I think started my practicum a
little bit early. I think I started my second year, but I worked the first semester as a volunteer” at
a local community college. John demonstrated his ambitions using his own resources to find for
teaching opportunities, on and off-campus, paid and volunteered. He said that this experience
was what differentiated him from other international students. He said “That was like my
personal one step ahead from among all the internationals. I was the only one who worked
before”. In general terms, John’s view of teaching practice is that it provides an opportunity for
teacher students to put into practice what they are learning in their graduate program. Thanks to
classroom observation John was able to understand what were his students’ needs.
Through John’s interview I was able to witness his deep appreciation for the practicum
experience he lived. He said that it helped him improve different aspects of his teaching practice.
In first place, he talked about the importance of having an organized Powerpoint presentation
that supports his students’ learning process. He said that his practicum experience “pushed me to
keep perfecting my powerpoints, and to start developing some kind of method [of teaching]”.
In addition, John shared that his practicum experience helped him starting developing
lesson plans for the first time, which he declared, “is a long time practice”. He reflects on how
developing a lesson plan can provide teachers with a strategy to guide themselves and their
students. However, according to John, they do not always work and “many times you need to
improvise”. He thinks that there are two groups of teachers: the group with those who follow
their lesson plans closely and the group with teachers who improvise when necessary. He said: “I
think I am in the improvising one”. Thanks to his practicum experience he was able to explore
the benefits of improvising when needed, feeling more and more comfortable with being flexible
and adapt whenever his lessons took a different course.
Moreover, John shared that his teaching practicum experience helped him developing
assessments within his classroom, which was something he had never done before. He said “I did
not know I had to do that. And when I realized we could do that, it turned out to be very useful”.
He shared what when the assessment section of the lesson plan is effective and purposeful, it
serves as a support in case he needs to modify and improvise his lesson. He added that when the
assessment section is clear the whole class makes sense to the students.
Additionally, John emphasized that his teaching practicum placement experience was
very different depending on the type of English class and on the type of students (native speakers
or non-native speakers). He expressed that when he was embedded in an ESL class, he felt that
he had more resources to assist his students. He said “I had every tool they need[ed]”.
Furthermore, he adds that thanks to his practicum experience he was able to tell the difference
between a piece of writing and the English nativeness and non-nativeness of its author. He
noticed “the cognitive development is so different. You can see a native speaker write an essay
with plain language. And it’s like a kid. But you see an ELL student using the same language but
expressing deep, deep ideas. John reflected on how much he has learned over the past year, and
how his experience teaching had made him feel confident that he is qualified to teach any level
of ESL classes. However, John reflected on how he would have liked to live these valuable
experiences as the teacher.
Willingness to Participate in Other Teaching Contexts. Regarding John’s willingness to
participate in other teaching settings, particularly volunteering, he confessed that he would have
liked to be able to participate when he was a master’s candidate. In his words the main benefits
of teaching in an informal on-campus setting is that student teachers get to put into practice what
they are learning at school. He said “it is totally worth it. It gives you a boost, it gives you an
advantage to put your knowledge into the real world”. At the same time, he recognized that he
would feel differently teaching in an informal setting compared to a formal setting that involves
being observed and evaluated by a mentor teacher. He said “[this teaching setting] is also a
casual setting, because it’s volunteering. You don’t get paid for that. You feel that if you screw
up a little bit, that’s okay because you are not getting paid”. John mentions how the more casual
nature of volunteering teaching provides a more comfortable space for teachers to make mistakes
with lower stakes, and to improve whatever area that needs improvement.
At the same time, John shared that when he worked as a volunteer teacher assistant at a
local community college, he felt more freedom to implement different teaching approaches and
techniques. He shared “that [volunteering] actually helped me trying out some new strategies on
students” and see what worked and what did not. He admitted that he would have never try out
different plans of action in a paid job. He said that if he was teaching in a paid position, he would
do some research first on new teaching approaches, try them on himself, them try them on his
volunteering job and then in his paid position. John’s perspective can be associated to what
Becker and Larsen (1995) state, when they mention that volunteering teaching might be the
perfect scenario to experiment and explore creative teaching.
In terms of having the opportunity to volunteering teaching ESL to facility workers of the
campus, John reflected on how his students would probably be older than the ones he had in a
community college setting. He said that this age difference could potentially influence the level
of commitment students have in learning English. He compared both types of students,
concluding that an older student population might need “survival English” while community
college students “are trying to pass their tests”. John added that, from his perspective, “adult
learners are more eager to learn. And they would practice [more]”. He finally said that he would
enjoy teaching this population of students because, in his words, “I would resonate better with
them. I would feel stronger”.
Faculty Member. This faculty member has worked in the area of Teaching English to Speakers
of Other Languages for a considerable amount of years and has experience guiding international
students that come to the US to get their master’s degrees. With the purpose of protecting her
identity, she has been assigned with the name Sabrina.
