Student ~ f f a i r sCore Competencies: Integrating
Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills
Raechele L. Pope
Amy L. Reynolds
The growing and complex multicultural dynamics of many institutions have necessitated that
student affairs professionals not only be prepared to address multicultural issues but also
acquire the skills necessaly to work effectively
with culturally diverse populations and issues.
In this article selected aspects of the multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills necessaly
for effective student affairs practice are suggested and the training and research implications
of these competencies are addressed.
Addressing multicultural issues has been on the
agenda of many institutions of higher education
for at least the past 3 decades. For almost as long,
higher education has been challenged about the
appropriateness of the services offered to
students of color, White female students, and
other underrepresented or underserved populations. Some critics have expressed concerns
about the ability of higher education to provide
educational services that are relevant, appropriate, and effective for these students (Aldolphus, 1984; Cheatham, 1991; Freeman, 1975;
Katz, 1989; Stabb, Harris, & Talley, 1995;
Wright, 1987). More recently, the creation of
multicultural campuses has increasingly become
one of the stated goals of many leaders within
higher education (Levine & Cureton, 1992).
Development of multicultural campuses has been
focused primarily on increasing the numbers and
visibility of historically underrepresented groups
of students, staff, and faculty, especially people
of color. In addition, campuses have directed
more efforts toward cultivating multiculturally
sensitive and affirming environments that
espouse, through values, activities, and programs,
an appreciation of cultural differences, regardless
of the number of individuals from historically
and traditionally underrepresented groups
(Reynolds & Pope, 1994). Although primary and
secondary education researchers have done some
important work in examining these issues (e.g.,
Banks, 1994; Giroux, 1981;Giroux & McLaren,
1994), student affairs and higher education
researchers must incorporate greater complexity
in their understanding and exploration of
multicultural issues.
Within higher education, student affairs
practitioners have often been called upon to
design and implement multicultural programs and
services on campus (Stabb, Harris, & Talley,
1995). A growing sentiment among student
affairs professionals is that "it is the collective
responsibility of student affairs professionals to
respond more effectively and knowledgeably to
diverse student groups on college campuses"
(McEwen & Roper, 1994, p. 49). Despite this
important role, many student affairs graduate
students and professionals have received little
or no training in multicultural issues (Fried &
Forrest, 1993; Hoover, 1994; McEwen & Roper,
1994; Talbot, 1992). The growing and complex
multicultural dynamics of many institutions
necessitate that student affairs professionals not
only be prepared to address multicultural issues
but also acquire the skills necessary to work
effectively with culturally diverse populations
(Ebbers & Henry, 1990; Wright, 1987).
Some authors within the field of student
affairs have acknowledged the need for concrete
and specific multicultural skills (Ebbers & Henry,
1990; McEwen & Roper, 1994); however, little
has been done to specify core multicultural
competencies. Although the student affairs and
higher education literature lacks specificity
regarding multicultural competencies, the interest
and need for multicultural skills has prompted
some student affairs preparation programs to
incorporate multicultural issues to varying
Raechele L. Pope is Assistant Professor of the Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. Amy L.
Reynolds is Assistant Professsor of Counseling Psychology at Fordham University-Lincoln Center, New York.
266
Journal of College Student Development
Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills
degrees and in various formats (Fried & Forrest,
1993; Talbot, 1992). In this article the authors
will examine the literature from a related field,
counseling psychology, to further the exploration
of the specific multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary for effective student
affairs practice and address the training and
research implications of these competencies.
RELATED LITERATURE
The counseling psychology literature provides
useful models for addressing issues of multicultural competence, education, and training
(McEwen & Roper, 1994). 'Counseling psychology and student affairs literature and training
programs have intersecting histories and some
overlapping professional goals; therefore, using
the counselingpsychology multicultural literature
as a starting place is a reasonable and appropriate
choice for student affairs practitioners.
In 1982 counseling psychologists first
specified what multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills professionals in their field
needed (Sue et al., 1982) and an updated and
expanded version of the 1982 statement was
recently published in 1992 (Sue, Arredondo, &
McDavis ). Counseling psychologists have
continued to expand the depth of their understanding of the multicultural competencies
necessary for effective psychological practice.
