TRANSNATIONAL TEACHER MOBILITY: PATTERNS, QUALITIES, INSTITUTIONAL ACTORS AND ...

168 Pages·2012·1.19 MB·English

The Pennsylvania State University

The Graduate School

College of Education

TRANSNATIONAL TEACHER MOBILITY: PATTERNS, QUALITIES, INSTITUTIONAL
ACTORS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

A Dissertation in

Educational Theory and Policy/Comparative and International Education

by

Yu-Wei Wu

© 2012 Yu-Wei Wu

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements
for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

August 2012
The dissertation of Yu-Wei Wu was reviewed and approved* by the following:

Gerald LeTendre
Professor of Education and International Affairs
Department Head, Education Policy Studies
Dissertation Adviser
Chair of Committee

David P. Baker
Professor of Education; Professor of Sociology

David Post
Professor of Education
Research Associate, Center for the Study of Higher Education

Jamie M. Myers
Professor of Education

*Signatures are on file in the Graduate School.

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Abstract
Over the past two decades, teaching has been subject to several global trends
including the long-term erosion of teacher pay, the global standardization of core
curriculum, and declines in entering teacher test scores in a wide range of nations.
Increasingly we see that teacher shortages have led to increasing mobility of teachers
across national borders in both South-to-North and South-to-South directions. At the
same time, international exchange programs designed to support the professional status of
teachers in the developed nations appear to have stagnated. While “teacher quality,” is
currently a topic of much concern, rarely do cross-national studies consider teachers as a
workforce. I argue that prevailing theoretical paradigms used to analyze global trends in
mass school (e.g. neo-institutionalism, world culture, core-periphery theories, etc.) ignore
the growing body of research on the teaching workforce compiled by economists and
scholars of the labor market. In this dissertation, I explore how labor-market theorists,
conceptualize the issue of teachers as members of a workforce. I discuss how the works
of transnational actors (UNESCO, OECD, Teach for All) have created situations where
the teachers’ job has been homogenized and de-contextualized from local surroundings.
These theories suggest that nations and trans-national organizations engage in long-term
efforts to raise the professional status of teaching, that teaching will continue on a
trajectory to a lower-skill occupation that will be increasing see greater trans-national
mobility, lower job stability and long-term erosion of the social status of teachers.
Moreover, I track the trajectory of transnational teacher mobility overtime and find
that this phenomenon did not begin recently. It has existed since the late nineteenth
century, when some European Missionary teachers moved around in Africa. They were
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there not only for religious purposes, but were also acting as “agents” of colonial power.
After World War II, a growing number of teachers started to teach abroad through the
teacher exchange program established by mainly nation state or government-related
institutions to broaden the understanding of other cultures, customs, and languages. These
programs became prevalent among developed countries during the Cold War period. In
the present era of increased globalization, it has become apparent that an increasing
number of teachers flow across national boundaries because of organized international
recruitment.
By analyzing significant cases and using historical, cross-national, and other forms
of data, I conclude that there are three models of global teacher mobility, which can be
categorized by the historical period, program goals, as well as teachers’ roles. These are
the “Colonial model,” the “Nation-exchange model,” and the “Market-driven model.” In
addition, the roles and functions that significant institutional actors play also shift over
time. In the Colonial model, colonial governments were the only actors to plan and ship
teachers to the colonial territories since education was a major channel to “civilized
“ colonists and keep them in a state of obedience.
In the nation-exchange model, nation states played a critical role and were heavily
involved in the operation of transnational teacher mobility. Teacher-exchange programs
under this model were primarily established and implemented by nation states, local
authorities, or government-sponsored organizations. Governments or government-related
institutions have become the most important agencies that facilitate and promote
international teacher exchange. Institutional actors in different levels of government
commonly cooperate and communicate in order to achieve their program goals.
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Under the market-driven model, the “privatization” of agencies, which were actively
involved in international recruitment, is a crucial factor that accelerates transnational
teacher mobility. Expanded private agencies have engaged in recruiting teachers from
abroad. However, because the process of recruitment is highly “commercialized” and
“business oriented,” most talented and capable teachers have been targeted, and this may
“cream off” effective teachers in developing countries, especially in small states in the
Caribbean region.
Finally, policy implications and recommendations for different models as well as for
each possibility of teacher transfer will be addressed at the national and international
level to show how transnational teacher exchange, contribution, and migration could
shape the teacher workforce in the future.

