Background: Seventeen pre-service teachers from The Hong Kong Institute of Education involved in a service education project during the summer vacation in 2008. They spent seven weeks in an orphanage and a commune in Vietnam to provide various services for disabled children and to help constructing a house for the poor villagers respectively. They learned how to cope with challenging environment through developing service leadership, problem solving and communication abilities in a different cultural context. Aims: To reveal what respondents have experienced, reflected and gained through involving in the cross-cultural service exposure project and how such fruitful learning experiences can be enhanced. Sample: All seventeen pre-service teachers involved in the project. Method: Content analysis was conducted on service-learning journals, day logs and writings prepared by the students after the service-learning experience. Results: The analysis based on respondents’ reflective writings revealed that the development of genuine relationship among participants through mutual care, their generic skills, leadership abilities and cultural competencies are enhanced while they work collaboratively and support each other to overcome difficulties. Conclusion: As a multicultural service-learning co-curricular activity, participants can acquire new knowledge, change attitudes and develop constructive behaviors through a genuine and caring environment and reflection. They are perceived to attain gains in leadership abilities, cultural competence skills and professional commitment.
[Copyright © 2009 New Horizons in Education.]

Background: Seventeen pre-service teachers from The Hong Kong Institute of Education involved in a service education project during the summer vacation in 2008. They spent seven weeks in an orphanage and a commune in Vietnam to provide various services for disabled children and to help constructing a house for the poor villagers respectively. They learned how to cope with challenging environment through developing service leadership, problem solving and communication abilities in a different cultural context.
Aims: To reveal what respondents have experienced, reflected and gained through involving in the cross-cultural service exposure project and how such fruitful learning experiences can be enhanced.
Sample: All seventeen pre-service teachers involved in the project.
Method: Content analysis was conducted on service-learning journals, day logs and writings prepared by the students after the service-learning experience.
Results: The analysis based on respondents' reflective writings revealed that the development of genuine relationship among participants through mutual care, their generic skills, leadership abilities and cultural competencies are enhanced while they work collaboratively and support each other to overcome difficulties.
Conclusion: As a multicultural service-learning co-curricular activity, participants can acquire new knowledge, change attitudes and develop constructive behaviors through a genuine and caring environment and reflection. They are perceived to attain gains in leadership abilities, cultural competence skills and professional commitment.
背景：在2008年的暑假，十七位來自香港教育學院師資培訓的學生，遠赴越南參加了一項為期七個星期的服務學習計劃，他們分別在兒童院為有肢體障礙的孩童提供服務，並為貧困村民修建房屋，同學在過程中學習面對種種環境及文化差異上的挑戰，從而鍛鍊出服務領導才能、解決困難和溝通能力。
目的：作者透過參加者的文章以描述他們在這異地服務計劃中所得出的經驗，從而總結出如何更有效地推展此種在文化差異環境中的學習經驗。
調查對象：十七位參加該服務學習計劃的師資培訓學生
調查方法：作者以內容分析方法，從同學們的學習日誌及反省文章中探討他們的學習經歷。
調查結果：從參加者文章中反映出學員間在合作和支持解困的過程中，能建立出彼此照顧的誠懇關係，以促成共通能力、領導才能及文化勝任能力的培養。
總結：學生在參加不同文化背景的服務學習聯課活動中

Education in colonial Hong Kong was basically apolitical in nature. Civic education was introduced as a social control mechanism to reflect colonial heritage, and emphasizes the passive, obedient and law-abiding role of citizens, and prevents the development of nationalism and indigenous cultural identity. However, in response to the Joint Declaration, there was a pressure for the Government to prepare pupils to become competent citizens of the Special Administrative Region (SAR). However, various research findings reflect that young people are apathetic in political and community affairs, weak in basic civic knowledge and social awareness. In response to the re-definition of the national identity status of Hong Kong citizens, there is an urgent need to cultivate the sense of belonging of the younger generation toward the SAR as well as the PRC as a whole. The author believes that even after reunification, civic education should not be overlooked as an important educational element in tertiary education. This element should compliment the academic subjects offered by various departments and be integrated in the themes of personal development programs offered by the student affairs office in tertiary education settings. Civic education programs, either co-curricular or extra-curricular in nature, should focus on both nationalistic and democratic themes through the adoption of a participatory-oriented approach, so that students could be provided with ample opportunities to participate in the decision-making process on issues directly affecting their well-being. Arguments for and against this standpoint are presented in the context of the Hong Kong educational system.
[Copyright of Educational Studies is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03055699997918]