Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale Research Articles

Empathy through Data? Student Exploration of Elements of Diversity through Projects in an Introductory Statistics Course

A project involving data related to socioeconomic indicators was administered in an introductory statistics course. As part of this project, student groups investigated a data set from the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service website with information on recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Pre/post data from the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS) short form were collected to measure changes in diversity awareness. The survey administered also included demographic information and open-ended questions. Based on study results (n = 48), there was moderate evidence of a change in the diversity of contact subscale of the M-GUDS short form. Written feedback indicated that students demonstrated empathy for individuals with potentially different lived experiences. The focus of this paper is to describe the study results and provide information on the importance of incorporating elements of diversity into curriculum.

A validation study of the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale in South Africa

Background: In order for organisations to best implement diversity management programmes that will create an environment in which diversity is appreciated and utilised optimally to achieve organisational outcomes, they need to first identify the attitudes and orientations that individuals in the organisation have towards diversity. Universal-diverse orientation (UDO) is a largely under-researched topic in South Africa, and currently no instrument measuring UDO has been validated in a South African context.Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS) in South Africa.Setting: The study was conducted among the general working population in the Gauteng Province in South Africa.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional research design was followed. A heterogeneous sample of 255 South African employees from the general working population in Gauteng was selected to complete a voluntary web-based questionnaire.Results: The results confirm that the M-GUDS is reliable; the factorial validity, and convergent and divergent validity of the M-GUDS are also confirmed. The predictive validity of the instrument is partly confirmed.Conclusion: This study contributes to the limited research that has been done on UDO in South Africa by providing a valid instrument that can give additional insight into organisations on the orientations and attitudes of employees toward diversity. This provides organisations with a platform to assess their diversity orientation that can be used to inform diversity management programmes.Contribution: This study contributes to the limited research that has been done on UDO in South Africa, as well as addresses the gap of a lacking instrument to measure UDO in South Africa by validating the M-GUDS.

Short-Term Study Abroad in Psychology: Effects of a Cultural Scavenger Hunt on the Development of Intercultural Competence

Steadily increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in the United States has led employers to see intercultural competence as a valuable and necessary trait for those entering the workforce, including students studying psychology. One high-impact practice that may increase students’ multicultural awareness is study abroad. The current research examined the effectiveness of a cultural scavenger hunt offered during two short-term study abroad programs to increase participants’ intercultural competencies. Cultural competence was assessed in Study 1 ( N = 10) using the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale–Short Form. Results indicated a statistically significant increase across all subscales. In Study 2 ( N = 16), the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory was utilized. Results from Study 2 demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the Emotional Resilience subscale. These findings suggest that a cultural scavenger hunt may assist participants in actively engaging in the local culture and facilitate the initial development of intercultural competencies.

The Importance of Identity Development, Principled Moral Reasoning, and Empathy as Predictors of Openness to Diversity in Emerging Adults

Programs that attempt to increase tolerance and openness to diverse cultures, religions, and ethnicities through education and exposure are popular and often successful in higher education, but at times backfire, leading instead to an increase in prejudice. The present study considered several intrapersonal and developmental factors that may be important to consider. Identity development (Measures of Psychosocial Development, based on Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development), moral reasoning (Defining Issues Test, based on Kohlberg’s theory of moral development), and empathy (a subscale of the California Personality Inventory) were tested as predictors of openness to diversity (Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale) with entering first-year university students (n = 282) at a small, private comprehensive university. As hypothesized, identity development, principled moral reasoning, and empathy each significantly and positively predicted openness to diversity, and the combination of predictors accounted for a moderately large portion of the criterion’s variance. Implications are discussed for developing effective programs to facilitate openness to diversity in emerging adulthood.

Universal-diverse orientation in Asian international students: confirmatory factor analysis of the Miville-Guzman universality-diversity scale, short form.

Despite apparent relevance to Asian international students, universal-diverse orientation (UDO) has not been psychometrically validated with this population. The current study investigated the most researched UDO measure, the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale, Short Form (M-GUDS-S; Fuertes, Miville, Mohr, Sedlacek, & Gretchen, 2000), with 333 Asian international college students. The M-GUDS-S evidenced good reliability and convergent validity, and analyses confirmed a three-factor structure, supporting expanded use of the scale.

Cutting edge practices to teach multicultural competencies in counseling, psychology, and education: teaching abroad or on campus?

This manuscript provides the results of a comparative study conducted in the USA with counseling, psychology, and education graduate students in which multicultural competencies were taught using the traditional on-campus and international study abroad course formats. Data were collected via the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale, a 45-item self-report of openness towards diverse clients, along with qualitative analysis of two permanent products: cultural activity paper (framed as analysis of cultural interactions) and Reaction Journal (an open-ended reflection on the content of class lectures, readings, presentations, and discussions). A total of 29 graduate students from diverse backgrounds were sampled through two semesters. The results revealed that compared to peers taught via the traditional on-campus format, students enrolled in the international study abroad course reported more willingness to learn and interact with diverse populations. Further, these students evidenced more growth relative to empathy towards diverse clientele, insight into cultural viewpoints, as well as a deeper understanding of their own cultural biases. The manuscript provides the study results; a brief overview of how the international study abroad and the on-campus courses were taught and organized, along with the pros and cons of each course format. It also offers a list of recommendations for the professions of counseling, psychology, and education in terms of the cutting edge practices relative to implementation, instruction, and delivery of multicultural competencies.

