Preservice special education service providers' attitudes on diversity

This survey design study involved preservice special education service providers who were in degree seeking programs in the departments of special education, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Participants provided views and belief structures on diversity issues identified through a review of literature, including (a) English language issues, (b) ability to have success with diverse groups, (c) service provider roles with diverse populations, and (d) the role of institutions of higher education in preparing service providers to work with diverse populations. One of the groups of participants was part of the Service Learning Mexico Project (SLMP) course and the other was a matched group of on-campus traditional students who did not participate in service learning. Our results suggest differences between the two groups which may link to future practices with students from diverse backgrounds.