Abstract
This study investigated the self-reported multicultural competence of school counselors employed within an urban, socioeconomically blended public school district in the Southern United States (U.S.). Participants completed two instruments: a demographic questionnaire and the Multicultural Counseling Competence and Training Survey-Revised (MCCTS-R; Holcomb-McCoy and Myers 1999). Results revealed that four of ten demographic variables demonstrated significance in relation to self-reported multicultural competence. Future research recommendations include, studying a larger population, incorporating qualitative elements, considering racial identity development in relation to self-reported multicultural competence, and comparing MCCTS-R self-report scores with independent observer ratings of demonstrated multicultural competencies in response to case vignettes or video recorded student-school counselor situations (e.g., individual or group counseling).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria: American Counseling Association Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf.
American School Counselor Association. (2016). Ethical standards for school counselors. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf.
Atkinson, D. R. (2004). Counseling American minorities: A cross-cultural perspective (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Bonilla-Silva, E. (2013). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in the United States (4th ed.). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
BonJour, L. (2010). Epistemology: Classic problems and contemporary responses (2nd ed.). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
Brown, J. D. (1986). Evaluations of self and others: Self-enhancement biases in social judgments. Social Cognition, 4, 353–376.
Case, C. E., Greeley, A. M., & Fuchs, S. (1989). Social determinants of racial prejudice. Sociological Perspectives, 32, 469–483.
Chen, G. (2016). Segregated proms: An ongoing controversy in Georgia. Public School Review. Retrieved from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/segregated-proms-an-ongoing-controversy-in-georgia.
Cohn, D. (2015). Census considers new approach to asking about race—by not using the term at all. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/06/18/census-considers-new-approach-to-asking-about-race-by-not-using-the-term-at-all/.
Colby, S. L., & Ortman, J. M. (2015). Projections of the size and composition of the U.S. population: 2014 to 2060, current population reports (P25–1143). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p25-1143.pdf.
Corbett, L. (2009). Segregated high school proms divide Georgia’s students. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24prom-t.html.
Darder, A., & Torres, R. D. (2004). Racism after multiculturalism. New York: New York University Press.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140.
Franco, C. (2011). Undisclosed locations: Wilcox County’s racially segregated proms. WordPress. Retrieved from https://chereefranco.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/racially-segregated-proms-and-the-approach-of-another-prom-season/.
Franklin, J. H., & Higginbotham, E. B. (2011). From slavery to freedom: A history of African Americans (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Frey, W. H. (2014a). New projections point to a majority-minority nation in 2044. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2014/12/12-majority-minority-nation-2044-frey.
Frey, W. H. (2014b). Diversity explosion: How new racial demographics are remaking America. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
George, D., & Mallery, P. (2003). SPSS for windows step by step: A simple guide and reference. 11.0 update (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Gilroy, P. (1990). Nationalism, history, and ethnic absolutism. History Workshop Journal, 30(1), 114–120.
Grieco, E. M., Acosta, Y. D., de la Cruz, G. P., Gambino, C., Gryn, T., Trevelyan, E. N., & Walters, N. P. (2012). The foreign-born population in the United States: 2010 (American community survey reports: ACS-19). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acs-19.pdf.
Helms, J. E. (1990). Black and white racial identity: Theories, research, and practice. Westport: Greenwood Press.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. C. (2005). Investigating school counselors’ perceived multicultural competence. Professional School Counseling, 8(5), 414–423.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. C., & Myers, J. E. (1999). Multicultural competence and counselor training: A national survey. Journal of Counseling and Development, 77, 294–302.
Johnson, T. D., & Kreider, R. M. (2013). Mapping the geographic distribution of interracial /interethnic married couples in the United States: 2010 (Working Paper No. 2013–19). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/hhes/ socdemo/marriage/data/census/PAA_2013_3713.pdf.
Kertzer, D. I. (1997). Qualitative and quantitative approaches to historical demography. Population and Development Review, 23, 839–846.
King, M., & Bruner, G. (2000). Social desirability bias: A neglected aspect of validity testing. Psychology and Marketing, 17(2), 79–103.
Klin, C. M., Guizman, A. E., & Levine, W. H. (1997). Knowing that you don't know: Metamemory and discourse processing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 23, 1378–1393.
