Toward Globally Competent Teaching: A One-Year Retrospect on Agriscience Teachers’ Changes in Perspective after an International Experience

This study aimed to understand how agriscience teachers’ lived experiences during an international experience influenced their perspective changes on globally competent teaching one year later. Using a phenomenological approach, four themes emerged – (1) personal growth, (2) intellectual growth, (3) professional growth, and (4) advocacy growth. By drawing on transformational learning theory, the themes demonstrated the phenomenon's essence – one year after an international experience in Costa Rica, the Louisiana agriscience teachers matured in their perspectives regarding globally competent teaching, which inspired a transformation in their personal and professional lives. Despite this, we concluded the teachers’ global competence, knowledge, and skills remained emergent and not fully formed. As such, we recommend future research examine strategies that could be used to continue to support agriscience teachers’ global competence and pedagogical development after returning from an international experience. Nevertheless, the growth experienced by the teachers should be further considered. Moving forward, we also recommend future research obtain evidence regarding the extent to which the teachers have integrated global concepts into their curriculum to develop an understanding of the breadth and depth of their perspective changes.