The Impact of an Introduction to Social Work Class on the Cultural Competency of Undergraduate Students in the College of Social and Behavioral Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The present study examined the development of intercultural competency (ICC) among a group of university students in an undergraduate course, Introduction to Social Work. Clemens (2016) found that after taking a semester-long undergraduate course, “Cultural Diversity Practice,” in a social work program increased student cultural competence scores significantly. Faculty members want to prepare students to use their cultural competence to further their professional capacity. Investigators considered (ICC) as “the capability to accurately understand and adapt behavior to cultural difference and commonality” (Hammer and Bennett, 2010). The study responded to this research question: How does the ICC of undergraduate students change during their experiences in the introduction to social work course? Investigators used the Intercultural Development Inventory, developed by Hammer and Bennett (1998, 2001), based on Bennett\u27s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (1986), which identified five orientations toward cultural differences: denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, and adaptation. Previously collected data from undergraduate students enrolled in a Human Relations course between 2010 and 2018 was used for comparison. Additional data was collected at the beginning and the conclusion of the 16-week course, introduction to social work, in order to measure changes that occurred possibly as a result of the course experiences. Researchers expect that the engagement in a culturally informative course will yield improved ICC scores for each participant. The results of this study will help determine the efficacy of teaching methods used by the instructors to develop ICC