Cultural responsiveness of Tennessee school counselors : an exploration of perceptions of multicultural counseling competence regarding racially and/or ethnically diverse students

In this study, the researcher explored self-reported multicultural counseling competence of licensed and practicing Tennessee school counselors. The researcher used the multicultural counseling competence and training survey-revised (MCCTS-R) to identify school counselors’ self-reported multicultural counseling competence. Participants in this study were employed in various levels of school settings across the State of Tennessee. Participants reported working in each region of the state: east, middle, and west. The response rate of 8.25% represented 280 participants, and, as a result, was a limitation of this study. The multicultural counseling competency of the school counselors as identified by the MCCTS-R served as the dependent variable. The independent variables included the demographic factors such as school community setting, school level, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation status of school counselor education programs, and membership in a professional counseling organization. Comparative and descriptive statistics were used to evaluate participants’ responses to the survey. Results of this study were analyzed and indicated that there were no significant differences between multicultural counseling competence (MCC) and school community setting, school level, and CACREP accredited school counselor education programs compared to non-CACREP accredited school counselor education programs. However, results indicated a significant difference between school counselors who have membership in a professional counseling organization compared to those who do not