NEGOTIATING INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION ABROAD: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC INQUIRY OF AN INDONESIAN JAVANESE MUSLIM PRE-SERVICE TEACHER

An important gap in multicultural education research is the lack of systematic analysis on how
intercultural experiences change pre-service teachers' identities. For this reason, this study uses an autoethnographic
approach to investigate how intercultural engagement aids in the reconstruction of teachers' identities. This study
uses a qualitative autoethnographic research approach, with the researcher acting as the only participant and primary
research instrument, based on the theoretical framework of multicultural education. The primary source of data for
the study is methodically recorded reflective journal entries made throughout the teaching internship. Sustained diary
writing was used to record pedagogical experiences, emotional reactions, and cross-cultural interactions. To find
patterns of identity transition, these entries were then analyzed through the use of reflexive analysis, theme
categorization, coding, and iterative reading. Three interconnected themes emerge from the analysis:
(1) identity disruption and cultural dislocation; (2) pedagogical adaptation in the face of linguistic and cultural
limitations; and
(3) identity reconstruction via relational and reflective involvement. The findings demonstrate that multicultural
education functions not only as a pedagogical orientation but also as an identity-shaping process enacted through
lived intercultural experience. This study highlights the value of autoethnography in capturing identity
transformation and underscores the importance of sustained intercultural engagement in pre-service teacher
education.