Sabrina shared her perception on the difficulties international students experience when
studying abroad. She explained how, according to her personal experience as an international
student herself and based on what she has observed over the years, international students often
feel unsure about what are the resources the university has for them. Additionally, she said that
international students sometimes struggle with getting involved in on-campus activities. Sabrina
said what might affect international student involvement is related to the fact that “when we have
constituents from the same country, it is much more comfortable for them to stay within their
language group, and cultural group, which is also understandable”. Consequently, international
students may not get to experience a “full university experience”.
In terms of educational experience and academic performance, Sabrina stated that
international students often have to be introduced to what is expected from them in terms of
critical thinking, classroom participation and academic outcomes. She stated that “international
students often struggle with the way in which our academic discourse, how to participate in
class, how to, you know (...) go to the professor and ask questions”.
Another area that might affect international students’ experience in the US, according to
Sabrina, is how to communicate themselves in English within an academic context. She shared
that in past occasions she talked to international students on how to participate in class. She adds
that often the main difficulty involved in class participation is related to the language and how
their knowledge of English can prevent them from fully expressing themselves the same way
they would in their native language.
View on Practicum for International Students. From Sabrina’s perspective, the self-perception
that international students have in relation to not being native speakers of English is one of the
main challenges they face in their practicum placements. Similarly to what López and Bui (2014)
state in terms of international student self confidence, Sabrina shared that “they [international
students] feel that their proficiency level is not as strong. They don’t seem to be confident in
terms of the sense of having control or having students’ trust in the classroom”. Especially those
who have not had experience teaching before entering the program. Sabrina explained the
importance of having an scaffolded practicum experience in which students are able to observe
first, then focus on one student through a case study, and then actually teaching 3 to 4 lessons.
Sabrina emphasized the fact that international students are now able to teach in paid
positions during their last semester as part as their practicum experience. However, she
confessed how some international students prefer not to work during their last semester “because
of the intensity of the program itself”.
Areas of improvement. Sabrina explained that one of the main challenges for international
TESOL graduate candidates is related to the intensity of the last semester of their program. She
confessed that a rearrangement of the curriculum coursework might facilitate the practicum
experience that teacher students have. As a potential area of improvement, she declared her
interest in promoting the last semester paid teaching positions among international students. This
work opportunity is fairly new and has not been announced more openly to international
students. In addition, Sabrina confesses that faculty members could do a better job explaining
and describing students what their responsibilities are in their practicum placements. Moreover,
she concludes saying that she always pays attention to international students’ experience and
their feedback on the program, with the purpose of improving whatever areas that need to be
improved.
Response to Students Teaching Initiative. Sabrina declared that she felt inspired by these two
graduate students who expressed their interest in teaching ESL to workers of the campus. She
shared her experience regarding community-based ESL classes in which students had the
opportunity to support each other. But more importantly, students had the opportunity to create a
teaching space where they were able to experience “social consciousness, critical
consciousness”, and ultimately reflecting on their roles as teachers. At the same time, these types
of experience provide international students with a more realistic involvement in which they get
to see a different side of the United States. She expressed how powerful it is to see international
students living this experiences that she “cannot recreate in her classroom”. Sabrina adds “I can
share stories, maybe. They [international students] might be impressed by it in some ways, but I
think being in a community based program allow them to have a first hand experience to really
get to know their students”.
As a consequence, when Sabrina heard about these students’ interest she had a clear idea
of the level of support that would be required in order to bring this program to fruition.
Implications and Stakeholders Behind Creating a Teaching Course On-Campus. In order to
make this program possible, Sabrina met with 4 representatives of the university, which included
a human resource, a facilities manager and food service representatives. After around 3 meetings
Sabrina noticed the many challenges that they would have to overcome in order to implement
this on-campus course. However, she said “that was your vision and I wanted to make sure the
students’ vision came about as best we could try”. One of the main issues was related to the
enrollment and attendance. Sabrina recognized that she felt that if this program did not work, she
would have felt a huge sense of responsibility. For the same reason, she was clear with the
stakeholders involved but letting them know that the only requirement was the students
attendance and consistency participating in this class. She said “so I reiterate that for them, that I
wanted to do a good work for the staff, but that we needed them to come”.
A different challenge in putting this program together was to figure out the most
convenient timing that would guarantee as many participants as possible. Timing represented a
challenge since workers of the campus work in different schedules and shifts, meaning that some
of them come only in one moment of the day. Fortunately, the stakeholders involved agreed on
meeting during the evenings and provide ESL classes for the night shift workers.
At the same time, this group, including Sabrina, discussed if the student workers would
use their personal time to attend the classes, or their lunch breaks. They agreed that students
