Pre-service teacher identities and the social construction of childhood

In the contemporary global context of social, cultural, technological, political and economic integration, schools have become increasingly complex and diverse settings. Many Western countries, including Australia, have continued to see an increase of new immigrants, particularly from non-European-heritage countries (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2013). Within these culturally diverse societies, schools, and in particular teachers, are tasked with the challenge of not only fostering an environment of respect for diversity, but also nurturing a sense of global citizenship through their teaching. However, given these responsibilities, it is essential to consider how we as educators develop or question our own perspectives and how this informs our approach to teaching children in culturally diverse educational settings. Fundamental to this process is a critical awareness of our own constructions of childhood and culture. This chapter examines the experiences of a small group of undergraduate students from a Canadian university during an overseas cross-cultural service-learning placement in Thailand in relation to the ways in which the experience became a catalyst towards a more emergent understanding of childhood and culture. As an ethnographic researcher, I was a participant-observer with the students during their placement and conducted interviews with them to facilitate reflection on their experiences.