An Examination of Longevity of Impact of an International Practicum Experience on Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices Four Years Later

In March 2009, seventeen preservice teachers and their Faculty of Education supervisors spent three weeks living in rural Kenya and teaching in the schools built and supported by a well-known NGO. The impact of this experience on the preservice teachers was studied nine months after the trip. Now, over four years later, we have conducted a further phenomenological investigation with two of the original participants to examine their perception of the longevity of impact of this experience on their lives, their careers, and the personal and professional choices they make as a result of their Kenyan experience. Purposive sampling was used to illuminate the richness of individual experience and the philosophical synthesis each participant has undertaken to make strong commitments in their current choices and practices. It is evident that long-term impacts can be realized in relation to teachers’ curriculum views, world views, and sense of personal empowerment from the experience of international practicum experiences in developing countries. Proposals for action by Faculties of Education are recommended.