Inservice Teachers' Experiences in Intercultural Competence Professional Development

The study explored eight inservice K-12 teacher participants’ experiences in intercultural competence activities and the cultural knowledge and self-knowledge they attained from participating in intercultural competence professional development. Data collection occurred through artifacts, reflection journals, and interview methods. The two themes that emerged for attaining cultural knowledge perceived by the teacher participants were (1) identifying commonalities and (2) understanding how the environment shaped them. The two themes that emerged for attaining self-knowledge perceived by the teacher participants were (1) identifying one’s values and principles and (2) recognizing cultural influences on biases. Finally, recommendations for integrating intercultural competence into teacher training and professional development were provided.