Preparing for Democracy and Diversity: The Impact of a Community-Based Field Experience on Preservice Teachers' Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes

This article presents a study undertaken by members of a college of education which, responding to a state mandate doubling the number of field experience hours required of preservice teachers, created a field experience wherein students work in community-based human service agencies. Perceptions of students, agency personnel, and education faculty, elicited through survey and interview data, focused on the growth in attitudes, knowledge, and skills developed by preservice teachers through this field experience. Data indicate this experience fosters the goals of the College of Education and that those directly involved, preservice teachers and community agency personnel value the experience, while college faculty who are less directly involved perceive it to be less effective. Connections are established to the literature on service-learning and teacher education in a diverse society. Recommendations for the program and further research are presented.