Globalization of teacher education program: Characteristics and voices of student teachers in ibec program

International Baccalaureate (IB) is a world-recognized international education system that has structured curriculum frameworks, up-to-date teaching and learning theories and practices, a school quality assurance mechanism, and a teacher professional development system, among other notable features. Considering the demands of high-quality teachers from the 12-year educational reform and in light of the threat of reductions in teaching jobs, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), based on its long-term endeavors in promoting teacher education, implemented the IB Educator Certificate (IBEC) Program, which was officially recognized and launched in 2018. To better understand the characteristics of contemporary student teachers, this study surveyed cohorts of IBEC program applicants (n = 51) and individuals who did not apply (n = 120) through two self-reported questionnaires. Five experienced IB educators were also interviewed to acquire information on the type of teachers IB schools were expecting to hire. Results showed that the cohort that applied to the IBEC Program had significantly higher intrinsic motivation for becoming teachers, education passion, and reflective empowerment, which explained their willingness to invest time into taking the IBEC Program. After updated information was collected from student teachers on teacher education programs, this study explored possible next steps for teacher education, such as inclusion of international education and bilingual education elements to meet the needs of the upcoming generation.