In 1993, the American Psychological Association
(APA) sponsored a committee which developed
guidelines for psychological practice with
ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse
populations so that psychologists would have a
"sociocultural framework to consider diversity
of values, interactional styles, and cultural
expectations in a systematic fashion" (p. 45). The
APA committee that established these guidelines
also began developing a book of corresponding
case studies which will illustrate and apply the
various multicultural competencies discussed.
The continually expanding theoretical and
applied literature addressing multicultural
competencies has been accompanied by growing
interest in and development of multicultural
competence research and instrumentation. To
date researchers have developed at least four
multicultural counseling competence assessment
tools, which are currently in various stages of
validation and research (D'Andrea, Daniels, &
Heck, 1991;LaFromboise, Coleman, & Hernandez, 1991;Ponterotto, Rieger, Barrett, & Sparks,
1994; Ponterotto, Rieger, Barrett, Harris, Sparks,
Sanchez, & Magids, 1996; Pope-Davis & Dings,
1995; Sodowsky, Taffe, Gutkin, & Wise, 1994).
Researchers are using these instruments to
evaluate individual multicultural competence as
well as to examine the effectiveness of some
training or educational interventions. Although
these instruments differ somewhat in scope and
content, their underlying constructs overlap to
some extent. More specifically, based on factor
analyses completed for the various instruments,
Pope-Davis and Dings (1995) identified the
following core multicultural competencies:
multicultural awareness and beliefs, multicultural
knowledge, multicultural counseling skills, and
multicultural counseling relationships (i.e.,
relationships between counselors and clients that
focus on the counselors' stereotypes and comfort
levels with clients of different cultural backgrounds). This growing area of research and
the availability of assessment instruments
(a) encourage greater depth and complexity in
the study of multicultural counseling and
(b) provides better tools for training programs.
Although some authors have conducted
research in the area of multicultural issues in
higher education (e.g., Astin, 1992; Fleming,
1984; Levine, 1989; Sedlacek, 1987), much of
that research has been focused on students rather
than student affairs practitioners or faculty.
Higher education professionals, and student
affairs practitioners in particular, must continue
to examine these issues in more extensive and
complex ways that will influence future research
efforts and education and training practices.
STUDENT AFFAIRS CORE
COMPETENCIES
The student affairs literature shows increasing
attention to the core competencies, or general
awareness, knowledge, and skills needed for
efficacious and improved professional practice
(e.g., Barr, 1993; Commission of Professional
Pope & Reynolds
Development [COPA], 1988; Council for the
Advancement of Standards [CAS], 1986, 1992;
Creamer et al., 1992; Delworth & Hanson, 1989;
Komives, 1990; Miller & Winston, 1991).
Although the literature reveals no consensus
about core competencies for student affairs
practitioners, several authors have identified and
described some necessary basic awareness,
knowledge, and skills. Delworth and Hanson
(1989) identified assessment and evaluation,
instruction, consultation, counseling and advising, program development, budgeting, and
managing and using data and information
resources as essential competencies for student
affairs practitioners. Barr (1993) suggested a
more specific list of essential competencies for
middle and upper management, including
program planning, evaluation, outcomes assessment, budgeting and fiscal management, theory
translation, ethical and legal knowledge, conflict
and crisis management, and campus and community relationships. Moore (1985) also identified a specific list of basic competencies that she
believed could be found in any given job
description for student affairs professionals. Her
list included conflict management, group dynarnics, instruction, interviewing, management,
problem solving, self-knowledge, supervision,
resource use, verbal communication and written
communication.
