Abstract

Institutional authorities within the social work discipline continue to support the concept of cultural competence as a response in addressing and informing the needs of diverse populations (CSWE, 2008; NASW, 2001). This study discusses intergroup dialogue, an innovative pedagogical model, in teaching cultural competence and social justice principles and practices. The results of a study that evaluated the impact on the cultural competency levels of 75 undergraduate BSW students enrolled in a Diversity and Oppression course at a college in the Northeastern United States are also presented in this study. Findings indicate that students experienced a statistically significant change in overall levels of cultural competence {measured by the Social Work Cultural Competencies Self-Assessment (SWCCSA) (Lum, 2003)} from the beginning to the end of the course. Further analysis also revealed that each domain of cultural competence (knowledge, skills, and awareness) were significantly higher in posttest measurement. The data suggests that through enhanced educational experiences with models of intergroup dialogue, which include content on cultural diversity and social justice, levels of cultural competence among social work students will improve.