Multicultural Transformation of a School Psychology Course: Student Outcomes. Abstract

Transcription

1 Running head: MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION Multicultural Transformation of a School Psychology Course: Student Outcomes Abstract School psychologists must be prepared to work with culturally and linguistically diverse children, families, and educational professionals. Consequently, the graduate preparation of school psychologists necessarily must rise to the occasion by incorporating multicultural content and instruction into the curriculum. This article reports on the process of transforming a graduate course in counseling and interviewing skills to address this need, as well as pilot data on multicultural competencies gathered from the first cohort of students to take the transformed course. Recommendations for graduate training programs are provided.

2 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 2 Multicultural Transformation of a School Psychology Course: Process and Outcomes Introduction and Significance School psychologists work with increasingly diverse student populations and must be prepared to provide the highest quality of services to all students. Respect and sensitivity to cultural and linguistic differences is particularly important in assessment, consultation, and intervention to achieve the best social, emotional, academic, and behavioral outcomes for children and adolescents. Therefore, school psychologists have an obligation to develop cultural competence, and graduate educators bear the responsibility of ensuring that their students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with diverse populations and provide culturally responsive services. Lopez and Bursztyn (2013) identified significant challenges related to the preparation of school psychology students in the area of multiculturalism (e.g., integration of multiculturalism within the school psychology program s philosophical orientation, defining the scope of multicultural training, etc.). In doing so, they conceptualized diversity broadly to include, race, ethnicity, language, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and exceptionality (p. 212). In this article, we report on our experiences of directly addressing some of these challenges and preliminary outcome data from a piloted multicultural course transformation. Diversity and cultural competence are both featured prominently in the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Vision, Mission, Core Values, and Priorities (NASP, 2013). Diversity is listed as a core value, and the strategic priorities include promoting culturally competent practice. School psychologists must be prepared to serve

3 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 3 diverse student populations, and NASP has embraced this challenge. Given that school enrollment statistics indicate that over 48% of students are non-white, and that this figure continues to increase, school psychologists must be culturally competent to effectively serve all students. (U.S. Teachers Less Diverse Than Their Students, 2014). The school-age population in Texas demands cultural competence. The most recent demographic data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) reports that during the school year, 51.3% of Texas s 5,000,000 school students were Hispanic. Almost 48% of students with disabilities were Hispanic/Latino; almost 50% for children ages 3-5 years ( These figures are likely to increase over time as the state s Hispanic population continues to grow. According to Murdock, Cline, Zey, Jeanty, and Perez (2013), Hispanics will account for 70% of overall population growth in Texas over the next generation, compared to no more than 2% for non-hispanic whites. Consequently, school psychology programs must prepare graduate students to serve competently. What does it mean to be culturally competent? While there are several definitions of cultural competence, Paasche-Orlow s (2004) framework is among the most concise and useful: acknowledging and respecting cultural differences while simultaneously working to minimize negative consequences associated with cultural difference. In an effort to facilitate the development of cultural competence in school psychology graduate students, the lead author participated in a multicultural curriculum transformation institute and then applied knowledge and skills attained there to infuse a school psychology course with multicultural content and instruction. The purpose of this study

4 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 4 was to assess the impact of the multicultural course transformation on school psychology students. The Multicultural Curriculum Transformation and Research Institute at Texas State University The Multicultural Curriculum Transformation and Research Institute (MCTRI) began in 2004 at Texas State University to assist the departments to achieve the goal of transforming courses to reflect multicultural content, perspectives, teaching strategies, and assessment methods. The institute is built on the understanding that the educational leaders of today need to be culturally competent in order to recognize how people learn and the impact of race, power, legitimacy, cultural capital, poverty, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, language, and other factors of learning (Mayo & Larke, 2013, p. vii). It was designed to align with the University s Strategic Plan, which states that the curriculum will reflect a multicultural perspective [and] annually, two courses in each college will be modified to reflect multicultural content and/or perspectives (p. 4). Furthermore, it aligns with Texas State s Multicultural Policy Statement, which has been outlined in the catalog since It states: [The University] believes that freedom of thought, innovation, and creativity are fundamental characteristics of a community of scholars. To promote such a learning environment, the university has a special responsibility to seek diversity, to instill a global perspective in its students, and to nurture sensitivity, tolerance, and mutual respect. Discrimination against or harassment of individuals on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, or

