The adaptation process of international lecturers in a South African university: The centrality of agency and collegiality

Abstract

Teaching in a new country initiates a process of adaptation requiring emotional, cognitive and behavioural adjustments. This qualitative study explores international lecturers' perceptions of their adaptation process in a South African university. The findings, based on semi-structured interviews with six lecturers from six different countries, indicate that teachers' agency and collegiality are crucial interrelated factors of adaptation. Agency and collegiality enabled lecturers to receive contextrelevant information and decide how to modify their pedagogical practices. The description of the adaptation process provides new insights for staff induction programmes.