Assessing Cultural Competence in a BSW Student Population

Assessing Antiracism as a Learning Outcome in Social Work Education

“…The search strategy yielded three studies characterized as antiracism-inclusive (2.0%). Methods used to assess race and racism involved learning activities aligned with the EPAS (CSWE, 2015, p. 7) framework, wherein outcomes were included explicitly or implicitly under "Engaging Diversity and Difference" (Block et al, 2016;Dessel & Rodenborg, 2017;Pitner et al, 2018). Included studies primarily assessed the knowledge and cognitive processes dimensions of learning (Carpenter, 2011;Drisko, 2014Drisko, , 2015Poulin & Matis, 2015), with only one study (Pitner et al, 2018) including a question about behavior (selfreport).…”

“…All included studies drew from samples of Masters (Dessel & Rodenborg, 2017;Pitner et al, 2018) and Bachelor-level (Block et al, 2016) social work students, with sample sizes ranging from 126 to 286 subjects. All studies were longitudinal in nature, evaluated structured learning activities that were required (not optional), and used student surveys administered at pretest (prior to commencement of learning activities) and posttest (near the end or after completing the learning experience) as methods of evaluation.…”

“…The majority of students were White, female, and young adults; findings from all studies showed that social work educational initiatives did in fact improve student learning outcomes. Specifically, findings from Block et al (2016) show that students self-reported levels of multicultural competency increased significantly after completing a required BSW course in cultural diversity. Similarly, Dessel and Rodenborg's (2017) evaluation of IGD found that at post-test, students reported significant increases in self-awareness as pertaining to membership of social identity groups, knowledge about structural group inequality, and both confidence in and motivation to bridge differences and take action to address prejudice, discrimination, and injustice.…”

Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competency Research: Opportunities for Innovation

“…Scholars across counseling and counseling‐related disciplines have indicated that trainees perceive gains in their overall multicultural competency as a result of a specific culturally based learning activity (Collins, Arthur, Brown, & Kennedy, 2015), multicultural scholarship engagement (Gillem et al, 2016), diversity workshop attendance (Hall & Theriot, 2016), and graduate coursework (Block, Rossi, Allen, Alschuler, & Wilson, 2016; Collins et al, 2015; Gillem et al, 2016; Malone et al, 2016). Although most studies have explored gains in multicultural awareness and knowledge, some research shows further multicultural skill development occurs through culturally relevant practicum or other immersion experiences (Collins et al, 2015; Johnson & Jackson Williams, 2015; Malone et al, 2016; Prosek & Michel, 2016; Singh et al, 2010).…”