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Contents
List of
Figures…………………………………………………………………………………..viii
List of Tables……………………………………………………………………..............ix
Chapter One: Introduction………………………………………………………...............1
I. Focus and Background…………………………………………………...............1
II. Purpose of Study……………………………………………………………….10
III. Research Questions…………………………………………………………...11
IV. Outline of Chapters…………………………………………………………...12

Chapter Two: Literature Review………………………………………………………...14
I. Contextual Issues related to Transnational Teacher Mobility…………………15
II. Theoretical Perspectives on Transnational Teacher Mobility………………...23
III. Development Impacts of Transnational Teacher Mobility…………………..34

Chapter Three: Methodology…………………………………………………………….47
I. Historical Multi-Cases Studies………………………………………………...48
II. Method of Analysis…………………………………………………………...51
III. Validity Issue………………………………………………………………...56
IV. Limitations of Study…………………………………………………………57

Chapter Four: Data Collection and Analysis…………………………………………….59
I. Case #1: Japanese Teachers in Taiwan during the colonial period…………....59
II. Case #2 Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program (FTEP)………………………71
III. Case #3 Peace Corps Program……………………………………………….80
IV. Case #4 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program……………………..83
V. Case #5 Visiting International Faculty (VIF) Program……………………….94
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VI. Case# 6 The Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol………………107

Chapter Five: Conclusion and Policy Recommendations………………………………121
I. Findings………………………………………………………………………123
II. Reflections…………………………………………………………………...132
III. Policy Implications and Recommendations………………………………...139
References………………………………………………………………………………149

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List of Figures

Figure 3.1 Matrix Table for Quantitative Dataset: Features of Cases………………...55
Figure 4.1 Number of Japanese and Taiwanese Teachers in Common Schools, 1923-
35…………………………………………………………………………..70
Figure 4.2 Changes in Participant Numbers of JET Program, 1987-
2008………………………………………………………………………...91
Figure 4.3 Total number of overseas-trained teachers working in the U.S. on H-1B and
J-1 Visas……………………………………………………………………96
Figure 4.4 Number of Labor Condition Applications Filed for Pre-K, Primary and
Secondary Teachers in the U. S. ……………………………………………97
Figure 4.5 Top Five States Submitting Labor Condition Applications for Teachers,
2004-2007…………………………………………………………………...98

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List of Tables

Table 4.1. The Number of Teachers in Common Schools, 1898-1906………………..66
Table 4.2. Number of Japanese and Taiwanese teachers in common schools, 1923-
35……………………………………………………………………………69
Table 5.1 Three Models of Transnational Teacher Mobility………………………....124
Table 5.2 Directions, Theoretical Approaches and Policy Implications of Transactional
Teacher mobility……………………………………………………...........129

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Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep thanks to my dissertation
adviser and chair of dissertation committee, Dr. Gerald LeTendre. Without his long time
advising, encouragement and aspiration on my academic work, I cannot complete this
dissertation and earn my degree. Also, I want to sincerely thank all committee members,
Dr. David Baker, Dr. David Post and Dr. Jamie Myers, your questions, comments as well
as suggestions help me refine this dissertation and ease many difficulties in the
dissertation revisions.
Additionally, I am grateful to all of my friends and colleagues, thanks for your
support and challenge to make me think more about my research topic, especially Dr.
Norifumi Miyokawa. He gave me his opinions about my arguments for transnational
teacher mobility from different perspective. Our countless discussions and conversations
regarding this topic developed this dissertation directly.
Most important, my special thanks go to my family members, my father Wu,
Ming-Jiou, and mother, Yang, A-Shuang, mother-in-law, Sunhsu, Chiung-Yuan for their
love and support from the beginning of my graduate study at Penn State University to this
very final stage. Their endless encouragement absolutely helps me to complete my study.
Two older sisters, Ching-Lun, Ching-Yu, younger sister, Jing-Li and younger brother,
Yu-Heng all have my sincere appreciation and gratitude for their warm-hearted support.
Lastly, I cannot end these acknowledgments without mentioning my wife, Li-Hui
Sun. She takes care our children, Andrew, Eric, and Nicole throughout the past six years
and allows me to focus more on my study. Her assistant, sacrifice as well as
encouragements make my PhD come true. I owe her a lot and my deepest grateful to her.
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