Cultural disequilibrium: struggles and strategies in intercultural settings in the case of exchange teachers invited to Korea

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this globalising society, teachers are often exposed to opportunities to move across their national borders to seek for learning opportunities. In the process of planning and evaluating such opportunities, it is tempting for teacher educators in intercultural settings to assume that teachers simply obtain intercultural competence by merely participating in international placements. However, it is important to understand thoroughly how teachers react to the cultural disequilibrium as they are immersed in new school settings. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore how the in-service teachers who are invited to Korea as a form of official development assistance, experience struggles and adopt strategies in intercultural settings of their host school environments. The study highlights the significance of immersive experiences in an intercultural setting as a potential trigger to promote transformative learning of teachers, who are considered as key stakeholders for quality education in the era of sustainable development.