Stories of engagement: Pre-service language teachers negotiate intercultural citizenship in a community-based English language program

Abstract

The position statement on global competence by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) emphasizes the need for increased participation ‘in multilingual communities at home and abroad’, and for deeper engagement with languages and cultures (ACTFL, 2014). In response, language teacher preparation programs have sought to increase opportunities for ‘cosmopolitan practice’ (Canagarajah, 2013; Guilherme, 2007). Employing Byram’s (2008) construct of intercultural citizenship, this article explores the potential of service-learning, a sub-set of experiential learning, as such an opportunity. Several studies have established the positive impact of service-learning on teachers’ cultural awareness, yet contact among communities does not necessarily result in engagement (De Leon, 2014; Haddix, 2015). This qualitative study explores the reported experiences of thirty pre-service language teachers and ten linguistically diverse families who participated in an English-focused service-learning project. The analysis outlines how pre-service teachers negotiate intercultural encounters in this program, which we view as a ‘contact zone’ (Pratt, 1991), a zone of possibilities for engagement, leading to action. We discuss the extent to which emerging intercultural citizenship experiences can be transformative (Byram, 2008), and suggest implications for practice.