A PILOT STUDY OF CROSS-CULTURAL IMMERSION AS A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH FOR TEACHING CULTURAL COMPETENCE

A PILOT STUDY OF CROSS-CULTURAL IMMERSION AS A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH FOR TEACHING CULTURAL COMPETENCE Problem: Cultural differences between social workers and clients impede effective helping. The CSWE requires accredited social work programs to provide effective cross-cultural learning opportunities. Objectives: This study examined cross-cultural immersion as a pedagogical approach for cultural competence compared to the usual instructional method in terms of awareness, knowledge, and skills. Design: Employing a quasi-experimental nonequivalent comparison group design, the study measured the effectiveness of cross-cultural immersion experiences by comparing two groups of students. The comparison group (n=6) received instruction as usual through didactic teaching methods and on-campus cross-cultural experiences. The intervention group (n=12) had ten hours of off-campus cross-cultural immersion experiences with didactic teaching methods. Baseline and posttest surveys were administered online. Setting: Participants were undergraduate students enrolled in a fifteen week Social Work course. Measures: Demographic information was gathered pre-intervention. A modified Multicultural Awareness Knowledge and Skills Survey (MAKSS) was used to determine level of cultural competence pre- and post-intervention. Data Analysis: T-tests were used to test whether the groups were equal on pretest scores and socio-demographic characteristics. Experimental and comparison groups were compared by outcomes of three subscales of MAKSS using T-tests. Linear regressions were conducted to determine if overall MAKSS scores differed between the groups when controlling for pre-intervention scores. Findings: Overall MAKSS scores revealed effectiveness of both instructional methods. The intervention group had significantly higher skills scores than the comparison group. Groups did not differ on knowledge, awareness, and total MAKSS. Conclusion: Despite high attrition, preliminary results offer promising considerations for social work education