5 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 5 disability are inconsistent with the purpose of the university (Texas State University, 2014, p. 7). The Institute has the following goals for its participants: (1) to enhance the understanding of best practice multicultural curriculum teaching strategies; (2) to assist faculty with multicultural curriculum transformation; (3) to provide networking opportunities; (4) to help improve course evaluations (5) to develop department leaders in multicultural curriculum transformation; (6) to promote research and publication in multicultural curriculum; and (7) to help the colleges of Texas State achieve the strategic plan goals (Mayo & Larke, 2013). The annual weeklong training program includes group speakers, self-reflections, group collaboration, and independent research centered on developing cultural competence in the classroom and student diversity. By the end of the training, faculty not only have a greater understanding of multicultural teaching styles and the resources available to them, but also have developed a transformed syllabus for at least one course. To achieve this outcome, an in-depth analysis of previous course content, teaching strategies, assessment, and class interactions is performed, with necessary changes implemented to include more multicultural perspectives. The Institute meets each summer for five full days (8:30am to 4:30pm), though one of the days is offered in an online format for individual study and work. Over the course of the week, participants engage in small group discussions and activities, listen to facilitator presentations, network with other participants and facilitators, and pursue independent study through online readings, journaling, and discussion via an online platform. Following the week-long institute, participants use what they have learned to transform a course to incorporate multicultural content and activities.

6 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 6 The Institute s facilitators provide training and support for the course transformations by providing sample syllabi, examples of classroom activities, and demonstrations of instructional methods that bring greater multiculturalism to an existing course. The Institute relies heavily on the growing body of literature in multicultural education, with particular emphasis on multiculturalism in higher education (Mayo & Larke, 2013). Additional details about the Institute can be found at This particular multicultural curriculum paradigm has been successful at Texas State University since its inception a decade ago. Its universal model, often involving minor content and instructional changes, likely will be beneficial for educational leaders from other regions of the United States and beyond. Multicultural curriculum transformations can assist with preparing faculty and students for living and working in an increasingly diverse society (Mayo & Larke, 2013). Methods Sample The Multicultural Curriculum Transformation was implemented in a school psychology course intended for first-semester students. The course (SPSY 5300) is called Interviewing, Counseling and Consulting in School Psychology. The students (N=11) in the course were given the Multicultural Awareness-Knowledge-Skills Survey, Teacher Edition (MAKSS-T) (D Andrea, Daniels, & Noonan, 1994) before and after taking SPSY Eleven students participated in and received the multicultural course content and completed the survey, resulting in a 100% completion rate. However, one of the pre-test surveys was misplaced, resulting in a final sample of 10 graduate School Psychology

7 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 7 students. The sample was comprised of 1 male (10%) and 9 females (90%). The sample averaged 0 years of experience in the field, as they are new students in a School Psychology preparatory program, although two participants had previous teaching experience. The age range was 22 years to 45 years, and the following ethnicities were reported: 1 Asian-American, 2 Hispanic, 7 Caucasian. Procedures The first author attended the Multicultural Curriculum Transformation and Research Institute (MCTRI) at Texas State University in the summer of The training was a weeklong experience for professors and included group speakers, selfreflections, group collaboration, and independent research centered on developing cultural competence in the classroom. Professors were required to develop a transformed syllabus to reflect a greater understanding of multicultural teaching styles and content. Changes were made to instruction, content, and assessment of student learning. Additional modifications were made to meet the needs of diverse learners (e.g., expanding office hours to accommodate students). The first author implemented the transformed curriculum in the Fall 2013 semester. Examples of changes to the course and syllabus include: Adding or modifying required journal prompts such that 2/3 of prompts include elements of diversity (e.g., We serve culturally and linguistically diverse populations. As a future school psychologist, you ll encounter those of different ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, political views, etc. What are your own experiences with diversity and how do they influence your approach to diversity?