would have to get thirty minutes earlier to campus, but one hour of the class would be paid as an
hour of work.
Despite all these challenges, Sabrina concluded restating that she felt that, as a faculty
member, it was her responsibility to provide the support the students needed to bring this project
to fruition. She said: “you presented some amazing idea, and intent, and good heart and I felt as
our responsibility that we create all the conditions to make it happen”.
Volunteering Teaching Initiative. Based on my own experience as a graduate international
student seeking for more practicum experiences, on the one hand, and to meet a linguistic need
that I encountered working on-campus, I will explain the main characteristics of this informal
on-campus teaching and learning setting.
What is it about? This program aims to teach English as a Second Language to a group of 7
student workers of the campus. The curriculum was created collaboratively with the students,
addressing different aspects of their daily lives and work environment that they considered were
their immediate needs. During our first sessions in the month on January, we administered
different forms of assessments (formal and informal) in order to have a better understanding on
what were the areas our students were struggling the most. Thanks to these assessments we were
able to create a flexible syllabus in which we covered topics related to their work environment,
to health, to community, culture, among others.
How is it Organized? The classes were taught by two teacher students on Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:30 in the evening. Due to the fact that all the students were Spanish
speakers, I used Spanish as a strategy to teach them grammar around the syllabus’ topics. My
partner, on the other hand, focused her sessions every Thursday to promote discussion, group
work and speaking and listening skills.
Main Challenges. During the development of this informal course, we have encountered plenty
of challenges of different natures. The main difficulty we faced related to the decrease in
attendance, which we experienced after almost one month of teaching the group. We started with
seven students and ended with only three. This decrease in the participation number could be
related to different factors. The first one is that these student workers will obviously prioritize the
needs of their working place, which means that whenever they are needed they have to be
dismissed from the class and start their shifts sooner than expected. Also, the majority of the
students have more than one job, which means that they face varied difficulties to get to our class
thirty minutes before their shifts officially start.
Another important challenge for us as teachers has been the fact that we have noticed
different levels of literacy in the students’ first language. Students would refuse to take notes or
complete assignments within the provided time. We noticed how some of them still struggle
relating sounds to a graphic representation, or letter, in their own first language, which makes it
even more difficult for them to write words in English. As a strategy we have combined different
approaches that help students write words and scaffold these new lexicon into the creation of
longer sentences.
Finally, another significant challenge that this informal course met was the lack of
technology in the classroom. We meet in the staff’s break room, which has tables and chairs and
a whiteboard. We have taught using only a whiteboard and markers, and handouts and
notebooks. For the same reason it has been more challenging for our students to follow with
every discussion, content and instruction.
Possible Areas of Improvement. From my experience teaching this class, and considering that
attendance has been one of the main issues, I would say that opening this class to more campus
workers could provide classes to more students and a higher attendance and participation.
At the same time, it would be beneficial for the entire class if the university provides
training to the teachers in how to address illiteracy through the teaching of a second language.
Sometimes our classes were too challenging for the students, especially when reading short texts
or writing sentences.
Additionally, I would suggest that having an actual classroom would be a significant
change in the teaching and learning experience of the teacher students and the worker students. I
think a different classroom could provide students with a different mindset to learn in a place that
they do not relate with breaks, food and relaxation.
Outcomes and Student-Worker Experiences. The student worker that was interviewed for this
section has been working at this campus for over 10 years. He came from Mexico when he was
in his early 20’s, around 30 years ago. With the purpose of protecting his identity, he has been
assigned with the name of Luis.
Their Perception on the Initiative. Luis demonstrated a deep appreciation for this initiative for
different reasons. The first one is that, since he has two jobs, sometimes three, he has not been
able to take classes in a language institute or community college. He shared that the fact that he
is really busy working has been a challenge for him and his learning process. He declared “I have
a hard time studying because I have two jobs I don’t have much time to take classes or to study
home”. Additionally, Luis shared that there was a similar initiative on campus a couple of years
ago, but the classes took place in the morning, leaving all the night shift staff without of this
opportunity to learn.
Additionally, Luis expressed that the fact that this course takes place twice a week and
with a teacher that speaks only English and another teacher that speaks Spanish and English, has
provided him, and his classmates, with a more diverse learning opportunity. He said that when
they have classes with the bilingual teacher, they are able to understand differents words and
different grammar rules in their own language. He also expressed that with the bilingual teacher
they are able to ask more questions, and clarify doubts that might prevent them from
understanding the topic of the class. Additionally, he expressed that when they have classes with
the English speaking teacher, they feel that they have to pay extra attention, and be more focused
on the class. He said: “with her [the English speaking teacher] we have to speak more English
and practice more”. He was able to recognize the value of both styles of teaching and considered
himself fortunate to have the opportunity to learn with two teachers.

