“Voices on the ground”: Solomon Islands teachers’ perceptions of hosting an Australian pre-service teacher education program

Abstract

There is scant representation of the outcomes of international teaching experiences from the perspective of host teachers despite a growing number of these sorts of programs. Addressing this gap, we conducted focus group interviews with 21 Solomon Islands teachers/school leaders regarding their experiences hosting Australian pre-service teachers in their schools. Findings revealed a range of program benefits, challenges, and some suggestions for improvement, and overall showed the value of these types of programs for host country teachers. However, given the popularity of international study programs as an internationalisation strategy in higher education in Global North countries, and the likelihood of these programs to involve previously colonised, developing countries, the study's findings are important from an ethical standpoint, to explore potential colonising influences and power relations that may arise. As such, this study has implications for how international immersion programs should be planned and enacted to ameliorate potential.