Multicultural Competencies

Books, Book Chapters, & Journal Articles:

  • Cortés, C. E. (2002). The making, and remaking, of a multiculturalist. New York, Teachers College Press.

    This volume gives witness to the struggles and successes that Corts and others have experienced while striving to create a place for the voices of racial and ethnic groups in our culturally diverse nation.

  • McEwen, M. K. and L. D. Roper (1994). "Incorporating multiculturalism into student affairs preparation programs: Suggestions from the literature." Journal of College Student Development 35: 46-52. Discusses practices for incorporating multiculturalism into student affairs preparation programs. Provides a long list of resources on how to include multiculturalism in student affairs preparation.
  • Mueller, J. A. and R. L. Pope (2001). "The relationship between multicultural competence and White racial consciousness among student affairs practitioners." Journal of College Student Development 42(2): 133-144.  

    Researchers investigated the relationship between multicultural competence and racial consciousness of 534 White student affairs practitioners rising the Multicultural Competence for Student Affairs-Preliminary 2 Scale (Pope & Mueller, 2000) and the Oklahoma Racial Attitudes Scale-Preliminary Form (Choney & Behrens, 1996). Experience with multicultural issues and identification with a socially oppressed group were among background variables significantly related to multicultural competence. When background variables were statistically controlled for, White racial consciousness types predicted a significant amount of the variance in multicultural competence. Implications for professional preparation, practice, and future research are explored.

  • Pope, R. L. and J. A. Mueller (2000). "Development and initial validation of the multicultural competence in student affairs-preliminary 2 scale." Journal of College Student Development 41(6): 599-608.  

    The Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs-Preliminary 2 (MCSA-P2) Scale was developed as an assessment tool to measure multicultural competence in a higher education context. The results of two studies that investigated the validity and reliability of the MCSA-P2 are reported. Future research needs as well as applications to training and supervision are explored.

  • Pope, R. L. and A. L. Reynolds (1997). "Student affairs core competencies: Integrating multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills." Journal of College Student Development 38: 266-277. The growing and complex multicultural dynamics of many institutions have necessitated that student affairs professionals not only be prepared to address multicultural issues but also acquire the skills necessary to work effectively with culturally diverse populations and issues. In this article selected aspects of the multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary for effective student affairs practice are suggested and the training and research implications of these competencies are addressed.
  • Pope, R. L., A. L. Reynolds, et al. (2004). Multicultural competence in student affairs. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Today’s leaders in higher education are focused on creating multicultural campuses. However, most higher education and student affairs professionals receive limited training for understanding the complexity of multicultural issues. If multiculturalism is to flourish on college campuses, education professionals must develop the sensitivity and awareness in affirming relevant multicultural issues and develop the skills needed to offer meaningful services to all their students.Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs is a unique resource that offers student affairs practitioners and faculty a guide that features a model of core competencies that embraces the broad scope of multicultural issues including race, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and abilities.
  • Pope-Davis, D. B. and H. L. K. Coleman (1997). Multicultural counseling competencies : assessment, education and training, and supervision. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publications. In this volume, leading researchers and trainers in multicultural counselling and psychology address the issues of what makes a counsellor multiculturally competent and how to create more culturally competent counsellors.

    The contributors consider ways to evaluate counsellors for their awareness, knowledge and skills in working with a broad spectrum of populations. Chapters also examine in detail the pedagogical implications of establishing competencies, including training philosophies and models as well as course and curriculum development.

  • Suzuki, L. A., J. G. Ponterotto, et al. (2001). Handbook of multicultural assessment: Clinical, psychological, and educational applications. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. This thorough analysis of multicultural assessment covers significant issues, including the major instruments and procedures, cognitive and educational assessment, and cross-cultural sensitivity and ethics. Offering the most current empirical research, theory, and specific recommendations, the volume includes case studies that illustrate culturally sensitive procedures and tables that highlight comparisons between particular measures, competencies, and assessment practices. Including updated articles from the original contributors as well as entirely new contributions, the revised version offers compelling ideas for conducting assessments with minority populations.