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The Use of Online Technology to Facilitate Pre-Service Teachers' Engagement and Cultural Competency Development during an International Field Placement: Reflections from Austria

Student teaching abroad is becoming increasingly popular in many colleges and universities in the United States. This experience can be highly rewarding in terms of developing pre-service teachers' culture competency, yet can pose challenges for faculty monitoring such placements. Stewart and Kagan 2005 suggest a framework for teacher preparation programs that have recognized the value of international experiences gained when students participate in host countries' classrooms. This qualitative research collective case study examined the use of a wiki discussion forum as a technology supported communication tool rooted in engagement theory for pre-service teachers to better communicate reflections, questions, or concerns they may have in working with their students during international pre-service teacher experiences. This paper reports the results of an analysis of data collected from an instructor-prompted wiki discussion board used by three student cohorts that participated in international field placements. Results indicated that online technology facilitated student engagement in the experience and that the international placement fostered the development of their cultural competency.