Service-Learning Field Experiences to Build Intercultural Competence

Abstract

There is a call today for preparing teachers to reflect on their role as agents for global change, as engaged citizens responsible for helping to create a more equitable society. This chapter explores the transformative potential for the integration of service-learning into field experiences through examination of a bi-national teacher education project located on the U.S.-México border. A primary purpose of this chapter was to examine the ways in which service-learning field experiences enrich and deepen intercultural competence of teacher candidates. Qualitative data, including interview transcripts, reflective essays, and reports were analyzed to determine the extent to which U.S. and Mexican master teachers, graduate students, and teacher candidates' perceptions of their work with transnational learners changed as a result of bicultural, bi-national service-learning field experiences. The findings demonstrate the potential of service-learning for developing intercultural competence in current and future teachers.