Teaching Internship Experiences and Challenges in a Cross-Cultural Context: A Reflection on the SEA-Teacher Program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66272/27zn1r28Keywords:
Teaching Internship, Cross-cultural, SEA TeacherAbstract
This article reflects the teaching internship experiences and challenges of a pre-service teacher participating in the SEA-Teacher program in the Philippines. This international teaching internship provide not only valuable opportunities to develop cultural sensitivity and global awareness, but also present challenges regarding classroom communication, unfamiliar learning environments, and pedagogical adaptation. Using a reflective descriptive approach, this study analyzes personal teaching experiences, classroom interactions, and cultural adjustments. Data were systematically collected through reflective writing, lesson plans, and program reports, and subsequently evaluated using reflective descriptive analysis. The findings reveal that navigating a cross-cultural educational context requires continuous adaptation and adjustment to the instructional routines and communication strategies in order to accommodate diverse learning expectations and manage large classes. To overcome these challenges, motivational and interactive activities with student-centered learning approaches were implemented. Finally, the study concludes that learning experience in international settings significantly develop pedagogical competence, professional resilience, and teacher identity. International teaching internship programs are therefore highly recommended as integral components of EFL teacher education.
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.
Burns, A. (2020). Doing action research in English language teaching: A guide for practitioners (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Byram, M. (2021). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence: Revisited. Multilingual Matters.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Deardorff, D. K. (2020). Manual for developing intercultural competencies: Story circles. UNESCO Publishing.
Dörnyei, Z. (2020). Motivating learners, motivating teachers: Building vision in the language classroom. Cambridge University Press.
Farrell, T. S. C. (2021). Reflective practice in language teaching: From research to practice. Bloomsbury Academic.
Farrell, T. S. C., & Kennedy, B. (2022). Reflective practice framework for TESOL teachers: One teacher’s reflective journey. TESOL Journal, 13(1), e00626.
Richards, J. C. (2021). Curriculum development in language teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2019). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Riyanti, D. (2025). Pre-service English teachers’ professional challenges and reflective practices in teaching practicum. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 45–58.
Rozimela, Y., Anwar, D., & Fitriani, S. S. (2025). Professional learning of EFL pre-service teachers in international teaching practicum programs. TEFLIN Journal, 36(1), 87–104.
Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., & Roy, C. S. (2020). Communication between cultures (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Shafa, A., Widodo, H. P., & Allamnakhrah, A. (2025). International teaching practicum and EFL pre-service teachers’ professional identity development. Asian EFL Journal, 29(2), 112–130.
Ulfa, M., Anugerahwati, M., & Prayogo, J. A. (2024). Reflective practices of EFL pre-service teachers during teaching practicum. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 15(2), 356–364.
Widodo, H. P. (2022). Teacher professional development in TESOL: Global perspectives and local practices. ELT Journal, 76(3), 345–354.
Widodo, H. P., & Allamnakhrah, A. (2020). The role of international teaching practicum in shaping pre-service teachers’ professional identity. Journal of Asia TEFL, 17(4), 1209–1225.
Zeichner, K. (2020). Preparing teachers as democratic professionals. Action in Teacher Education, 42(1), 38–48