What have they gained. Luis shared that he has been able to notice that his English is improving.
He said “I have learned new things, and feel more confident speaking English and figuring things
out by myself”. He shared that before this class, he used to try to understand things first, and then
ask for help. Now, he is trying to be more independent and autonomous relying on his own
knowledge of the language.
Suggestions for Future Teachers. Luis’ main suggestion was to continue with these classes. He
enjoys the way in which the two teachers have developed a different teaching style for each of
the days they meet. He also thinks that this initiative could be promoted and open to more
campus workers in the future.
Interpretation of Data and Discussion
Seven out of the eight participants responded to all the questions that were asked in order
to understand: their experience as international students and their view on the practicum
experience they have had. Additionally, a faculty member was interviewed in order to
understand what is her perspective on international student experience and to describe the
implications and stakeholders behind creating an informal teaching and learning context
on-campus. Finally, a student workers was interviewed in order to grasp his perspective about
being part of this ESL course on campus. The eighth participant was me, the researcher, and I
contributed with my experience as an international student teacher. After the participants
responded all the interview questions, I was able to notice patterns in relation to their experiences
abroad and in the way they understood their practicum placements.
International Student Experience

In terms of international student experience there were many common aspects among the
experience of the participants. In general terms, they all experienced a lack of confidence when
participating in class, and when leading classes in their practicum sites, which, according to
López and Bui (2014), is part of the experience of being abroad.
In terms of their practicum experiences, the participants have partaken in on-campus and
field practicum placements, with a direct and indirect nature (Richards and Crookes, 1988). From
this experience students have been able to learn from their mentor teachers and understand how
teaching looks like in a real ESL setting. First year students have experienced rich observations,
experiencing a more participative classroom, different from their hometown, China.
Moreover, an interesting finding was that students from second year, who have had
almost two years of indirect experience on-campus, had a more critical perspective on their
mentor teacher’s performance, and stated that they have learned what they do not want to be and
what they do not want to replicate as teachers. At the same time, second year students expressed
that they feel anxious and nervous when presenting in front of their mentor teacher which related
to what Canh (2014) states in terms of the high levels of stress that teacher candidates feel when
they are evaluated by their superiors. Furthermore, both second year international students shared
that they have not received appropriate feedback so far, and feel that their mentor teachers are
not really concerned with their practicum learning process.
Interestingly, all five international students shared how they perceive themselves as
non-native speakers and how this perception affects their confidence inside the classroom. This
relationship between teaching ESL in their practicum experiences and being multilingual
speakers of English, or non-native speakers, which relates to the study conducted by Gan (2013),
in which he states that “high level of English competence is a requisite for successful practicum
experience for non-nativepreservice ESL teachers because this may lead to enhanced confidence
in their teaching ability and an adequate sense of professional legitimacy” (p. 104). In addition,
the faculty member agreed that there is a clear relationship between the students self-perception
as teachers and their English language proficiency which affects them negatively.
In terms of willingness to participate in volunteering teaching all five international
students express interest in being part of this on-campus initiative. They all mentioned that the
informal nature of this teaching experience could allow them to explore their teaching styles and
different teaching methods which could be associated to Becker and Larson (1995), that state
that volunteering opportunities allow teachers to explore their own creativity. An interesting
finding is that international students would feel more comfortable teaching with a classmate than
with a mentor professor. They declared that they have really learned and grown as teachers from
the feedback their peers have provided to them throughout the program.
Notably, none of the participants mentioned the potential social benefits that student
workers could gain from this on-campus teaching and learning experience. It seems to me that
their first reaction to this teaching opportunity is more related to their own teaching experience,
and what they could potentially gain from it, and not necessarily what Theoharis and O’Toole
(2011) describe as a promotion of self-advocacy and social justice. Only the student that already
graduated said that he would relate to the experience of these student workers since their
motivation is associated to “survival skills”.
Informal On-Campus ESL Course: Implications and Challenges

