Australian teachers are required to teach students from diverse cultures, and preservice teachers are reported to feel culturally unprepared. The Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan aims to increase pre-service teachers’ cultural competency by providing funding for cultural and educational experiences in the Asian-Pacific region. This paper reports on the impact a short-term cultural immersion programme in Cambodia had on the development of cultural competence for ten pre-service teachers. The programme included visits to Cambodian schools and a university, and cultural immersion activities such as Khmer lessons and visiting cultural icons. The cultural competency framework was used to analyse the impact of the programme on pre-service teachers’ cultural competence before, during, and after the programme. Findings show that the programme had a significant impact upon meaning-making as the pre-service teachers reflected upon their experiences in Cambodia. The use of focus groups was found to be powerful, supporting pre-service teachers in a safe environment to learn from each other. The article contributes to the growing interest in the effectiveness of immersion programmes in enhancing the development of cultural competency in pre-service teachers. Recommendations include evaluation of the long-term impact of such programmes on pre-service teacher cultural competence.

中文翻译：

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柬埔寨沉浸计划对澳大利亚职前教师的影响

要求澳大利亚的老师教来自不同文化的学生，据报导，任职老师觉得自己在文化上没有准备。澳大利亚政府的《新科伦坡计划》旨在通过为亚太地区的文化和教育经验提供资金来提高职前教师的文化能力。本文报告了柬埔寨的短期文化浸入计划对十名职前教师文化能力发展的影响。该方案包括访问柬埔寨的学校和大学，以及高棉课程和文化偶像等文化沉浸活动。文化能力框架用于分析该计划对培训前，培训中和培训后教师的文化能力的影响。调查结果表明，该方案对意义的产生产生了重大影响，因为岗前教师反映了他们在柬埔寨的经历。人们发现，使用焦点小组很有效，可以在安全的环境中支持岗前教师相互学习。这篇文章促使人们对浸入式课程的有效性越来越感兴趣，以提高职前教师的文化能力。建议包括评估此类计划对职前教师文化能力的长期影响。这篇文章促使人们对浸入式课程的有效性越来越感兴趣，以提高职前教师的文化能力。建议包括评估此类计划对职前教师文化能力的长期影响。这篇文章促使人们对浸入式课程的有效性越来越感兴趣，以提高职前教师的文化能力。建议包括评估此类计划对职前教师文化能力的长期影响。