Cultural Diversity Education Research Articles

Paramedic Education and Training on Cultural Diversity: Conventions Underpinning Practice

Clinical skills form the basis of paramedic education and training, but the broader cultural context presents an even greater challenge to the quality of paramedic and health professional practice. Since the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the development of initiatives at international, national, state and professional levels have progressively responded to the growing demand for culturally responsive health care within the rising cultural milieu. In the paramedic context, these initiatives provide strong support for paramedics to take action and champion this advance in an increasingly multicultural society. Wide-ranging initiatives represent a hierarchy of knowledge which not only underpin the importance of teaching cultural diversity in paramedic education, but offer a sound rationale for advancing culturally responsive care to incorporate ‘best practice principles’ in paramedic practice. More importantly, acceptance of these initiatives pays heed to and respects culturally diverse patients. The lack of a readily accessible single compendium in the area of culturally responsive health care in paramedic education or practice validates the need for this paper, which extracts information from relevant and significant declarations, conventions and guidelines at international, national and state levels and thus, serves as a resource for paramedics and other health professionals. The objectives of this compendium are to present the range of initiatives which underpin cultural diversity education and practice for paramedics, and to highlight the need of an awareness of these for all health professionals.

Stakeholder views regarding cultural diversity teaching outcomes: a qualitative study.

BackgroundCultural diversity teaching is increasingly present in both undergraduate and postgraduate training programmes. This study explored the views of stakeholders in medical education about the potential outcomes of cultural diversity teaching and how they thought cultural diversity programmes might be effectively evaluated.MethodsA semi-structured interview was undertaken with 61 stakeholders (including policymakers, diversity teachers, students and users). The data were analysed and themes identified.ResultsMany participants felt that clinical practice was improved through 'cultural diversity teaching' and this was mostly as a result of improved doctor-patient communication. There was a strong view that service users need to participate in the evaluation of outcomes of cultural diversity teaching.ConclusionThere is a general perception, rather than clear evidence, that cultural diversity teaching can have a positive effect on clinical practice. Cultural diversity teaching needs to be reviewed in undergraduate and postgraduate medicine and better evaluation tools need to be established.

Factors Influencing Minority Studentsʼ Choice of Physical Therapist Education Programs

Background and Purpose. The physical therapy profession does not reflect the racial and cultural diversity of the United States. It is necessary for education programs to focus on improving recruitment of minority applicants to address the shortage of minority physical therapists and to reap the educational benefits of a diverse student population. The purpose of this study was to analyze factors influencing minority student choice of professional (entry-level) physical therapist education programs. Subjects. The participants included students enrolled in the first professional year of an accredited physical therapist education program. Methods. A survey instrument was developed based on literature and interviews with physical therapist students and faculty members. Face and content validity were acceptable. Using a 5-point Likert scale, subjects rated the influence of 51 items on their selection of a specific physical therapist education program. Stratified random cluster sampling was applied to select 66 professional physical therapy programs from a population of 150. Results. The return rate was 66%. Results indicated subjects identifying themselves as minority ranked 3 categories higher than nonminority students when selecting a physical therapist education program: (a) cost of the program; (b) ethnic, cultural, and gender considerations; and (c) physical therapist education program faculty. Discussion and Conclusion. Factors influencing minority student program choice differ from those influencing nonminority students. Physical therapist education program administrators may use the results of the study to develop recruitment programs focusing on minority applicants. Key Words: Minority, Physical therapy, College choice. INTRODUCTION The importance of cultural diversity in education and professional practice is emphasized by various health professions, including physical therapy. Programs in medicine, nursing, and allied health strive to recruit minority students to improve workforce diversity and to more accurately reflect national racial and cultural variances.1-5 However, the majority of physical therapist students and practitioners remain disproportionately Caucasian in comparison to the population of the United States. Recruitment of minority applicants to the nation's physical therapist education programs is the first step in providing minority physical therapists to an increasingly diverse population. The purpose of this study was to analyze factors influencing choice of professional (entry-level) physical therapist education programs by minority students. The study built upon the questionnaire by Ancrum-Smalls and colleagues,6 who surveyed physical therapist students but did not report results related to minority students. The hypothesis of the current study was that factors influencing minority students differ from factors influencing nonminority students. Review of the Literature The effects of the shortage of minority health care providers are far-reaching. The limited number of skilled minority health care professionals adversely affects the quality and availability of health care in minority communities.7,8 Increasing the number of minority health care providers potentially improves access to health care in underserved areas, where certain disabilities are more prevalent among minorities.9,10 Studies show minority health care workers are more likely to provide care in underserved areas, including the inner city and rural areas, and tend to provide services to patients with racial or ethnic backgrounds similar to their own.11-15 In addition to improving access to health care, minority health care professionals have a role in improving the effectiveness of care. Minority health care professionals may be better able to communicate with other minority groups and are usually more sensitive to the needs of other cultures.11,12,16,17 Ultimately, lack of minority health care providers may hinder minority patients' adherence, participation, and cooperation in rehabilitative programs, thus reducing effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. …

