IndexReview and critique of empirical researchLiterature reviewResultsDiscussionImplications of research findingsReview and critique of empirical researchThis article considers factors associated with teachers' multicultural teaching competence. Mena and Rogers (2017) state that most research on teaching multicultural courses focuses on instructional strategies, course content, and social processes, with little attention paid to the qualities of multiculturally competent faculty. This lack of attention surrounding the characteristics of multiculturally competent teachers suggests that a gap exists in the literature regarding factors associated with multicultural teaching competence. Researchers believe that teachers play a critical role in course design and delivery. Therefore, their ability to competently and sensitively teach multicultural classes is extremely important, especially since many students take only one multicultural class during their graduate program. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Literature ReviewResearchers have thoroughly explored the literature surrounding the topics of social justice and multicultural competence in higher education. The articles identified were recent, and the oldest article had a print date of 2007. The articles provided information related to course content (Rogers & O'Bryan, 2014), social processes, and dynamics that appear in multicultural classrooms ( Adams, Bell and Griffin, 2007 ; Sue, Lin, Torino, Capodilupo and Rivera, 2009; teaching strategies (Jones, Sander and Booker, 2013), students' reflections on their learning experiences and the teaching environment (Collins, Arthur , Brown, & Kennedy, 2015) and student outcomes (Cole, Case, Rios, & Curtin, 2011).Researchers discuss faculty members' orientation to social justice. They believe that understanding individual struggles along with the ability to create change is essential to help students address the social, cultural, and institutional policies that impact their lives. Researchers also believe that "culturally responsive teaching is the behavioral expression of knowledge, beliefs, and values that recognize the importance of racial and cultural diversity in learning" and use the Gay (2010) site as a source. The impact of the environment on higher education campuses has been examined and found to be significant in that if the environment promotes diversity, there can be a climate that facilitates the development of innovative multicultural teaching skills and methodologies. The researchers set out to examine factors associated with teaching multicultural skills. Their study addressed four important research questions: (1) What is the predictive quality of multicultural education on multicultural teaching skills? (2) Can social justice orientation uniquely predict multicultural teaching competence? (3) Can a multicultural environment uniquely predict multicultural teaching competence? (4) Can educator involvement predict multicultural teaching competence? (Mena and Rogers, 2017). One question that came to mind regarding the research questions is whether there are differences between the necessary attributes of a multiculturally competent counselor educator and those of a multiculturally competent psychologist. This article is aimed at psychologists, which is appropriate because many counselor training programs allow psychologists to teachmulticultural courses. Using hierarchical multiple regression analyses, researchers selected a national sample (n = 78) of psychology faculty members teaching multicultural courses to study factors affecting multiculturalism. competence of psychological educators. Included in the study were 55 (70.5%) women, 22 (28.2%) men, and one (1.3%) self-identified “cisgender” individual. 40 (51.3%) individuals identified as European American, 10 (12.8%) individuals identified as Latino*, eight (10.3%) individuals identified as African American, two (2.6%) were Native American Indian, and five (63.4%) indicated no racial origin (Mena & Rogers, 2017). Purposive sampling was used to recruit doctoral-level faculty with experience teaching multicultural courses. Recruitment invitations were posted on information boards at conferences and distributed in person. Snowball and purposive sampling methodologies were also used to obtain participants. Results Four sets of hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test the predictive value of multicultural teaching competencies. The dependent variables were MTCI knowledge and MTCI sensitivity. Using the MTCI scale, social desirability and multicultural education/training were significant predictors and had positive associations with MTCI sensitivity. Among social justice variables, SJS-Behavioral Intentions was a significant predictor with positive associations with MTCI sensitivity. The regression with MTCI-Sensitivity presents a possible positive correlation between social desirability. Motivation to grow, learn, and improve has been shown to be a significant predictor and to have a positive association with MTCI sensitivity. MEI-R Honesty in recruitment was a significant predictor with a positive association with MTCI-Knowledge. The following regressions did not produce significant results: MTCI Knowledge as the dependent variable with social desirability as a covariate and MTCI Knowledge as the dependent variable with social desirability as a covariate. Discussion Researchers found significant trends regarding predictability. Social justice orientation was found to be a predictor of multicultural teaching skills associated with knowledge of other cultures, values, and worldviews. The results of this study also suggest that teachers who are most committed to addressing social inequalities are those who are most knowledgeable about inequalities and their cultural context. The researchers also found that teachers who reported a greater social justice orientation were also more culturally sensitive. Research also indicates that multicultural teaching competence and social justice orientation are separate but related constructs. This study highlights the professional experiences, attitudes, and qualities associated with multicultural competencies of the expert educators who participated in this study. Additionally, because not all multicultural educators have taken multicultural courses while earning their degrees, researchers recommend that multicultural educators receive support from their institutions to engage in training opportunities to complement their education. The researchers also recommend that multicultural psychology educators engage in reflective practice to increase awareness of social justice orientation. The study findings suggest that it would be beneficial for educators to review the weaknesses of their programs and engage in an honest discussion about improvements needed to keep students interested and engaged.
tags