Examination of Pre-Service and In-Service School-Based Agricultural Educators International Professional Development Experience in Malaysia

To ensure we have a globally competent workforce prepared to meet the needs of a diverse and growing society, globally competent educators are needed. To help address this need, six pre-service teacher candidates and six in-service school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers from the United States embarked on a four-week international professional development experience in Malaysia learning and interacting with Malaysian life skills pre-service educators. Participants explored agricultural education, production agriculture, policy, religion, and culture in Malaysia. United States pre-service and in-service teachers utilized the TIPS (Thing, Idea, People, and Self) reflective journaling method to gain insight into the theme of each day. Journal entries were coded, and themes analyzed. Participants identified growth in pedagogy, curriculum content, cultural awareness, self-awareness, and more because of the international professional development experience. While some discrepancies between pre-service and in-service SBAE teachers’ reflections were discovered, findings revealed both groups focused on similar codes and themes as a result of their reflections using the TIPS reflection model. There is need for further research on the development of global competency, particularly with regards to pre-service and in-service SBAE teachers.