Liberal feminism, cultural diversity and comparative education

For multiculturalists who favour a relativist approach, globalization and the increasing interconnectedness of societies pose a threat to cultural diversity. In this paper we show, through an exploration of the work of Martha Nussbaum, that a viable universalist feminism can accommodate a thin and so defensible version of multiculturalism. Nussbaum's treatment of culture in relation to women's education and the cultivation of capacities for world citizenship fosters inclusion of norms and traditions from different ways of life, while leaving room for a critical perspective on them. On these grounds, there is considerable scope for cooperation between comparative education and feminist philosophy's liberal theorists.

The Good, the Bad. and the Ugly: A Teaching Innovation to Help Students Develop Cultural Competence

Cultural competence in practice requires that social workers critically investigate their own beliefs and biases as they influence interactions with supervisors, co-workers, and clients. The literature on cultural competence and diversity education describes a variety of teaching methods (e.g., passive, reflective, active-learning, and immersion activities) to help social work students develop the skills and knowledge to undertake this critical investigation. This article describes the “Good, Bad, and Ugly” exercise—an innovative, in-class exercise that complements and builds on these teaching methods by having students practice critiquing their writing, and the writing of their peers, for bias and prejudices. Examples of student writing and critique are presented, along with feedback from students and reflections from the instructor. The article also includes the proposed writing assignment, guidelines for students, and suggestions for instructors who want to use the exercise in their courses. The assignment seemed simple: write a paper about an oppressed population of which you are not a member. After all, we had just spent three weeks discussing discrimination and oppression. Yet, when I am sitting and grading these papers, I am appalled by their widespread use of harmful stereotypes (e.g., “persons with disabilities are either ashamed or angry about their disabilities”) and demeaning attitudes (e.g., “homeless women lack the resources to become better people”). I keep wondering if they remembered that I was actually the person who would be reading their papers! Weren't they listening in class?

Perceived Needs and Interests of Juveniles Held in Preventive Detention

ABSTRACTThe current study assesses the perceived needs and interests of juveniles held in preventive detention. The study involved 70 juveniles assigned to residential units at a juvenile detention facility. Juveniles were administered a written questionnaire that requested both quantitative and qualitative responses to items related to juveniles' perceived needs and interests. Frequency tests were performed to determine which perceived needs and interests are most and least pronounced among detained juveniles. The areas of need most commonly cited by detained juveniles were learning how to make better choices, learning more about computers, and learning to control anger better. Juveniles expressed an interest in most activities, with children versus staff contests, cultural diversity education, learning new board games and card games, doing arts and crafts, and taking care of a pet being the most popular items. In order to ensure that programs are helpful and enjoyable for detained youth, detention staff members should tailor programs and activities to the perceived needs and interests identified in the current study.

Effective Schooling is Being Culturally Responsive

Instead of providing some ‘quick fix’ prescriptive recipes to education for culturally diverse school populations, this paper would argue instead in favour of the necessity to embrace a philosophy and practice of culturally responsive education in all schools. Effective education for cultural diversity is thus viewed in terms of successful classroom practices where all students are sensitively accommodated and thus learn successfully. Effective education is particularly directed and relevant to the specific and unique learning needs of all students. Theoretical consideration of culturally responsive schooling is relatively simple, but the practical implementation thereof often gives rise to fundamental challenges and problems. With the required empathetic understanding, knowledge and skills, which should be addressed in teacher training, teachers can make an exceptional contribution towards creating equal education opportunities for all children within a culturally diverse society. To ensure this, an accommodative, appreciative and a responsive approach to the reality of cultural diversity is of utmost importance.

