Article
A transformative experience: A short-term cross-cultural service-learning immersion to Kenya
Issues in Educational Research
(2014)
Abstract
Initial teacher education programs are continuously looking for ways to grow and evolve to meet
the changing needs of pre-service teachers (PSTs) who will face a diverse student population
when they begin their careers. This study examines a short-term, cross-cultural, service-learning
immersion undertaken by 21 undergraduate PSTs to an internally displaced people’s (IDP) camp
in Kenya for three weeks. The PSTs worked in the local school, a home for orphaned children,
and in the IDP. The impact of the trip and the subsequent affiliation with the school and the
community has had a significant effect in shaping the perceptions of the participating PSTs. This
article explores the impact of the service-learning experience from the perspective of the
evolving personal growth and professional competencies of the PSTs and the importance of
implementing such programs with PSTs to enhance learning and improve perceptions about the
importance of education.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2014
Citation Information
Kearney, S., Perkins, T., and Maakrun, J. (2014). A transformative experience: A short-term cross-cultural service-learning immersion to Kenya. Issues in Educational Research, 24(3), 229-237