Service-learning: A venue for enhancing pre-service educators’ knowledge base for teaching

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research examining the impact of service-learning on student’s personal qualities has shown positive results. Findings indicate that students participating in high quality service-learning programs show increases in their perceptions of self-efficacy, civic responsibility, social justice, and diversity awareness. Less information regarding the effect of participation in service-learning on student’s intellectual and knowledge outcomes is known. This case study examined the influence of participation in a service-learning program on pre-service educators ’ knowledge base for teaching. Participants included 31 undergraduate physical education majors enrolled in a Motor Skill Development for Children course at a large state university in the southwestern United States. Findings from multiple data sources (i.e., journals, interviews, and observations of instruction) revealed that pre-service educators participating in a service-learning program enhanced their pedagogical content knowledge. Teacher education programs should enhanced their pedagogical content knowledge. Teacher education programs should enhanced their pedagogical content knowledge. Teacher education programs should consider implementing service-learnin