Effective Schooling is Being Culturally Responsive

Instead of providing some ‘quick fix’ prescriptive recipes to education for culturally diverse school populations, this paper would argue instead in favour of the necessity to embrace a philosophy and practice of culturally responsive education in all schools. Effective education for cultural diversity is thus viewed in terms of successful classroom practices where all students are sensitively accommodated and thus learn successfully. Effective education is particularly directed and relevant to the specific and unique learning needs of all students. Theoretical consideration of culturally responsive schooling is relatively simple, but the practical implementation thereof often gives rise to fundamental challenges and problems. With the required empathetic understanding, knowledge and skills, which should be addressed in teacher training, teachers can make an exceptional contribution towards creating equal education opportunities for all children within a culturally diverse society. To ensure this, an accommodative, appreciative and a responsive approach to the reality of cultural diversity is of utmost importance.

‘I'm Not White’: Anti-Racist Teacher Education for White Early Childhood Educators

Conceptualising and implementing early childhood teacher education for racial and cultural diversity is a complex task that involves learning about social stratification and race, acknowledging the privileges associated with whiteness, and finding ways to create positive racial teaching identities. This article discusses three ways that teacher educators might prepare white early childhood education students for anti-racist work in their classrooms.

Literacy, Cultural Diversity, and Client Education

Client education offers many challenges to health care professionals. There is a mismatch between the reading level of most clients and the reading level of printed materials used in health education. Social and cultural factors also influence how our clients are able to learn about their health. These problems can lead to noncompliance with treatments, missed appointments, wrong dosages of medication, and undue fear among our clients. There are things that health care professionals can do to make written materials more user-friendly and culturally more acceptable.

Images of the Other in Childhood: Researching the Limits of Cultural Diversity in Education from the Standpoint of New Anthropological Methodologies

Images of the Other in Childhood: Researching the Limits of Cultural Diversity in Education from the Standpoint of New Anthropological Methodologies

Cultural Diversity and Special Education Teacher Preparation: Critical Issues Confronting the Field

Cultural Diversity and Special Education Teacher Preparation: Critical Issues Confronting the Field

Cultural diversity and the schools: v.1: Education for cultural diversity, convergence and divergence

Cultural diversity and the schools: v.1: Education for cultural diversity, convergence and divergence

A dissent on diversity

Editor's Note: In 1988, the regents of the University of Wisconsin issued a document entitled Mandate for Cultural Diversity, which called upon each campus in the system to devise required programs in cultural diversity education for r__beir students. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus a resolution requiring that all students receive education in the life experiences of minority groups was hastily pushed through the faculty senate before the faculty as a whole had a chance to review the proposal. One hundred and fifteen professors signed a petition demanding a special faculty meeting, but the administration managed to avoid it through parliamentary legerdemain, and a compliant university committee acquiesced. Reprinted below are excerpts from a series of letters and addresses written by one of the leading faculty opponents of these proposals. They comprise an eloquent defense of the intellectual principles on which higher education should stand, and reveal the degraded nature of the process through which academic policy is all too often implemented.

Baccalaureate and Associate Degree Student Nurses' Cultural Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Black American Clients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cultural diversity education in nursing on baccalaureate and associate degree students' cultural knowledge of and attitudes toward black American clients. Cultural diversity education in nursing information processing, and attitude concepts (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) provided the conceptual framework. The sample consisted of 110 baccalaureate and associate degree senior and freshmen students from National League for Nursing accredited schools of nursing. Each school's dean confirmed that cultural diversity educational experiences were included in the curricula. The findings indicated that the group of associate degree students, which included a large number of various ethnic students, had higher cultural knowledge of black American clients then the baccalaureate degree students, who had less ethnic variance. However, adjustment for the ethnic variable was not significant (F(1,1) = 12.5, p less than .001). There were no differences in the attitudes toward black American clients between the two groups of students. The score ratings for cultural knowledge of (m = 66.90 on a scale of 0 to 100), and attitude toward (m = 35.40 on a scale of 7 to 56 points) black American clients were low in each group of students. Implications are for increased and improved cultural content in nursing education and alternative methods of teaching black American cultural content.

Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education

Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education

Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education

Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education