The lists by Barr (1993), Delworth and
Hanson (1989), and Moore (1985) are fairly
extensive and together they describe many of the
core competencies needed for ethical and
effective student affairs practice. Increasingly
student affairs scholars and practitioners have
been calling for the inclusion of multicultural
skills as one of the profession's core competencies (Ebbers & Henry, 1990; Pope, Reynolds,
& Cheatham, 1997; Pounds, 1987). According
to McEwen and Roper (1994), "Institutions are
in need of professionals who are capable of
solving problems, managing diverse environments, delivering effective services to a diverse
student body, and working as part of interracial
work groups" (p. 86). In addition, both the
American College Personnel Association
(ACPA) and the National Association of Student
Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the two
major professional associations for student
affairs professionals, have supported and
encouraged the inclusion of multicultural issues
and skills through their published value statements and strategic initiatives (NASPA, 1987;
Pope, Reynolds, & Cheatham, 1997).
Despite the current lack of consensus
regarding the core competencies for student
affairs work, a strong and compelling need exists
for the profession to become more competency
based (Creamer et al., 1992). identifying student
affairs core competencies and questions involving the assurance of quality student affairs
practice was the task of a study group appointed
by ACPA and NASPA (Creamer et al., 1992).
This study group has recently disbanded;
however, their ensuing dialogues on competency
and quality assurance in college student affairs
will continue to be significant for the profession.
Building on the efforts by Barr (1993),
Creamer et al. (1992), Delworth and Hanson
(1989), and Moore (1985), to detail the various
competencies necessary for effective student
affairs practice, the authors of this article propose
an alternative and somewhat expanded compilation of student affairs competencies:
(a) administrative, management, and leadership
skills (e.g., fiscal management, resource use,
program planning, supervision); (b) theory and
translation skills, (c) helping and interpersonal
skills (e.g., counseling, advising, group dynamics, crisis and conflict management, campus and
community relations); (d) ethical and legal
knowledge and decision-making skills (e.g.,
problem solving, knowledge of ethical standards); (e) training and teaching skills (e.g.,
consultation, workshop presentations, staff
development); (f) assessment and evaluation
skills (e.g., program evaluation, self-study); and
(g) multicultural awareness, knowledge, and
skills (see Figure 1).
The seven competencies in Figure 1 offer a
possible conceptualization of the core abilities
necessary for effective student affairs work.
Although all student affairs practitioners should
have basic awareness, knowledge, and skills in
these seven areas, some professionals will
develop more expertise in a particular area than
what would be described as the basic and
Journal of College Student Development
Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge. and Skills
FIGURE 1.
Student affairs core competencies.
expected competence. The possibility of differential competence levels is illustrated in
Figure 1 by the inclusion of a numerical rating
scale within each competency area. For example,
if 15 or 20 points on Figure 1 were considered
the basic competence level for a student affairs
professional, then expertise might be viewed as
that knowledge and those abilities occurring at
30 points or more. This conceptualization or
numerical rating scale is not connected to any
measurement instrument; the numbers within the
basic competencies are meant solely to illustrate
that individuals may vary in their levels of
competency and expertise. Although not all
student affairs practitioners will become multicultural experts, they need to acquire basic
multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills
to work effectively with individuals who differ
from them culturally.
Multicultural competence constitutes a
unique category of awareness, knowledge, and
skills necessary for effective student affairs work.
These competencies may assist student affairs
practitioners in creating multiculturally sensitive
and affirming campuses. However, multicultural
competencies also should be integrated into the
other core competencies. The open hub at the
center of Figure 1 exemplifies the dynamic and
fluid relationship between the proposed core
competencies. For example, knowledge of
student development theory ideally would
include the research and literature that examines
the experiences of students of color. Helping and
interpersonal skills also might include an
understanding of the different communication
styles of men and women. Another illustration
of multicultural competence involves the administrative and management area. Multicultural
competence in a management context requires
use of the broadest and most inclusive definitions
Pope & Reynolds
of effective management and leadership to guard
against cultural bias in understanding what
constitutes a "good" manager or "successful"
leader (Astin et al., 1995; Cox, 1993; Jamieson
& O'Mara, 1991; Pope, 1995). For example, in
the United States, the dominant culture values
and rewards assertion, analytic skills, and
independence as effective leadership traits (Cox,
1993; Kanter, 1977), whereas some other
cultures or groups may reward and emphasize
cooperation and consensus as the hallmarks of
effective leadership (Astin & Leland, 1991;Cox,
1993; Griggs, 1983; Pope, 1995). Although none
of these leadership traits are more efficacious by
themselves, cultural bias or assumptions may
encourage some supervisors to overlook or
diminish those characteristics that the dominant
culture does not endorse.
MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCIES IN
STUDENT AFFAIRS
-
As Sue et al. (1982) and others (e.g., Casas,
Ponterotto, & Gutierrez, 1986; Pedersen, 1988;
Sue et al., 1992) proposed for the counseling
profession, the authors assert that multicultural
competence is a necessary prerequisite to
effective, affirming, and ethical work in student
affairs. Multicultural competence in student
affairs may be defined as the awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to work effectively and
ethically across cultural differences (see Sue et
al., 1982 and Pedersen, 1988 for further exploration of this tripartite model of multicultural
counseling competence). These three core areas
constitute the scope of multicultural competence.
Table 1 contains some possible requisite
components within each core area. The authors
created this partial listing of characteristics after
thoroughly reviewing the multicultural literature
in both higher education and counseling psychology. The initial listing contained 43 items,
but a review for redundancy and clarity yielded
a revised list of 36 items. The authors conducted
independent sortings (a technique that entailed
dividing each of the 36 items into one the three
categories) to determine if the 36 items would
be placed in the same awareness, knowledge, and
skill categories. Following the sort procedure,
270
the authors presented the items at several daylong workshops on multicultural issues for
student affairs practitioners. The workshop
participants expressed support for the items and
generally thought they were clear and well
worded with three exceptions. Finally, the authors
conducted a focus group of graduate students
who were members of a research team working
on multicultural research. The focus group
basically concurred with the workshop participants. Following the focus group, the authors
eliminated and reworded several others.
Specifying the characteristics necessary for
inulticultural competence helps student affairs
professionals understand the range of behaviors
and attitudes necessary for multicultural competence. Such a listing is particularly important
because no instrument exists currently within
student affairs to measure one's level of multicultural competence. This multicultural listing
offers student affairs some of the specificity and
multicultural content that an instrument, if
available, could bring to the profession. Awareness of these diverse components can allow
professionals to assess the development of their
own multicultural competencies or the awareness, knowledge, and skills of someone they are
supervising.
. Multicultural awareness consists of the
attitudes, beliefs, values, assumptions, and selfawareness necessary to serve students who are
culturally different from oneself (Pedersen,
1988). Individuals may have an inaccurate or
inappropriate awareness of culture (i.e., stereotypes, biases); those false attitudes and assumptions must be changed before multicultural
development can continue (Pedersen, 1988;
Pope-Davis & Dings, 1985; Sue et al., 1982).
Multicultural knowledge consists of the information individuals have about various cultuies.
For the individuals who have inaccurate,
incomplete, or biased knowledge about various
cultures, that information base must be corrected
or completed before multicultural development
can proceed (Pedersen, 1988; Sue et al., 1992).
Multicultural skills allow for effective and
meaningful interaction such as seeking consultation as necessary with people who differ
from them culturally (Pope-Davis & Dings,
Journal of College Student Development
Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and SkilLr
TABLE 1.
Characteristics of a Multiculturally Competent Student Affairs Practitioner
Awareness
- -AMulticultural
belief that differences are
l
Multicultural Skills
Multicultural Knowledge
~ l u a b l and
e that learning about
athers who are culturally different
is necessary and rewarding.
Knowledge of diverse cultures and
oppressed groups (i.e., history,
traditions, values, customs.
resources. issues).
Ability to identity and openly
discuss cultural differences and
issues.
A willingness to take risks and see
them as necessary and important
for personal and professional
lnformation about how change
occurs for individual values and
behaviors.
Ability to assess the impact of
cultural differences on
communication and effectively
communicate across those
differences.
M a l change, and combating
depression.
Knowledge about the ways that
cultural differences affect verbal
and nonverbal communication.