The findings concerning the implications and the people involved behind bringing this
informal teaching and learning setting into fruition involved the teacher students, a faculty
member, a human resource representative, a facilities manager, and two food services
representatives. The main challenges were related to who the participants would be and when
and where they would be able to meet. They agreed that the night staff would partake in this
classes and would use part of their shift to attend the classes.
In terms of the main challenges, the first and most significant one was related to student
attendance, since this program started with seven students and finished with only three.
However, those three students demonstrated high levels of interest and consistency which were
enough to make this course possible.
Another challenge was the fact that the student teachers did not count with technology in
the classroom, which meant that their lesson plans had to be focused on them as the main source
of language.
A final difficulty was the level of literacy that the students had in their first language,
Spanish. The student teachers only noticed this after a couple of weeks into the program which
meant a that they had to adjust and create more basic lesson plans, with a more flexible pace and
timing.
Student Worker Outcome
In terms of worker student outcome, the participant expressed enormous gratitude for the
existence of the program, especially because, since he has two jobs, he does not have time to take
ESL classes outside their working schedule. And also, because past ESL courses for campus
workers took place in the morning which benefited the morning shift staff only.
His main suggestion was to please continue and include more of his co-workers in the
program.
Discussion
Comments: Candidate should pull together her understanding and meaning of the findings
and discuss how these findings confirm or contradict the research literature. She adds some
of this in her conclusion section, which should focus more on a summary of the findings
from the study as it responds to the research question.
This research aimed to answer three main questions through interviews and personal
observations. These questions were related to, in first place, the experience of international
graduate students abroad, in order to compare their experience in the US to that presented in the
literature reviewed for this research. Within that experience, this research aimed to elucidate
international students’ perception on their teaching practicum placements, and what is their
willingness to participate in informal teaching settings on-campus, such as volunteering. In
second place, this research looked to understand the implications of creating an informal
teaching setting, and what is the perception of faculty members when putting together such
learning and teaching opportunities. And finally, through a different set of interviews, this
research aimed to present the experience of one of the student workers who participated learning
English as a Second Language on-campus.
Through the data analysis, this research revealed that the experience of international
students in the US aligns with what is described in the literature review section. These students
struggle adjusting to the different learning and interaction styles of the country, and feel that
participation is an issue, which affects their self-esteem and confidence. At the same time, they
share a similar perspective in terms of their teaching practicum than the one presented in the
literature. The participants agreed on the fact that there is a considerable amount of learning and
self-reflection when observing their teacher mentors, and appreciative of this experience as a
preliminar classroom encounter. However, second year international students are more critical of
their mentor teachers, stating that they have learned who they do not want to be as teachers. They
also shared that they do not feel comfortable teaching in front of a teacher that does not know
them that well. Consequently, the participants of this research recognized that they would be
highly interested in volunteering teaching in this informal, more casual setting. They shared that
they would feel free to experiment different teaching approaches, and that they would experience
less pressure if things do not work out. Another interesting finding is that international students
from first and second year declared that they would like to co-teach with another member of their
cohort, international or domestic. And that this experience would lower their anxiety levels and
help them feel comfortable teaching.
Additionally, the experience that the professor shared revealed that there is interest in
providing students with more teaching opportunities, especially if on-campus for the school
workers. She expressed that this experience can provide student teachers with a real interaction
with their students, allowing them to reflect on their social role as educators.
Finally, interview conducted to one student worker, have shown great satisfaction from
learning English in a relaxed setting with two different teacher students. They feel fortunate that
the class took place in the evenings, and also, that they got the opportunity to have classes with
two different teachers with different teaching styles.
From these findings we could infer that there are ideal conditions to make this course last
over the years, making it a permanent solution to international students’ lack of teaching
opportunities, and to the English linguistic need that campus workers have.
Conclusion
This study has shown a clear relationship between what the literature describes is
the experience that international students have abroad, in terms of the professional and
personal growth they experience, but also in terms of the challenges they meet.
Additionally, from the participants’ perspectives, the importance of the practicum
experience is crucial for teacher candidates, who wish to have more opportunities to
teach in the US.
Additionally, this study has shown that international students create stronger
relationships with their cohort than with their mentor teachers, which could be a great
input when placing them in different teaching contexts.
Limitations of the Study
The first limitation of this study was the lack of time to conduct a deeper and
more thorough collection of data. It is known that using interviews to elucidate a

