Pre-Service Teachers’ Learning about Language Learning and Teaching: A Nexus Analysis of Study Abroad Blogging

Abstract

ABSTRACT Learning about another educational context is often a stated institutional goal of pre-service study abroad. However, living abroad is no guarantee that pre-service teachers will reflect upon their language learning and teaching experiences through the lens of future teaching. Drawing from a large study of reflective practices during study abroad, from preparation to debriefing, we use nexus analysis to focus on how five pre-service teachers living and volunteer-teaching abroad over nine weeks reflected upon their learning and teaching experiences through blogs. We ask: “What study abroad participant learning about language teaching and learning emerges through blogging?” Despite disparate teaching specializations, the participants often found themselves learning firsthand about the opportunities and challenges of language learning. They used blogs to reflect upon knowledge, skills, and attributes needed for language teaching. These results reveal that learning during study abroad can advance the teaching competencies necessary to working with diverse learners in future classrooms.