A model of career development for a multicultural work force

This article highlights a career development model (Coleman, 1989) designed for use with multicultural and diverse populations. Individuals from these backgrounds sometime encounter difficulties with their career development, and the model was created to focus on the particular issues, needs, and concerns of multicultural populations. The career development model consists of six components: 1) Introduction and Orientation; 2) Self-Assessment; 3) Decision Making; 4) Educational, Occupational, and Community Information; 5) Preparation for Work, Leisure, and Retirement; and 6) Research and Evaluation. A discussion of the barriers encountered by multicultural populations is included, along with implications for counseling and development professionals.     

Racial Group Membership and Multicultural Training: Examining the Experiences of Counseling and Counseling Psychology Students

This study documents various process elements of multicultural training from the perspective of counseling and counseling psychology students within the United States (US). Using a mixed-methods approach, findings indicate that racial group membership is an important variable that differentially impacts White students and students of Color while undertaking a multicultural counseling course. Results of a principal components analysis revealed four components associated with racial group membership, including negative racial experiences and salience of racial diversity. Findings from a grounded theory analysis identified five overarching themes including intense emotional experiences, representing one’s racial group, and issues of safety impacting course experience. Implications for training and future research are offered.     

Counselor Trainee Self-Perceived Disability Competence: Implications for Training

We explored the relationship between master's-level counseling students' (N = 285) disability competence, disability-related life experience, and multicultural course completion. Results indicated disability-related life experience and multicultural course completion may differentially affect self-perceived disability competence. Implications and recommendations for counselor training are discussed.     

多元文化教育背景下的中小学教师职前培养探析

多元文化教育指平等对待来自不同文化群体的学生之间的差异,使所有学生得到平等教育机会的教育。在我国中小学实施多元文化教育,对中小学教师提出了新挑战,要求中小学教师成为多元文化教师,拥有多元文化知识,对不同文化持积极态度,熟练运用多元教学策略。在我国现行教师教育中,可通过增加多元文化教育课程,增加教学实习机会等途径,使未来教师经过学习、发展以及参与三个阶段,具备实施多元文化教育的能力,成为多元文化教师。     

Facilitating Reflexivity in Interracial and Multicultural Counselling

The effectiveness of multicultural and multiracial counselling may be compromised when counsellors occupy ideologically encapsulated positions. This paper describes an Anticlient-Proclient Model (Strous, 2001, 2003) for counsellor sensitivity training that may help counsellors to develop improved, critical reflexivity in multicultural and multiracial contexts. The Model derives from theory as well as from exploratory, experiential work with counsellors.     

Multicultural Counselor Training Experiences: Training Effects and Perceptions of Training Among a Sample of Predominately Hispanic Students

The effectiveness of multicultural training among a sample of predominately Hispanic counseling students was examined. The results of a series of 2‐factor repeated measures analysis of variance and follow‐up paired‐samples t tests suggest that multicultural training was effective in increasing students' multicultural competencies and in improving their cognitive racial attitudes. Students' affective racial attitudes were not changed. Students' perceptions of their multicultural training suggest that students from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds may experience multicultural training differently and unique life experiences may help explain this difference. Counselor educators may wish to use a variety of training experiences to provide multicultural training that is effective across diverse student populations.     

STUDENT EXPERIENCES WITH MULTICULTURAL AND DIVERSITY EDUCATION

This study of 434 students enrolled at seven southern California community colleges investigated student learning experiences in courses with multicultural and diversity content. Student perceptions of (a) what was learned in courses with multicultural and diversity content, (b) feelings about themselves when learning these types of content, (c) the values learned, (d) the amount of learning achieved, (e) feelings about the teacher, and (f) desire for more courses with multicultural and diversity content were identified. Some research has demonstrated that community colleges are doing very little to provide multicultural educational experiences for students. However, to date, there have been no comprehensive studies of community college students' experiences with multicultural and diversity education. Results of this study indicated that community college students desire courses with multicultural and diversity content. Students' learning experiences are enriched when courses contain these types of content. Although women and members of minority groups are most desirous of multicultural and diversity content, White male students need the experiences. The values taught in these courses seem to enhance the understanding of differences. Although learning about gays and lesbians is problematic for some, students do want to learn more about diversity than what frequently is associated with ''culture.'' Along with multicultural content, information concerning gender, sexual orientation, ageism, classism, and disabilities should be infused into college curricula.     