participant’s perspective on an issue can be very time consuming, especially during the
transcription process. For the same reason only 6 international TESOL students, one
faculty member and one student worker participated in the collection of data, which
might not have been a representative population to understand the overall experience
international students have when abroad, and the perspective of faculty members and the
outcomes and experiences of the worker teachers.
A second limitation was the fact that the informal on-campus ESL course ended
with only 3 students, which, although they were constant in attendance and appreciative
of the opportunity, might not align with the benefits of teaching English for free.
However, according to the literature, this limitation is common in volunteering settings
where attendance is not mandatory.
Additionally, due to the short period of time in which this study took place, there
was not enough time to explore the aspects in which this study had benefited
international students in the development of their teaching identity and style, other than
the researcher’s. Also, there was not enough time to conduct a triangulated data
collection that reflected the linguistic benefits worker students had experienced in this
course. Because of that, I had to redirect my study and, instead of exploring the benefits
of creating this on-campus opportunity, for both international students and student
workers, I focused it on the experience and perception international students abroad and
in their practicum, and also, on the experience and perception that the student workers
had on the program.
Finally, a different limitation was the fact that all the international students that
participated in this research share a similar background since they all came from China
to study in the US. However, they represent the majority of students that come to the
TESOL program specifically.
Improvements
This study can be improved in different ways. First, the data collection method
could be more thorough having more international students participating and sharing their
experiences. This data collection could include other universities with similar TESOL
programs, in order to comprehend if the experience of international teacher students in the
US in a more reliable way.
Further, more time could be spent triangulating the data collection that explains the
experience and actual learning of the student workers. This could include English
assessments that include all four English skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing.
This way, this study could demonstrate that the linguistic and social benefits for the
students are plenty.
Also, the collection of data could have included participants that represented
different countries of origin, in order to provide a more meaningful sample of
international students. However, the majority of international students that enter the
TESOL program come from the same country, China.
Suggestion for Future Research
A suggestion for a future research is to observe the experience of other
international students teaching this course on-campus, in order to describe what has been
the development of this program, and in what ways it has consolidated as a permanent
on-campus ESL course. Additionally, as mentioned before, it would be interesting to
conduct a future study that measures that actual English proficiency increasement that
student workers have experienced.
My Experience as a Researcher
Conducting this case study allow me to prove myself that it is possible to create
opportunities for those who, like me, struggle with their different limitations in the US. On the
one hand, this research gave me the opportunity to advocate for my international classmates,
being part of an ambitious program that could potentially benefit future TESOL generations of
students. At the same time, it gave me the opportunity to provide linguistic resources to hispanic
workers, who, like me, have to speak English in order to communicate outside their close
community. Being part of this project had given me one of the biggest satisfactions I have
experienced in my master’s program, because I am certain that it will be appreciated, taken care
of, and continued by other ESL teacher candidates in the future.
At the same time, this research provided me with a deeper understanding of what
studying a case means. I was able to deeply reflect on my own experience and relate it to my
international classmates’. At the same time, through this research I was able to identify and
appreciate others’ experiences in which, the smallest details were actually my biggest findings.
Finally, this opportunity allowed me to learn and read more about what other researchers
have found, which provided me with a deeper understanding of my own experience as an
international student. I enjoyed elaborating my review of the literature that has been done around
this topic and would love to continue contributing to better the experience of those who come to
the US searching for a unique and life changing studying abroad experience.
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Running Head: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: THEIR PERCEPTION ON TEACHING

