The globalization of education has led to an increase in cross-cultural pre-service teacher programs; however,upon return to their native countries,pre-service teachers face issues when trying to integrate new pedagogies and methodologies.To understand the barriers that may inhibit cross-cultural learning,it is critical to establish the cultural and pedagogical differences between partnering countries.To achieve this,the current study employs a qualitative approach that explores the experiences of pre-service teachers from Southwest University in China who participated in a three-month cross-cultural exchange program with the University of Windsor in Canada.Data were collected using informal interviews,debriefing notes,and field notes that detailed their involvement in practicums in elementary and secondary schools.A thorough analysis of the data collected via narrative inquiry explores how participants grow in their school practicums.The findings show that the participants learned and adopted new perspectives and wanted to apply Western pedagogies and methodologies that focus on developing the creative and critical thinking of the students to their future teaching career.However,participants expressed concerns that the Wests student-centered approaches would be rejected by some Chinese parents and Chinas teacher-centered schools,while Chinas exam-oriented approach and class size would impede lessons focused on creative and critical thinking.