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Social-cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) served as the framework to examine a physical education service-learning program's impact on pre-service educators' cultural competence. Participants included 53 undergraduates enrolled in two sections of Health and Physical Education for Children. The course's service-learning component provided pre-service educators opportunities to teach physical education to African-American and Hispanic children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Participants described their experiences via daily logs, weekly reflections, and focus group interviews. Content analyses of the multiple data sources indicated that daily interaction with the children broadened participants' understanding of under-served children, changed their preconceived stereotypes, improved their language and communication skills, and impacted future teaching expectations. These findings suggest service-learning programs may valuably enhance pre-service educators' cultural competence for teaching.

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