The nature of teacher professional development in Australian international vocational education

Together with Canada, the UK and the US, Australia is one of the most active countries in promoting education export and recruiting international students with international education as the country’s biggest and most successful services export ‘industry’. However, staff capacity building in international education has not been adequately invested. In research, while the teaching and learning of international students is a topic of growing popularity, the professional development (PD) and capacity building for teachers, who play a crucial role in the internationalisation of education and in particular, in supporting the learning of international students, has been left largely unexplored. This article responds to this critical gap in the literature by examining the nature of teacher professional development practices in international education The findings of the research shows that, at the individual and institutional levels, teacher self-positioning of their PD needs and other positioning of the institutional PD provision seem to reveal the internal contradictions and tensions within institutions that work against the principles of responsive learning and teaching relative to international students’ needs and expectations. The article calls for more support and investment in teacher professional development tailored to their needs to operate, teach and learn effectively in a context of increased internationalisation.