Effective Strategies for Teaching Cultural Competency to MSW Students in a Global Society

An ethical mandate of the social work profession in the United States is that BSW and MSW graduates are sufficiently prepared to both understand diverse cultural values and beliefs and offer services that are culturally sensitive and relevant to clients. This skill set is particularly important for social workers in the 21st Century, given the increasing globalization of the U.S. and world. The purpose of this paper is to outline a pedagogical model for teaching cultural competency that resulted in a significant increase in cultural competency for MSW graduates at Western Kentucky University (WKU). More specifically, this model is predicated on five specific culturally sensitive principles and activities that were found to be highly effective in conveying culturally relevant knowledge and skills to MSW students at WKU. Future studies can assess the effectiveness of these principles in other MSW programs across the U.S. and abroad.

Authors:

• W. Jay Gabbard
• Saundra H. Starks
• Jeremiah Jaggers
• Amy C. Cappiccie

Keywords:

• Cultural Competence
• Social Work
• Teaching

References:

[1] Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of
freedom. New York: Routledge.
[2] Rothman, J. C. (2008). Cultural competence in process and practice:
Building bridges. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
[3] Westbrooks, K., & Starks, S. H. (2001). Strengths perspective inherent in
cultural empowerment: A tool for assessment with African American
individuals and families. In R. Fong & S. Furuto (Eds.), Culturally
competent practice: Skills, interventions, and evaluations (pp. 101-118).
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
[4] National Association of Social Workers (1996). Code of ethics of the
National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
[5] West, C. (2001). Race matters. New York: Vintage Books.
[6] Winkleman, M. (2005). Cultural awareness, sensitivity, & competence.
Peosta, IA: Eddie Bowers Publishing.
[7] National Association of Social Workers (2003). Social work speaks
(2003-2006). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
[8] Barker, R. L. (1998). The social work dictionary (4th ed). Washington,
DC: NASW Press.
[9] National Association of Social Workers (2007). Indicators for the
achievement of the NASW standards for cultural competence in social
work practice. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
[10] Devore, W., & Schlesinger, E. (1991). Ethnic-sensitive social work
practice (3rd ed). New York: Merrill.
[11] Fong, R., & Furuto, S. (Eds.). (2001). Culturally competent practice:
Skills, interventions, and evaluations. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
[12] Green, J. W. (1999). Cultural awareness in the human services: A multiethnic
approach. (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
[13] Johnson, M., & Dunbar, E. (2005). Culturally relevant social work
practice in diverse rural communities. In L. Ginsberg (Ed.), Social work
in rural communities (pp. 349-365). Alexandria, VA: CSWE Press.
[14] Hutchison, E. (2008). Dimensions of human behavior: Person and
environment (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.