Capability to empathize and
genuinely conned with individuals
who are culturally different from
themselves.
in the value and
significance of their own cultural
heritage and world vlew as a
starting place for understanding
others who are culturally different
,from them
Knowledge about how gender,
class, race and ethnicity, language,
nationality, sexual orientation, age,
religion or spirituality, disability,
and ability affect individuals and
their experiences.
Ability to incorporate new learning
and prior learning in new
situations.
Information about culturally
appropriate resources and how to
make referrals.
Ability to gain the trust and respect
of individuals who are culturally
different from themselves.
t
r
A personal commitment to justice.
openness to change and belief
change is necessary and
lnformation about the nature of
institutional oppression and power.
I
Capability to accurately assess
their own multicultural skills.
comfort level, growth, and
development.
Ability to differentiate between
individual differences, cultural
differences, and universal
similariiies.
Ability to challenge and support
individuals and systems around
oppression Issues in a manner that
optimrzes multicultura\
intervent~ons.
hat cultural diffe
to interfere with
impact on identity and self-esteem.
Ability to make individual, group,
and institutional multicultural
interventions.
and sensitivity to make more
culturally sensitive and appropriate
interventions.
I
Pope & Reynolds
1995). According to Pedersen (1988), "Skill is
based both on awareness and on knowledge to
bring about appropriate and effective change in
multicultural situations7' (p.107).
The development of multicultural awareness,
knowledge, and skills is "a continuing and
unending process that requires learning and
relearning" (Pedersen, 1988, p. 107). The first
step toward multicultural competence is to assess
honestly and thoroughly one's level of multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skill. This
information can help determine what activities,
exercises, and experiences are needed to enhance
one's level of multicultural sensitivity and skills.
If, in conducting a self-assessment of their levels
of multicultural competence, student affairs
practitioners discover that they need to upgrade
their abilities, then they might establish specific
learning goals and develop detailed learning
plans to increase their competence level.
The tripartite model of multicultural competencies is an important heuristic tool for
helping individuals develop the necessary
awareness, knowledge, and skills to work
effectively with individuals who are culturally
different from themselves. Although Table 1 may
help specify the range of attitudes and behaviors
necessary for one to be multiculturally competent, Reynolds (1995b) created a more
parsimonious list of multicultural competencies.
She identified seven competencies for student
affairs professionals: (a) an appreciation and
knowledge of the history, current needs,
strengths, and resources of communities and
individuals who historically have been underserved and underrepresented; (b) an awareness
of one's own biases and cultural assumptions;
(c) c~ntent'knowled~e
about culturally related
termsand concepts such as worldview, acculturation, and identity development; (d) the ability
to use that knowledge and awareness to make
more culturally sensitive and appropriate
interventions; (e) an accurate self-assessment of
one's multicultural skills and comfort level; (0 an
awareness of the interpersonal process that
occurs within a multicultural dyad; and (g) an
awareness of the cultural assumptions underlying
the helping process.
IMPLICATIONS OF MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCIES IN STUDENT AFFAIRS
Identifying the multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary for student affairs
practitioners is important; however, this level of
competence must be integrated into the work of
student affairs. The multicultural competencies
identified in Table 1 have significant education,
training, and research implications that invite
further specification and exploration.
Education and Training Implications
Most student affairs preparation programs and
the standards used to guide those programs (e.g.,
CAS.) are curriculum based rather than competency based. A curriculum based approach
suggests or prescribes specific courses and
content areas, whereas a competency-based
approach focuses on behavioral outcomes that
result fi-om exposure to specific content areas,
courses, and experiential activities (e.g., supervised practica). The authors do not suggest that
preparation programs move to a solely competency-based model, but rather that preparation
programs also include an emphasis on assisting
students develop multicultural competence,
because working with students who are culturally
diverse from oneself requires an examination of
essential knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes.
