ERIC Number: EJ1016913
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1755-2273
EISSN: N/A
Chinese Students' Great Expectations: Prospective Pre-School Teachers on the Move
Thogersen, Stig
Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences, v5 n3 p75-93 Win 2012
The article focuses on Chinese students' hopes and expectations before leaving to study abroad. The national political environment for their decision to go abroad is shaped by an official narrative of China's transition to a more creative and innovative economy. Students draw on this narrative to interpret their own educational histories and prior experiences, while at the same time making use of imaginaries of "Western" education to redefine themselves as independent individuals in an increasingly globalised and individualised world. Through a case study of prospective pre-school teachers preparing to study abroad, the article shows how personal, professional and even national goals are closely interwoven. Students expect education abroad to be a personally transformative experience, but rather than defining their goals of individual freedom and creativity in opposition to the authoritarian political system, they think of themselves as having a role in the transformation of Chinese attitudes to education and parent-child relations.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Preservice Teachers, Study Abroad, Democratic Values, Case Studies, Teacher Exchange Programs, International Educational Exchange, Global Approach, Preschool Teachers, Educational Experience, Cultural Influences, Individual Development, Educational Benefits
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Preschool Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China; Denmark
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A