Developing Intercultural Awareness For Pre-Service Teachers In Thailand

This paper examined intercultural awareness as a learning outcome of the pedagogicaldesign targeting intercultural competence (IC) development among pre-service teachers in ateacher education program in Thailand. The instructional design activities aimed to develop thepre-service teacher’s intercultural awareness toward the cultural aspects that learners may notbe aware of. The study followed the action research cycle to develop the instructional activitiesover the period of two semesters. Data regarding the students’ intercultural awareness findings were elicited from 50 students taking the course. The result showed that the pre-service teachers reshaped their beliefs and values throughout their intercultural experiences in the IC-enhanced course by displaying awareness of the renewed understanding of culture, accepting multiple perspectives, and developing sensitivity and respect towards cultural differences. The suggested pedagogical activities are hoped to be shared to other professionals, especially those in teacher education programs