Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

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

Collins, Jo, Brown, Nicole, Leigh, Jennifer S (2021) Making sense of cultural bumps: supporting international graduate teaching assistants with their teaching. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, . ISSN 1470-3297. E-ISSN 1470-3300. (doi:10.1080/14703297.2021.1919175) (KAR id:87351)

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.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/14703297.2021.1919175
Uncontrolled keywords: Graduate Teaching Assistants; higher education teacher training; cultural bumps; practice-based enquiry; International
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Divisions: Central Services > Graduate and Researcher College
Depositing User: Jo Collins
Date Deposited: 27 Mar 2021 08:51 UTC
Last Modified: 04 Jul 2023 14:03 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/87351 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.