Abstract:

The purpose of this case study was to describe the activities that provide pre-service agriculture education teachers with intercultural development while completing an international service-learning project. The 2018 Scotland Service-Learning study abroad facilitated by the University of Georgia was a bounded case. This study used qualitative case study research methods; semi-structured interviews and guided reflective journals that were collected during the spring of 2018. Four pre-service agricultural education majors were sampled. Findings of this study revealed that students benefited from the study abroad trip in the areas of assuaging preconceived ideas, balancing cultural bias, travel, teaching, culture, and experience impact. Participants returned with renewed passions for teaching and creating engaging experiences for their future students along with a new awareness of the importance their culture and the cultures of others can play in creating memorable teachable moments for students. The findings of this study support that undergraduate study abroad programs in colleges of agriculture can be effective at increasing undergraduate students’ cultural acquisition.