CROSS-CULTURAL HORIZONS: SHAPING WORLD-MINDEDNESS IN SOUTH KOREAN PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

In the bustling classrooms of a private university in South Korea, a transformation was unfolding. It was here, amid the eager faces of high-beginner first-year English language reading pre-service teachers, that my journey to understand and enhance global thinking in education began. This story, this exploration, is not just about teaching methods or educational theories. It's about the journey of these future educators as they navigate through the complexities of Cross-Cultural World-Mindedness. Imagine a classroom not just as a space for learning language but as a crucible where new perspectives on the world are forged. This was the vision that guided my mixed methods action research study, a convergent parallel design endeavor, aiming to delve deep into how a Cross-Cultural Teaching Model could shape the perceptions of these pre-service teachers - or as I often refer to them, students - towards a more globally conscious mindset. This story unfolds over the course of 15 weeks during the 2018 school year, capturing the experiences of 68 vibrant pre-service teachers. Their journey, and mine, was underpinned by the principles of English for International Understanding, Multicultural Education, and World Englishes. These were not just abstract concepts; they were the pillars upon which the Cross-Cultural Teaching Model stood.As the narrative progresses, you will walk alongside two groups of students. The experimental group, consisting of 36 pre-service teachers, embarked on a learning adventure with the Cross-Cultural Instructional Manual, a guide steeped in the principles of English for International Understanding, Multicultural Education, and World Englishes. The control group, with 32 students, followed a more traditional path, using an American English foreign language textbook. The contrast between these two experiences is a critical part of our tale. Through a blend of quantitative and qualitative lenses, I gathered and analyzed data. The Cross-Cultural World-Mindedness Scale, surveys, reflections, and my field notes painted a vivid picture of the impact of this teaching model. The numbers spoke through statistical analyses, revealing significant shifts in attitudes and understanding when English for International Understanding, Multicultural Education, and World Englishes principles were woven into English language teaching.But this story is more than numbers. The qualitative findings breathed life into the data, uncovering three main the nuanced role of American English, the awakening to global-mindedness through English for International Understanding exposure, and the critical importance of human rights awareness. These themes echoed the voices of students as they grappled with and embraced a more world-minded perspective. In these pages, you'll witness how integrating Cross-Cultural World-Mindedness content into lessons effectively heightened these future teachers' awareness of their role in a globally interconnected world. This is a story of change, challenge, and ultimately, enlightenment. Welcome to a journey that reshapes how we think about language, culture, and the broader world.