Date of Award

12-1991

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Joseph R. Morris

Second Advisor

Dr. Robert Betz

Third Advisor

Dr. Lewis Walker

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and administer an instrument designed to measure the participants' ability to identify cultural variables affecting the therapeutic process with individuals with and without training in multicultural counseling. The study also examined four areas of difference among trainees to determine their influence on the ability to identify cultural variables affecting therapeutic process: gender, age, undergraduate curriculum, and socioeconomic status of the biological family.

The sample consisted of 60 subjects between the ages of 21 and 52. All subjects were graduate students in the Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Department at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, during the winter semester of 1991. All volunteered for this study.

Twenty subjects were enrolled in the graduate class addressing multicultural counseling. The remaining 40 subjects were selected from two separate graduate courses and had no previous formalized training in multicultural counseling.

Measurement as to participants' ability to identify cultural variables affecting the therapeutic process was obtained using a self-designed instrument consisting of three video vignettes and matching transcripts.

Results, based on individual samples, show a statistical significance to exist for the ancillary variables of gender, age, and biological family income. Statistical trends were found to exist based on the gender of participants across both study groups. It was hypothesized that females would outperform males due to traditional acculturation and socialization process.

Discussion of the results includes implications of the findings and suggestions for future research.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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Counseling Commons

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