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The aim of this study is to explore the influence of a student teaching abroad programme using data collected from American and Canadian teacher education students who participated in a study abroad programme over a fifteen year period. Although there is a growing body of research into the impact of study abroad in a wider context, far less exists specifically on student teaching abroad and this makes systematic examination difficult This lack of information provided a major stimulus for developing my own research. This took the form of a longitudinal study which focused on the professional and personal perspectives of the participants' experience overseas on their subsequent lives and careers. The research sample of sixty-six participants completed a detailed online questionnaire and from this group eight participants were selected to take part in semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Students' responses indicated that a major benefit of a student teaching placement abroad was the opportunity it provided to observe and work in an educational system which was often very different from those they had previously experienced. Participants described how they felt they developed a range of personal attributes which enabled them to become more mature, confident, articulate and resourceful teachers. Their experiences were not without challenges and they identified a range of issues which they found difficulty with, including homesickness, the challenge of living in a different environment and teaching students for an extended amount of time (which was a new experience for many of the participants). The challenges experienced however helped to develop in students a growing sense of professionalism as they progressed through their placement. Many participants felt that the rich cultural experiences enhanced and extended their professional and personal development and gave them a confidence to work with a range of ethnically and culturally diverse learners in their subsequent teaching posts on their return to their home countries.

My study is a case study, a story of a newly restructured School of Studies at a university in the Caribbean. I have examined recent changes in its teacher preparation programme. I explore the experiences of the participants in the implementation of this change and identify and examine the issues which emerge. It is a qualitative study which used an interpretivist / constructivist conceptual framework. The empirical work in my study consisted of interviews, both individuals and focus groups. I also drew from practicum documents and from the Schoo1's web site. Recent reforms in teacher preparation have reflected a thrust towards globalization and its demand for change and renewal in education. More particularly, the influences of neo-liberals and neo-conservatives in teacher preparation have spread. However, change is complex and rarely unfolds as envisaged. The findings of my study demonstrate this. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was identified by the chairman of the School's restructuring committee as the accreditation body to whose standards the reformed School will adhere. My findings showed that the structure of the programme was inconsistent with the standards of NCATE and with those of ACTT, the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago. On the other hand, the findings showed that structural aspects were consistent with the standards of teacher education programmes globally. There were, however substantive areas that needed to improve. A major issue was the practicum. Other issues which the data generated were the transition issue; institutional issues such as social and policy issues; leadership and interpersonal issues. I concluded that the issues which emerged were as a result of the manner in which the initiation phase of the restructuring was conducted.

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