Livingston, G. (2017). Intermarriage in the U.S. 50 years after Loving v. Virginia. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/05/18/ intermarriage-in-the-u-s-50-years-after-loving-v-virginia/.
Lum, D. (1999). Culturally-competent practice: A framework for growth and action. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Mandler, J. M. (1984). Stories, scripts, and scenes: Aspects of schema theory. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Maxwell, L. A. (2014). Education Week: U.S. school enrollment hits majority-minority milestone. Bethesda: Editorial projects in Education Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/20/01demographics.h34.html.
Nissim, M. (2003). Separate proms signal lingering racism. Daily Bruin. Retrieved from http://dailybruin.com/2003/05/26/separate-proms-signal-lingerin/22/.
Oleaga, M. (2014). Immigration numbers update: 13 million Mexicans immigrated to the U.S. in 2013, but Chinese migrants outnumber Latin Americans. [press release]. New York: Latin post Retrieved from https://www.latinpost.com/articles/20628/20140903/immigration-numbers-update-13-million-mexicans-immigrated-2013-chinese-migrants.htm.
Ortman, J. M. (2013). U.S. population projections: 2012 to 2060. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division Retrieved from https://www.gwu.edu/~forcpgm/Ortman.pdf.
Pew Research Center. (2015). Multiracial in America: Proud, diverse and growing in numbers. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center Retrieved from www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/06/11/multiracial-in-america/.
Qian, L., & Lichter, D. T. (2007). Social boundaries and marital assimilation: Interpreting trends in racial and ethnic intermarriage. American Sociological Review, 72, 68–94.
Quinn, O. (1954). The transmission of racial attitudes among white southerners. Social Forces, 33, 41–47.
Ross, G. (2006). Demographics of Georgia: Population Trends and projections to 2030 (FRC Report No. 120). Atlanta: Fiscal Research Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University Retrieved from https://cslf.gsu.edu/files/2014/06/demographics_of_georgia_i_population_in_the_state_of_georgia_trends_and_projections_to_2030.pdf.
Sciarra, D. (1999). Multiculturalism in counseling. Itasca: F.E. Peacock.
Stevens, J. P. (2009). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences (5th ed.). Mahwah: Routledge Academic.
Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2015). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (7th ed.). New York: Wiley.
Tomlinson, J. (1999). Globalization and culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tourangeau, R., Rips, L. J., & Rasinski, K. (2001). The psychology of survey response. New York: Cambridge University Press.
U.S. Census Bureau. (1998). Table 1. Race of Wife by Race of Husband: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1991 and 1992. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/race/interractab1.txt.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2014a). Table 1. Enrollment Status of the Population 3 Years Old and Over, by Sex, Age, Race, Hispanic Origin, Foreign-Born, and Foreign-Born Parentage: 2014. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2014b). Table 8. Enrollment Status for Families with Children 5 to 24 Years Old, by Control of School, Race, Type of Family, and Family Income: 2014. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/ school/data/cps/2014/tables.html.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2014c). Table 7. Enrollment Status of High School Graduates 15 to 24 Years Old, by Type of School, Attendance Status, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2014. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/ school/data/cps/2014/tables.html.
United Nations. (2015a). Trends in international migrant stock: Migrants by destination and origin (United Nations database, POP/DB/MIG/Stock/Rev.2015). New York: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml.
United Nations. (2015b). Table 16. Total migrant stock at mid-year by origin and by major area, region, country or area of destination: 2015 (Source: Trends in international migrant stock: Migrants by destination and origin. United Nations database, POP/DB/ MIG/Stock/Rev.2015). New York: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml.
Wachter, K., Hammel, E., & Laslett, P. (1978). Statistical studies of historical social structure. New York: Academic Press.
Wang, L. (2005). Discrimination by default: How racism becomes routine. New York: New York University Press.
Wang, W. (2012). The rise of intermarriage: Rates, characteristics vary by race and gender. [executive summary]. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http:// www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/02/16/the-rise-of-intermarriage/
Waters, M. (2001). Globalization. London: Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodgers, L., Furcron, C. Multicultural Competence: Exploring the Link between Globalization, Select Demographics, and School Counselors’ Self-Perceptions. Int J Adv Counselling 41, 296–311 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-018-9367-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-018-9367-6