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES AND ELABORATION OF TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

International Students: Their Perception On Their Practicum Experience And Elaboration Of

Informal Teaching Opportunities

University of San Diego

the implications and perceptions of international students in relation to their practicum

teaching practice in an on-campus context.

Keywords​: International student, teacher education, practicum, social justice,

International Student Teaching Practice: Generating Informal Teaching Settings

teach within the limits of what my immigration status allowed me.

develop teaching styles and overall classroom management.

As a possible solution, an international graduate student, in collaboration with a domestic

communicating with English within the campus community.

This research aimed to explore the experience of international students, particularly

Languages) students and for the overall campus community.

International students travel abroad to gain a deeper understanding and broader

be life-changing in terms of the cultural exposure, academic challenge, linguistic development,

their own campus universe.

Generating Teaching Opportunities

Two graduate M.Ed. candidates in TESOL, a domestic student and an international

see their linguistic needs as a limitation in their workplace.

are officially mandated.

other and the teacher.

Assessment of Needs/Identification of Gap

learn English to gain autonomy, self-esteem, and to advocate for themselves.

One day, after attending Ashoka Changemaking1 conference, I thought of the

put this project together.

terms of preparing them to become teachers?

that this research aims to respond are:

location and of actual teaching and classroom management. As a possible solution, an

experiences that my participants shared in our interviews.

Studying abroad is an exciting and attractive opportunity to enhance learning and to

student enrollments continue to increase at U.S. institutions of higher education, reaching a

pursue higher education in the US.

knowledge (Chen, 1996).

Furthermore, international students may experience personal emotional challenges.

not confident of their English proficiency, their self-esteem is directly impacted.

experience abroad as “life-changing and transformative” (2012, p.170) including improvement in

(2015) defines the teaching practicum experience as “a multidimensional activity involving

student teachers, cooperating teachers, university supervisors, administrators, and students”

of actual teaching experiences (Phairee, Sanitchon, Suphanangthong, Graham, Prompruang, De

Groot, & Hopkins, 2008).

that encompasses the student teacher artifacts (Gan, 2013, p.2).

students considered as non-native speakers of English have a negative self-perception in terms of

professional legitimacy” (p. 104).

Practicum Limitations for International Students

Additionally, international students experience considerable limitations when thinking

Generating Informal Teaching Opportunities

located at community-based organizations, churches, libraries, senior citizen centers, local

& Westat 1992, p.2).

Furthermore, these types of programs have made a considerable contribution to society

and to immigrants’ development of reading, listening, speaking, writing and comprehension

formal instruction. Volunteers experience the opportunity to improve their community by

involvement in their community (Becker and Larson, 1995).

Additionally, volunteer teaching of English as a Second Language is strongly based on

multicultural teaching experience.

approach the teacher, how to participate, among others.

following: international graduate student experience, teaching practicum, informal teaching

experience is defined as “a multidimensional activity involving student teachers, cooperating

categories of teaching practice, which are on-campus and field based.

teaching experience. Volunteering in teaching English as a Second Language to immigrants,

have meant a considerable contribution to the literacy development of this population.

this phenomenon is the experience of international students in relation to their teaching

Keywords: International student, teacher education, practicum, social justice,

International Students. This study explored the experience of 6 M.Ed international

Willingness to Participate in Other Teaching Contexts. Both international students have

Willingness to Participate in Other Teaching Contexts. In relation to their willingness to

Self-Perception. In relation to John’s self-perception as an international student, his

View of Practicum Experience. John could be defined as a very driven international

Willingness to Participate in Other Teaching Contexts. Regarding John’s willingness to

Implications and Stakeholders Behind Creating a Teaching Course On-Campus. In order to

Volunteering Teaching Initiative. Based on my own experience as a graduate international