Making sense of cultural bumps: Supporting international graduate teaching assistants with their teaching

Journal article


Collins, J., Brown, N. and Leigh, J. (2021). Making sense of cultural bumps: Supporting international graduate teaching assistants with their teaching. Innovations in Education and Teaching International. 59 (5), pp. 511-521. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.1919175
AuthorsCollins, J., Brown, N. and Leigh, J.
Abstract

This article reports on a study with over 100 Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), 69 of whom were international GTAs. We explore their experiences of ‘cultural bumps’ in their transition into one UK University. Following the principles of practice-based enquiry, data collection combined interviews with data generated in workshops, including transcripts, fieldnotes, student feedback and LEGO® models. We focus on three themes of starting teaching, essay marking and classroom boundaries to explore ‘cultural bumps’ where GTAs experience adjustment stresses transitioning into UK higher education teaching. We connect ‘cultural bumps’ to challenges reconciling teaching and researcher roles for GTAs. We conclude with an agenda for research work to further develop our understanding of international GTAs’ experiences.

Year2021
JournalInnovations in Education and Teaching International
Journal citation59 (5), pp. 511-521
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1470-3300
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.1919175
Web address (URL)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14703297.2021.1919175
Publication dates
Online29 Apr 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited16 Nov 2023
Publisher's version
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Open
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