Theoretical Foundations and Classroom Strategies for Increasing Students’ Cultural Awareness

A Developmental Focus

Abstract

This paper presents a three-step approach to increasing cultural competence in undergraduates enrolled in a semester-long course in Global Awareness.  Step 1 consisted of the premise that effective educational efforts for this goal must combine a sound theoretical foundation of cultural awareness with a thorough understanding of the developmental characteristics of this age group.  Step 2 consisted of a series of intentional, interactive, activities (e.g., discussion, readings, interactive exercises, videos, etc.) that were employed for nine weeks to help students process these theoretical perspectives and connect them to various topics related to identity and cultural competence (e.g., cultural dimensions, identity statuses, TCKs, stereotype threat, etc.).  Step 3 involved the culminating high-impact activity of an 8-week virtual exchange program (Soliya Connect) that provided students with the opportunity to meet peers from other countries and discuss cultural competence, current social issues, and world events from various cultural perspectives. Throughout the course, we explicitly focused on strengthening students’ ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from their own. We assessed cultural competence at the beginning and at the end of the semester with an American adaptation of the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist that was initially created with funding from the Canadian government. Results indicated a statistically significant increase in cultural competence from pre-test to post-test assessment.  These results support the use of this comprehensive 3-step approach of employing intentional and explicit strategies to increase the cultural competence in undergraduates.