This study investigated preservice early childhood education students' a) definitions of multicultural education, b) sources of information from which to construct their definition, c) perceptions of multicultural education in schools, and d) perceptions of the ways that multicultural education should be implemented. The 103 participants at different levels of a four-year undergraduate program completed an open-ended, four-item questionnaire that revealed important findings and insights into students' developmental thinking. Responses indicated that students' definitions illustrated minimal understanding and conceptualizations of multicultural education, which were limited to, mainly, race and ethnicity. A majority of respondents constructed their definitions from college courses, suggesting that universities may have a tremendous influence on student attitudes toward diversity. Participants witnessed multicultural education on a limited basis in school sites and were confronted with incongruencies between the diversity perspective advocated in university course work and the series of discrete events witnessed in the field. This study suggests that students in all levels of professional development continue to struggle with multicultural education. Teacher education programs must assist students in their conceptualization and critical reflection on multicultural education by capitalizing on opportunities throughout the students' experiences for them to critically reflect and examine their own and others' experiences regarding diversity.