Navigating between cultures: foreign teachers within Thai and Japanese schools

Abstract

This study investigated the experiences of foreign teachers working within Thai and Japanese schools. Using qualitative methods, sixteen teachers were interviewed about their adjustment and communication within the foreign educational setting. Results showed that expectations, intercultural sensitivity, intercultural communication differences had an influence on how well the teachers were able to integrate into the culture of their host country. It particularly points to the preconception of cultural proximity as a factor that strengthens an ethnocentric view held by some teachers whose country of origin is in Asia.