For student affairs professionals to become
more multiculturally competent, preparation
programs and student affairs divisions may need
to more actively explore multicultural issues in
student affairs and higher education. This might
require further incorporation of multicultural
content into coursework and training of new
professionals. In addition, supervised practica
and other experiential activities are necessary to
provide opportunities for students to practice
skills and receive feedback as they develop these
new competencies. To improve training in this
area, the multicultural education and training
literature, research, and resources in student
affairs must expand. McEwen and Roper (1994)
presented an impressive attempt to integrate
multicultural resources and references into
student affairs teaching and training. These
resources offer some content that student affairs
professionals can use to increase the multicultural
Journal of College Student Development
Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills
knowledge and awareness of students and
employees within their programs or departments.
Likewise, Manning (1994) suggested additional
perspectives that can be incorporated in the
training and education of student affairs professionals. The items specified in Table 1 could
be another important resource. This listing could
provide more specificity and understanding to
assist student affairs preparation programs,
departments, and offices in their multicultural
training and evaluation efforts.
Future student affairs professionals learn.
about the profession and higher education in
general through student affairs preparation
programs; therefore, these programs must include
multicultural training. Faculty can structure and
infuse multicultural learning into a student affairs
preparation program in multiple ways. Copeland
(1982) identified several multicultural program
designs within the counseling profession:
(a) separate courses; (b) an area-of-concentration
model; (c) an interdisciplinary approach; and
(d) an integration model. These program designs, .
in addition to the workshop and traditional
program designs specified by Ridley, Mendoza,
& Kanitz (1994), and Reynolds (1995a), offer a
wide array of choices for program faculty to
consider when deciding how to incorporate
multicultural issues into the cumculum.
The Multicultural Change Intervention
Matrix (MCIM), developed by Pope (1993), is
an example of an alternative conceptual model,
created from a higher education and organizational perspective that can be used in any
educational environment as a means of infusing
multicultural sensitivity and content. The MCIM
is based on the concepts of systemic planned
change and multicultural organization development (MCOD) principles, which provide a
framework for understanding the range of
multicultural interventions and activities that may
be used to address multicultural issues (Pope,
1993, 1995). The MCIM offers an alternative
framework in which to conceptualize multicultural training. It emphasizes change at
individual, group, and institutional levels which
some argue is necessary to truly infuse multiculturalism into an academic program (LaFromboise
& Foster, 1992; Reynolds, 1995a). Program
faculty can use the MCIM to design the goals
and activities of an individual course ,or restructure an entire curriculum. Faculty might first
use this matrix as a tool to conceptualize and
assess the type and level of existing multicultural
training in a student affairs preparation program.
Once the initial assessment was complete, faculty
could identify what types of training are typically
missing and what can be done to expand and
enhance their multicultural initiatives.
According to Pope (1993), use of a systemic
method like the MCIM to create multicultural
change may help student affairs practitioners'not
only set necessary goals but also identify
appropriate implementation methods. Providers
of multicultural training offered in counseling
and student affairs programs typically focus
solely on changing individual students, without
examining whether the faculty or the program
itself also might need to change. Examination of
the targets and levels of multicultural training
provides the basis for effective interventions to
help create multiculturally competent adrninistrators and counselors.
Student affairs faculty and practitioners may
need additional training in the form of continuing
education workshops, extensive examination of
the literature, and multiculturally oriented
supervision to help them develop greater
multicultural competence. In addition to examining the curriculum and current training practices
as identified previously, the profession needs to
develop effective continuing education programs
and delivery systems to reach the goal of
multicultural competence (McEwen & Roper,
1994; Pope, Reynolds, & Cheatham, in press).
Furthermore, the profession must incorporate
multicultural competencies, as part of the core
competencies of student affairs work, into the
performance evaluations of students and employees. The student affairs profession must not
just teach multicultural material; student and
employee evaluations must include levels of
multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills,
to ensure that all students are being served
effectively.
Research Implications
Research that explores the area of multicultural
Pope & Reynolds
competence and the multicultural training of
student affairs professionals is urgently needed.
Such research efforts will expand the awareness
and skills of student affairs professionals so they
can effectively work with historically underserved and underrepresented groups. Until this
type of research is more readily available,
preparation program faculty and student affairs
supervisors will be unable to determine whether
their multicultural training and educational
efforts have been successful. According to
Ebbers and Henry (1990), "It is time that student
affairs administrators, their staff, and representatives from academic departments become
involved jointly with evaluating the cultural
competence of campus programs and personnel"
(p. 320).
