The effects of a music education immersion internship in a culturally diverse setting on the beliefs and attitudes of pre-service music teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the personal conceptualizations of pre-service music education students by focusing on how they talked about learning to teach music in the context of cultural diversity, and to probe the relationships among these conceptualizations prior to, during, and after an immersion internship experience in a culturally diverse setting. Data sources included transcripts of audiotaped discussions, interviews, journals, class assignments, autobiographies, and video tapes of teaching experiences. Data analysis revealed that the participants had expectations and preconceptions that might be considered typical of pre-service teachers; however, their talk during and after the immersion internship demonstrated how their beliefs and attitudes had been challenged and altered.

Keywords

field experiences immersion experiences intercultural competence urban

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