Preservice Teachers as Change Agents: Going the Extra Mile in Service-Learning Experiences

Educational psychologists involved in teacher education are expected to develop professional teacher dispositions of preservice students. The professional disposition “teacher as change agent” is used to frame actions in service-learning field experiences in a teacher preparation program. Preservice teacher service-learning journals, self-ratings, participant observations, and mentor teacher reports were used to understand service-learning design elements associated with preservice teacher dispositions as change agents. Frequent service visits extended over time, opportunities to develop relationships at sites, and perceiving that one makes a difference with preschool through high school (P–12) learners were linked to desirable disposition outcomes. Further suggestions for course design elements include (a) providing activities to help preservice teachers understand field contexts, (b) supporting a good match between preservice teachers and learner needs, and (c) making the characteristics and role of change agents part of the preparation and evaluation process.