Community service trips are often viewed as educational because students supposedly cross socio-economic, racial, and other borders to engage with people of various backgrounds. However, diversity among students, their differing experiences of the service trip, and the ways they learn from each other's experiences are rarely discussed. Based on…

Service-learning is a form of experiential learning whereby students learn and develop through active participation in a carefully organized service that addresses the needs of the community. It is rooted in the reflective experiential traditions of Dewey, Kolb, and Freire. It provides students with opportunities for development in a variety of…

Undergraduate-Community engagement is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs. In Malaysia, most undergraduates have at one point or another taken part in community engagement activities. However, the outcome of participating in community engagement has not been properly…

Inclusive education remains a challenge for Australian tertiary education, particularly specialized pedagogical approaches like work-integrated learning (WIL) and service learning. Critiques of mainstream pedagogical approaches raise questions about the predominant models of educating students (Butin, 2010; Howard, 1998). There is a definitive…

Service-learning as a transformative pedagogy within university education is becoming increasingly popular in Australia. Advocates of service-learning indicate that the practice of combining community based voluntary work with theoretical in-class academic knowledge leads to a greater awareness about diversity and difference in students. While…

In this paper, we explore how English language teacher education could be envisioned in different ways if one were to adopt a 'social' approach toward English language education. More specifically, drawing on our experience, which we gathered as Korean faculty members of two Canadian universities, with the help of reflexive inquiry, we highlighted…

This article describes an interprofessional service-learning initiative to address the educational and psychosocial needs of grandparent-headed families. This qualitative study explores the perceptions and experiences of the preservice teacher education students involved in implementing this project. Findings suggest that there are numerous…

This paper explores how service learning helps preservice teachers change their perceptions toward working with diverse populations and how they link service learning to social justice. Providing opportunities for preservice teachers to link community service with their classroom experiences adds value to their learning experience and enhances…

This manuscript provides the results of a comparative study conducted in the USA with counseling, psychology, and education graduate students in which multicultural competencies were taught using the traditional on-campus and international study abroad course formats. Data were collected via the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale, a…

This paper describes the culture of experiential community based learning at Central College, a rural liberal arts college in Midwestern, USA. Pre-service teachers use experiential community based learning to reflect on their personal growth in understanding the needs of diverse learners. Reflections demonstrate how the program contributes to the…

How can teacher educators encourage preservice teachers to develop an awareness of disability issues? How do they prepare them to look beyond labels to appreciate the individuality, strengths, and potential of each student they will encounter in their classrooms? This article describes a service-learning course at Bowling Green State University in…

This study explored the effects of community-based service-learning (CBSL), supplemented with discussions and activities about diversity, on the self-efficacy beliefs of preservice elementary teachers regarding equitable science teaching and learning for diverse student groups. The study was conducted with 81 preservice teachers enrolled in four…

The outcomes of a two-pronged "real-world" learning project, which aimed to expand the views of pre-service teachers about learning, pedagogy and diversity, will be discussed in this paper. Seventy-two fourth-year and 22 first-year students, enrolled in a Bachelor of Education degree in Queensland, Australia, were engaged in community…

Preservice teacher education candidates reveal personal and professional benefits of participating in a service-learning project. University students actively engaged in connecting content knowledge and pedagogy with authentic experiences in K-12 classrooms. Reflections revealed a service learning component had an impact on participants' sense of…

Civic engagement is the focus of this issue of "Diversity Digest." Concrete examples of institutions that have linked diversity and civic engagement in powerful, effective, and educationally transforming ways are presented. What is seen in the field is encouraging. Articles feature new conceptual frameworks for civic learning, curricular…