Specific and measurable multicultural
competencies are vital to the success of research
efforts in this area. Within the counseling
psychology literature, the empirical support for
the tripartite model of multicultural competence
(i.e., awareness, knowledge, and skills) has not
equaled the support for the theoretical notion of
a tripartite model (Pope-Davis, & Dings, 1995).
According to Ponterotto, Rieger, Barrett, and
Sparks (1994), researchers must complete more
empirical work before professionals can fully
understand the nature of the multicultural
competency construct. Initial psychometric
evidence has been mixed across several different
multicultural competency instruments within
counseling psychology (Ponterotto, Rieger,
Barrett, & Sparks, 1994; Pope-Davis & Dings,
1995). For example, some findings have indicated that measuring multicultural awareness
may be particularly challenging,possibly because
some meastues may not adequately assess the
multicultural awareness developed in coursework
and workshops or because "awareness is a more
individually based variable than knowledge or
skills requiring more explicit attention on the part
of the trainers" (Pope-Davis, Reynolds, Dings,
& Ottavi, 1995, p. 469). Regardless of the
specific constructs used, researchers must define
and measure them in concrete, behavior-oriented,
specific terms. Multiple research methods (e.g.,
surveys, analogs, case studies, qualitative
interviews) not only will better inform an
understanding of multicultural education and
training efforts but also will help professionals
further define the construct of multicultural
competence (Ponterotto, Rieger, Barrett, &
Sparks, 1994).
After defining the constructs, researchers
need to develop some instrumentation to aid in
multicultural training and evaluation of student
affairs professionals and to measure the current
multicultural competence level of student affairs
practitioners. The profession needs to understand
how well it is doing in the area of multicultural
competence. With a baseline established, the
profession will be able to identify deficit areas
and develop program goals and objectives for
improvement (Ebbers & Henry, 1990). Outcome
assessment efforts can be used to evaluate the
effectiveness of specific multicultural training
efforts. More information is needed about what
types of teaching and training tools and interventions are most effective in increasing the
multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills
of student affairs graduate students and practitioners. Research efforts will be an important
part of creating the understanding and knowledge
base necessary to develop multicultural sensitivity and effectivenesswithin student affairs. For
example, a research project that defines and
assesses multicultural competencies in student
affairs is under way (Pope, 1994). This project,
using a multifaceted design, involves the creation
of a valid, reliable instrument that will assist the
student affairs profession in its efforts to further
refine its understanding of the multicultural
competencies necessary for efficacious practice.
In addition, the profession may eventually use
this assessment tool to assess its current multi. cultural education and training efforts. However,
creating and validating an assessment instrument
often requires several years and numerous studies
before the instrument is ready for widespread use
for anything other than strictly research purposes.
For example, although within counseling psychology several psychologists simultaneously
began the process of creating instruments to
assess multicultural counseling competence in the
early 1990s (D7Andrea,Daniels, & Heck, 1991;
LaFromboise, Coleman, & Hernandez, 1991;
Ponterotto, Sanchez, & Magids, 1991; Sodow-
Journal of College Student Development
Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills
sky, Taffe, Gutkin, & Wise, 1994), a review of
the literature appears to indicate that the primary
use of these instruments is additional research
and validation studies.
SUMMARY
Although student affairs practitioners have
addressed multicultural issues on campuses for
at least the last 30 years, the profession has done
little to ensure that these practitioners have
developed the necessary knowledge, awareness,
and skills to work effectively with students who
are culturally different from them. As ~ollege
campuses become increasingly diverse, multicultural competence has become a requisite core
competency area for ethical and efficacious
practice.
Correspondence concerning this article should be
addressed to Raechele L. Pope, Teachers College,
Columbia University, 525 W. 120th Street, Box 101,
New York, NY 10027; telephone 2 12-678-3750;
rlpl2@columbia.edu
Pope & Reynolds
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