8 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 8 How do you think your approach impacts your work with individuals with diversity? ); Adding the NASP Standards for Graduate Preparation of School Psychologists statement on diversity to the syllabus; Modifying course objectives to enhance multicultural content (e.g., Students will learn how attending and listening skills are used in the development of an individualized education program, taking multicultural factors into account); Explicitly noting in the syllabus that a variety of instructional methods will be used to meet the diverse learning styles of students; Altering assignments to incorporate additional multicultural concepts (e.g., apply the ecological system model to the child you interviewed. Your application of the model should present a clear representation of the key elements of the model and contain specific information about the child s world at all levels, with particular emphasis on cultural factors. Measures The MAKSS-T (D Andrea, Daniels, & Noonan, 1994) is a 41-item, selfadministered survey aimed to assess respondents multicultural awareness, knowledge and skills in educational settings. The personal and professional beliefs and attitudes towards various multiculturalism issues (e.g., ethnocentrism, racism, integration, multicultural education, etc.) are assessed. The construct validity of the MAKSS-T was established through factor analysis, yielding the three factors of knowledge, skills, and awareness (D Andrea, Daniels, & Noonan, 2003). Reliability coefficients for the three scales were strong (Awareness =.73, Knowledge =.86, Skills =.93) and the

9 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 9 intercorrelations of the scales (range =.50 to.62) suggest that the three subscales are related but distinct in terms of the global construct under investigation (i.e., multicultural competency) (p. 163). The survey requires participants to answer each question using a four-choice Likert Scale, where 1=very limited, 2=limited, 3=good, and 4=very good. The MAKSS-T consists of three sections of questions. Section A consists of the Multicultural Awareness Subscale. In this section, participants are required to answer eight questions regarding their awareness and understanding of various multicultural perspectives and situations. Section B consists of the Multicultural Knowledge Subscale. This section requires participants to rate their understanding of 21 various multicultural terms. Section C is the Multicultural Skills Subscale and includes 20 questions that gauge how good the responder perceives his or her skills to be when working with children and families of diverse backgrounds. High scores on the scales are associated with high levels of competency. The present study was granted exemption from the Institutional Review Board because the research was considered to be of minimal risk and participants could not be identified. Each student was assessed anonymously in order to allow for more selfreflection and disclosure of information. Each participant was assigned a number in order to easily align his or her pre- and post-test results. Results The MAKSS-T survey was completed by 11 students enrolled in SPSY 5300 in the fall of 2013 to assess their cultural competencies gained in the areas of Cultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills. One student s results were rendered invalid due to

10 Raw Score MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 10 incompleteness. For analysis, a paired t test of the mean pre- and post-score for each scale of the MAKSS-T was calculated. Here we report the statistical significance of t tests and effect sizes (Cohen s d), with the data displayed in Figure 1. Figure 1 70 MAKSS Survey Results Pre and Post (n=10) Pre Post 0 Awareness Knowledge Skills Scales The first area measured by the MAKSS-T was the Multicultural Awareness Scale, which measured students ability to recognize cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. It also measured students perceptions and understanding about the influence of cultural background on subsequent thoughts and actions. Students gains in cultural awareness were statistically significant (p <.05, t = 3.80, Cohen s d = 1.24). The Knowledge Scale was the second area assessed by the MAKSS-T. This scale measured students understanding of cultural terms. Students gains in cultural knowledge were also statistically significant (p <.05, t = 4.40, Cohen s d = 1.17). The Skills Scale was the