Evaluating school leadership development through an international experience

In this study, we examine the impact of a study abroad experience on a group of students in an educational leadership doctoral programme. The researchers sought to measure the impact this experience had on diversity awareness of six pre-service school leaders. By using a qualitative exit interview and the quantitative Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale both pre-post to measure diversity awareness and shifts, the researchers were able to explore shifts in perceptions over time. It was found that every student experienced shifts in not only how they viewed diversity but also how they defined diversity.

An Investigation of Attitude Change in Inclusive College Classes Including Young Adults With an Intellectual Disability

AbstractPostsecondary education programs for students with an intellectual disability are expanding, and an emerging question concerns the impact of these programs on campus communities. The author examined changes in attitudes toward diversity among peers without disabilities who participated in an inclusive college course that had students with an intellectual disability. The Miville‐Guzman Universality‐Diversity Scale (M‐GUDS) was administered to college students enrolled in either inclusive or noninclusive college classes. M‐GUDS scores did not differ between groups at the start of the semester, but students enrolled in inclusive courses showed significantly greater openness to diversity at the end of the semester. Findings suggest that inclusive college programs that enroll both students with and without an intellectual disability in regular college courses may foster positive attitudes about acceptance and diversity among students without such a disability.

Additional evidence for the short form of the Universality-Diversity Scale

The short form of the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS-S) was evaluated for its factor structure and association with measures relevant to work settings. A three-factor model yielded a superior fit to a single factor. Further, the M-GUDS-S correlated with measures of teamwork aptitude, teamwork interest, and the Big Five personality factors. The solid factor structure combined with the scope of the instrument supports its use in a broader context.

Identity and counsellor preference†

This study investigated the relationship of identity development, measured by the Self-Identity Inventory (SII), universal-diverse orientation (UDO), measured by the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale- Short (M-GUDS-S), to counsellor preference in a sample of 365 university students. After controlling for personal identity demographic variables, multiple regression analysis indicated SII and UDO accounted for significant additional variance in counsellor preference with Immersion (SII Scale 3), Relativistic Appreciation (MGUDS-S Subscale 2) and Comfort with Differences (MGUDS-S Subscale 3), identified as significant unique predictors. A canonical correlation analysis performed with 11 individual counsellor preference variables as criterion variables and 9 identity salience variables as predictor variables to explore the relationships between identity salience and counsellor preference yielded three significant canonical functions. † Portions of this article were presented as a poster session at the Great Lakes Counselling Psychology Conference at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, April 2005.

Universal-Diverse Orientation

ABSTRACT The current study focused on examining the relationships of positive social attitudes with aspects of well-functioning. Universal-diverse orientation(UDO), a social attitude characterized by awareness and acceptance of both the similarities and differences among people, was measured with the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale, Short Form (MGUDS-S; Miville et al., 1999; Fuertes et al., 2000). The MGUDS-S contains three subscales: Diversity of Contact, Relativistic Appreciation, and Comfort with Differences. The MGUDS-S was administered with measures of well-functioning. In the first condition, 183 undergraduates completed the MGUDS-S and scales measuring coping skills, positive thinking, self-efficacy, and optimism. In the second condition, 107 undergraduates completed the MGUDS-S and scales measuring social connectedness, personal self-esteem, and collective self-esteem. Multivariate multiple regression analyses revealed the MGUDS-S subscales were significantly predicted by social self-efficacy, general selfefficacy, problem-focused coping, collective self-esteem, and gender. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Factor Structure and Short Form of the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale

In 3 studies, the authors examined the factor structure of the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS) and developed a short form of the scale, the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale—Short (M-GUDS—S).

Appreciating similarities and valuing differences: The Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale.

Universal-diverse orientation was defined as an attitude of awareness and acceptance of both the similarities and differences that exist among people. A 45-item scale developed to measure the construct was administered to 4 separate samples (ns = 93, 111, 153, and 135). Internal consistency and retest reliability for the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS) ranged from .89 to .95. The M-GUDS significantly correlated in theoretically predicted ways with measures of racial identity, empathy, healthy narcissism, feminism, androgyny, homophobia, and dogmatism (the last 2 correlations were negative). The M-GUDS displayed discriminant validity by failing to correlate with Scholastic Achievement Test Verbal scores, although mixed results were obtained with social desirability. In summary, the data suggest considerable reliability and initial construct validity for the M-GUDS.