Multicultural Consultee-Centered Consultation: When Novice Consultants Explore Cultural Hypotheses With Experienced Teacher Consultees

Using case study qualitative methodology and naturalistic inquiry, this study investigates how beginning consultants use multicultural consultee-centered consultation (MCCC) to explore cultural hypotheses with experienced teachers. The study involves the conceptualizations and detailed records of 3 ethnically diverse novice consultants who hypothesize cultural issues in the problem situation and use MCCC with teachers of diverse students ages 6-12. Grounded in the multicultural consultation framework (Ingraham, 2000), analyses focus on consultation stages, communication processes, factors associated with success and failure, and their relationship with co-constructing problem definitions with consultees. Results of within-case and cross-case analyses illustrate the complexity of practicing and studying MCCC and suggest several issues that may influence multicultural consultation outcomes. Specific questions for future research are identified.     

Preparing teachers for multicultural classrooms

This article examines issues involved in teaching culturally diverse students and questions current practice in multicultural teacher education. An alternative approach to preparing teachers for multicultural classrooms, illustrated by the Teachers for Alaska program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, focuses prospective teachers on (a) attending to multicultural classroom and community contexts, (b) designing instruction to make connections between academic subject matter and diverse students' backgrounds, and (c) learning how to learn from students, communities, and practical experience. The authors argue that radical departures from traditional teacher education are possible and that breaks from standard practice are both desirable and effective in preparing teachers for multicultural classrooms.     

Valuing Diversity in the Schools: Learning from Multicultural Counseling for Teachers in the Greek Educational Setting

This paper explores the challenge of diversity in an increasingly multicultural world, and adopts the position that the valuing of diversity can be taught – especially within the context of teacher training and education in general. It gives an overview of major components of diversity training within the context of multicultural counseling, and stresses what counseling can offer teacher training in regard to diversity issues and competencies for the Greek educational setting. Finally, it examines key notions of difference and ‘otherness’ in Greek thought, which can inform contemporary discourse on diversity and multicultural counseling theory and practice.     

Culture and Technology: implications for multicultural teacher education

ABSTRACT

American classrooms are experiencing a rapid growth in cultural and ethnic diversity, as well as an increase in educational classroom computing. Because culture directly affects classroom organisation and classroom learning, teachers need to understand, incorporate, and support their students’ cultures. Furthermore, since educational computing is not culturally neutral, teachers in culturally diverse settings must integrate the computer culture, the classroom culture, and students’ learning preferences. To meet the need for culturally and technologically competent multicultural teachers, teacher education programs must first define both cultural competency and computer competency. After examining the relationship between culture and educational computing, the paper explores some essential components of cultural and technological competency for multicultural teachers. Finally, it indicates the need for further research on the interaction of culture and technology in the multicultural classroom.     

Perceptions and practices of multicultural education among Ethiopian secondary teacher education program officials,teacher educators and prospective teachers

This study explores the perceptions and practices of multicultural education among Ethiopian secondary teacher education program officials, teacher educators and prospective teachers. To that end, data were collected from secondary teacher education program officials, teacher educators and student teachers using questionnaire and interview. The data were analyzed by employing mixed methodologies. The study revealed that while Ethiopian secondary teacher education program officials and teacher educators have awareness about multicultural education, the prospective teachers’ awareness was found to be very low. Furthermore, there are inadequate practices of multicultural education in the secondary teacher education institutions. Suggestions which may enhance the implementation of multicultural education in the secondary teacher education program of the country and beyond are discussed in the article.     