11 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 11 third area evaluated by the MAKSS-T. This scale measured the students ability to effectively work with persons from culturally diverse backgrounds. Students gains were greatest in this area and were statistically significant (p <.05, t = 5.16, Cohen s d = 1.34). This marked progress suggests that the transformed course equipped students with an array of multicultural skills, thus equipping them to work more effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Conclusions and Recommendations The results of this study indicate that first author s participation in the MCTRI helped to significantly increase the cultural competence of students in the SPSY 5300 course during the fall semester of It is therefore reasonable to conclude that instructors participation in professional development activities focused on incorporating multicultural perspectives into their courses has the potential to positively impact graduate students in school psychology programs as well as the diverse children whom these students will serve in the future. While course transformation seems to be a promising means of increasing multicultural competence among graduate students of school psychology, limitations of the practice exist. Culture is a very broad term that carries many meanings and encompasses almost infinite classifications of people. It is impossible for any one instructor to be knowledgeable enough or have sufficient time to fully prepare his or her graduate students for every culturally relevant situation they may encounter in their careers. Additionally, it is difficult to know whether the gains made in competence level during the timespan of a semester-long course truly transfer to the future professional

12 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 12 practices of the graduate students in that course. Follow up interviews with the student participants in this study would provide valuable insight into its long-term effects. Based on the results of this study, trainers of school psychology graduate students are encouraged to consider making changes to course curriculum that allow for a more multicultural perspective in all areas. This can be accomplished through instructor participation in workshops, such as the MCTRI at Texas State University, that allow for the examination and transformation of current course practices. Trainers who do not have access to such programs may wish to advocate for them on their campuses and would likely benefit from reaching out to colleagues who are knowledgeable in the area of multicultural course transformation. As the face of the American student changes, it is essential that mental health professionals in schools equip themselves to serve these children in the most appropriate and meaningful way possible. Multicultural course transformation is one way for trainers of schools psychologists to prepare their graduate students to become the culturally sensitive practitioners that are so essential to the success of students in our schools today. This study has some clear limitations, including the small sample size and lack of a control group. It s certainly possible that students who took the course prior to its transformation would have also seen an increase in multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Were this the case, then the change in scores could not be attributed to the transformation. Even so, an argument can be made for making the multicultural content of a course explicit (Kitano, 1997). A transformed course communicates a set of values, reflects the diversity of faculty, graduate students, and populations served in the schools. Moreover, a transformed course grants us permission and provides us with opportunities

13 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 13 to ask challenging questions and engage in critical conversations about culture, diversity, justice, and fairness. In this regard, transforming a course has the potential to create a culture of multiculturalism, in which students regard diversity not as something that is relegated to a particular course, but rather as a construct that is inherent to the work of all school psychologists.

14 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 14 References D Andrea, M., Daniels, J., & Noonan, M.J. (1994). The multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills survey-teachers form (MAKSS-Form T). Honolulu: University of Hawaii. D Andrea, M., Daniels, J., & Noonan, M.J. (2003). New developments in the assessment of multicultural competence: The Multicultural Awareness-Knowledge-Skills Survey-Teacher Form. In H.L.K. Coleman & R.L. Toporek (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural competencies in counseling and psychology (pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Kitano, M.K. (1997). A rationale and framework for course change. In A.I. Morey & M.K. Kitano (Eds.), Multicultural course transformation in higher education: A broader truth (pp. 1-17). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Lopez, E.C., & Bursztyn, A.M. (2013). Future challenges and opportunities: Toward culturally responsive training in school psychology. Psychology in the Schools, 50, DOI: /pits Mayo, S., Larke, P. J. (2013). Integrating multiculturalism into the curriculum: From the liberal arts to the sciences. New York, NY: Peter Lang. Morey, A. I., & Kitano, M. (1997). Multicultural course transformation in higher education: A broader truth. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Murdock, S.H, Cline, M.E., Zey, M., Wilner Jeanty, P.W., & Perez, D. (2013). Changing Texas:Implications of Addressing or Ignoring the Texas Challenge. College Station, TX: Texas A & M University Press.

15 MULTICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION 15 National Association of School Psychology (2010). Standards for graduate preparation of school psychologists. Retrieved from Paasche-Orlow, M. (2004). The ethics of cultural competence. Academic Medicine, 79, DOI: / Texas Education Agency (TEA) (2012). Pocket edition. Retrieved from Texas State University (2014). Multicultural policy statement. Undergraduate Catalog Retrieved from U.S. Teachers Less Diverse Than Their Students (2014). Retrieved from