International Field Experience as an Impetus for Personal and Professional Transformation: Through the Lens of Early Childhood Postsecondary Students

Research exploring preservice postsecondary students' experiences participating in an international field placement is a relatively new area of study in the domains of Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Childhood Leadership (ECL). While there is a growing body of literature offering merit to the profound transformations that can occur for students who engage in an international field experience, most notably in nursing and school-age teaching vocations, a significant research gap exists in this area of study within the early childhood field. This qualitative research study explores the international field experience of Canadian Early Childhood Education Diploma and Early Childhood Leadership Degree students who engaged in a 4-week placement to Liberia, Costa Rica in the winter of 2013. Applied thematic analysis was utilized to examine ECE and ECL self-reflective journals, interviews, and e-mail correspondences. Researcher field notes were additionally included in the data analysis. Personal and professional transformations proved to be a prevailing outcome of the Costa Rica international field placement. The merit of a solidified international placement pedagogical approach was an additional finding of this research study.