PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ EXPERIENTIAL PERSPECTIVES BASED ON A MULTICULTURAL LEARNING SERVICE PRACTICUM

Abstract

An increased emphasis on multiculturalism in the United States has necessitated an awareness of culturally responsive pedagogy in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. Practica in such programs along with reflection on these experiences are methods by which preservice teachers can better appreciate the diverse nature of their students. The following study reports observations from the reflective journals of thirty junior and senior physical education teacher education pre-service teachers enrolled in a multicultural service learning practicum at a large southeastern university. Analysis of the preservice teachers' journals revealed several thematic perspectives pertaining to (a) boundary crossings, (b) insider and outsider perspectives, and (c) language barriers. Results indicated that teachers in the practicum recognized the importance of utilizing multiple strategies of instruction for their students. Implications for PETE programs are that the multicultural learning practicum is of benefit to pre-service teachers' development of culturally responsive pedagogical skills, thus permitting them to acquire knowledge from diverse students' backgrounds.