English Language Teachers in Diaspora: A Heideggerian Phenomenology

Gino G. Sumalinog

Abstract


Working abroad has been a job that many Filipino teachers embarked on due to the benefits it offers. This paper explores the lived experiences of the ten (10) Filipino ESL and EFL teachers working in Mozambique, Cambodia, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand. These teachers have been in service for three (3) years and more. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design. It used Heideggerian’s Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with illustrated steps. The researcher uses a semi-structured interview to identify the lived experiences these participants have come across. The virtual data are gathered by means of Skype and Facebook Messenger. After an intensive analysis of the data, five themes emerged: (a) the driving force of the participants; (b) boons of the sojourn; (c) life learning encounters with students, and (d) scaffolds for the success of the sojourn. The findings reveal that the sojourn of the teachers in a foreign land had produced positive results and meaningful life experiences that had developed them economically, personally, and professionally. For future directions, researchers may delve deeply into the informants’ cultural encounters with their students and colleagues. 

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.11.16


Keywords


Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis; lived experiences; ESL/EFL teachers; Filipino teachers abroad

Full Text:

PDF

References


Alase, A. (2017). The interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): A guide to a good qualitative research approach. International Journal of Education & Literacy Studies, 5(2), 12-13. doi:10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.5n.2p.9

Alghamdi, H., & Otte, S. (2016). The challenges and benefits of study abroad. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 6(5), 17. Retrieved from http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_6_No_5_May_2016/2.pdf

Altun, M. (2015). The role of working abroad as a teacher in professional development. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development., 4(4), 102-103. doi:10.6007/IJARPED/v4-i4/1937

Bassett, R. (2018). Intercultural adjustment for teachers abroad (Master’s thesis, St. Cloud State University, New Mexico, USA). Retrieved from https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1198&context=engl_etds

Bolgoa, N. (2019). Filipino English teachers in Japan: Non-native status and the teaching and learning of English. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 10(2), 262. doi:10.17507/jltr.1002.06

Bryan, F. (2020). Is teaching English abroad the right move for me? Retrieved from https://www.budgetyourtrip.com/blog/2020/01/is-teaching-english-abroad-the-right-move-for-me/

Celik, B. (2017). The effects of working abroad on the development of teaching skills. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(3), 214-215. doi:10.23918/ijsses.v4i3p212

Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). (2020). Discover the benefits of teaching abroad with CIEE. Retrieved from https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/work/teach-english-abroad

Ellwood, S. (2015). School board strengthening new international partnerships; EDUCATION: Sending teachers abroad to gain cultural experience. Observer’s News. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2WZMG2k.

Eusafzai, H. (2015). Foreign English language teachers’ local pedagogy. English Language Teaching, 8(5), 90. doi:10.5539/elt.v8n5p82

Expat Quotes. (2020). Expat Teachers: Stories from Teaching Abroad: Guides for your expatriation - Expat-Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.expat-quotes.com/guides/global/education/expat-teachers-stories-from-teaching-abroad.htm

Explore Asia. (2020). Teach Abroad Programs. Retrieved from https://www.xploreasia.org/teaching-abroad-adventure-of-a-lifetime

Gul, H., & Gokce, A. (2020). Challenges and Advantages of working abroad: Turkish and Turkish culture teachers’ perspective. International Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences, 9(1), 36. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1250661.pdf

Johnson, G. (2013). Teaching English abroad. University Wire News. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3631Bgc

Kisch, M. (2013). Helping faculty teach international students. Georgia Tech. Retrieved from https://counselingcenter.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv uploads/sites/180/2020/05/TeachingInternationalStudents.pdf

Kong, P. (2020). Understanding the teachers’ perspectives on the role of teacher autonomy in English classrooms in Chinese secondary schools. Journal of Educational Studies,3(2), 46-47. doi:10.1080/03055698.2020.1763784

Laverty, S. (2003). Hermeneutic phenomenology and phenomenology: A comparison of historical and methodological considerations. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(3), 25-26. doi:10.1177/160940690300200303

Markoulias, K (2020) The experience of teaching abroad: pedagogical and other benefits (Master's thesis, Concordia University, Edmonton, Canada). Retrieved from https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/979213/

Medved, D., Franco, A., Gao, X., & Yang, F. (2013). Challenges in teaching international students: group separation, language barriers, and culture differences.Genombrottet, Lunds tekniska högskola.

Online English Teaching Jobs. (2020). The ultimate guide to teaching English abroad jobs. Retrieved from https://oetjobs.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-teaching-english-abroad-jobs/

Pachina, E. (2020, July 8). My journey as an English teacher abroad [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.teflcourse.net/blog/my-journey-as-an-english-teacher-abroad-ittt-tefl-blog/

Serbes, M. (2017). Teaching abroad: Why teachers prefer teaching overseas. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(3), 184. doi:10.23918/ijsses.v4i3p182

Serin, H. (2017). The effects of teaching abroad on personal and professional development. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(1), 113-114. doi:10.23918/ijsses.v4i1p110

Toraman, C., Ozdemir, H. S., & Orakci, S. (2020). Experiences of Turkish Teachers Working Abroad. Sage Journals, 5(2), 34-35. doi:10.1177/2158244020914655

Tosuncuoglu, I. (2017). Non-native and native English teachers. Journal of History Culture and Research, 6(6), 4. doi:10.7596/taksad.v6i6.573

Ulla, M. (2018). English language teaching in Thailand: Filipino teachers’ experiences and perspectives. Issues in Educational Research, 28(4), 1090. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328783554_English_language_teaching_in_Thailand_Filipino_teachers'_experiences_and_perspectives

Ulla, M. (2019). Filipinos as EFL teachers in Bangkok, Thailand: Implications for Language Education Policy in the ASEAN Region. RELC Journal, 1(2), 12. doi:10.1177/0033688219879775

Walters, D. (2020). Teaching EFL: Why you should teach abroad. Retrieved from https://www.saxoncourt.com/teaching-efl-why-you-should-teach-abroad/

Zayed, N. (2018) Teaching in Abroad: A Cross-Cultural Experience. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 7(4), 371. doi:10.4172/2167-0269.1000371


Refbacks



e-ISSN: 1694-2116

p-ISSN: 1694-2493