A snapshot of multicultural training in school psychology

With the rapidly increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the school-aged population, school psychologists must be properly trained to engage in culturally competent practice; however, little is known about how school psychology programs prepare their trainees to serve diverse populations. The purpose of this study was to update Rogers et al.'s study on multicultural training by examining the extent to which school psychology programs use multicultural training recommendations noted in the literature. Thirty-eight school psychology program coordinators completed the Multicultural Environmental Inventory-Revised (MEI) to assess their perceptions of their program's multicultural environment. Participants were also asked about their training in multicultural and diversity issues and how their program conducts multicultural training. Findings suggest that programs most frequently used the integration and separate course models for multicultural training along with clinical experiences serving diverse students. In addition, multicultural coursework was associated with higher scores on the MEI Curriculum and MEI Research subscales. With regard to program environment, the percentage of racial and ethnic minoritized (REM) students was positively correlated to the percentage of REM faculty and the number of required multicultural courses. However, programs lacked specific strategies to recruit and retain diverse students. Findings and implications for training programs are discussed.     

Impact of geopolitical crises on the formation or maintenance of multicultural counseling relationships: Insights from case studies

This article draws attention to the impact of geopolitical crises on multicultural counseling. It acknowledges that counselors may listen to news about these conflicts on radios and televisions without realizing the multicultural counseling implications. It puts these crises in socio-psychological perspective and raises, explains, and discusses the concepts of vicarious gain, lack, and loss of credibility as experienced by counselors due to these crises. Illustrative cases are used to show how vicarious gain, lack, and loss of credibility can inhibit the development and/or maintenance of healthy multicultural counseling relationships. Finally, ways to deal effectively with these problems are presented.     

Elementary teachers’ beliefs about multicultural education practices

As the diversity of American schools is increasing, teachers should understand the role culture plays in the classroom and employ teaching practices that accommodate students from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, while more is known about pre-service teachers’ beliefs about multicultural education, less is known about what practices in-service teachers endorse and what factors influence those beliefs about practices. Specifically, the aims of the study were to determine (a) how teachers define culture, (b) what multicultural practices they endorse, and (c) what school-level factors (i.e. racial/ethnic demographics of the school) and teacher-level factors (i.e. multicultural professional development/coursework, grade level taught, comfort level facilitating multicultural discussions, and definitions of culture) are associated with teachers’ endorsement of multicultural practices. A sample of 45 elementary teachers (grades kindergarten to fifth) in three elementary schools completed a custom-developed survey. Findings indicated that teachers defined culture broadly with infrequent mention of specific identities and did not show strong endorsement of recommended multicultural practices. Teachers’ definitions of culture and their school of employment were associated with teachers’ beliefs about practices. Directions for future and implications for targeted professional development will be discussed.     

Multicultural Training Experiences as Predictors of Multicultural Competencies: Students' Perspectives

The authors surveyed a national sample of master's‐level counseling students regarding their multicultural training experiences and their multicultural counseling competencies. A series of hierarchical regression models tested the prediction of inventoried competencies from measures of selected training experiences: (a) program cultural ambience or learning environment, (b) multicultural instructional strategies, and (c) multicultural clinical experiences. Perceptions of program cultural ambience or learning environment predicted all multicultural competencies: knowledge, skills, awareness, and relationship. Additional findings support the importance of clinical training experiences in the context of effective multicultural training.     

Multicultural Education and the Emerging Paradigm: An Essay in Cultural Epistemology

This article discusses the origins of multicultural education from the perspective of cultural epistemology. It contends that at issue in the multicultural education debate is the challenge of paradigmatic shifts in understanding multicultural society and multiculturalism as sociopolitical constructs. A review of the value systems of the anthropomorphic, scientific, and emerging paradigms suggests that the debate is, in essence, a contest between prevailing and emerging cultural paradigms.The values which underlie multicultural education seem to converge with the ideals of participatory democracy. Consequently, multicultural education and multiculturalism may be analyzed as phases in the evolution of liberal democracies. The emerging paradigm serves as the catalyst in that process. The article concludes with proposals for integrating the values systems of the emerging paradigm with the theories and practices of multicultural education.