Strengthening Global Competencies of Pre-service English Teachers through Experiential Learning Abroad

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-543-0_11How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Experiential Learning; Global Competencies; Intercultural Competence; International Mobility; Pre-Service English Teachers; Teacher Education

Abstract

This study investigates how experiential learning abroad fosters global competencies among pre-service English teachers. The participants were seventy-nine third-year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education in English program at Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, Thailand. Between 2024 and 2025, these students took part in four international mobility programs, including an academic field trip to Singapore and MYPLACE immersion placements at Universiti Putra Malaysia. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Data were collected through pre- and post-intervention surveys, focus-group interviews, daily and final reflective vlogs, and video-based observations. Quantitative analyses indicated significant improvements in motivation, intercultural adaptability, and comprehension of diverse English accents. Qualitative findings yielded four major themes: enhanced self-confidence, increased intercultural adaptability, strengthened pedagogical transferability, and deeper emotional engagement. The results demonstrate the multidimensional impact of international mobility experiences. Well-structured and multi-country programs not only enhance language proficiency but also shape professional identity. The study concludes that integrating short-term field visits and extended placements into teacher training programs can cultivate the linguistic competence, cultural awareness, and reflective mindsets essential for modern classrooms. Practical recommendations are provided for embedding such experiences into curricula, supporting participants, and conducting longitudinal studies to sustain these developmental gains.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Patcharapon Inphoo
AU  - Weawalee Waewchimplee
AU  - Nur Hidayat
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - Strengthening Global Competencies of Pre-service English Teachers through Experiential Learning Abroad
BT  - Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Education and Social Science Research (ICESRE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 100
EP  - 117
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-543-0_11
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-543-0_11
ID  - Inphoo2026
ER  -