Why Volunteer? The Complexities of International Pre-service Teachers’ Intercultural Adjustment Experiences through Community Service Engagement

Source: Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 41, Issue 1, 2013, pages 69-83

This article offers a hermeneutic view of the adjustment experiences of five international pre-service teachers who have volunteered to be tutors in schools and unpaid helpers within local community centres.

The author used the preliminary findings of a larger study.

The findings highlight a range of cultural and personal dimensions associated with the process of pre-service teacher professional development and their intercultural engagement with members in the host society.

Hence, adjustment through community service engagement is viewed as an opportunity to increase the intercultural and intracultural awareness of the international pre-service teachers.