1. Baseline Cultural Competency among Undergraduate Students at MSU, Mankato
Student Presenters: Amanda Roche (Elementary Education),
Olufolajimi Onadipe (Bio-medical Science), and
Oguljan Jumakuliyeva (Civil Engineering)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Sandell (Elementary Education)
National Conference of Undergraduate Research
April 16-18, 2015

2. MSU Diversity Requirement
“To increase students’ understanding of individual and group differences, emphasizing the dynamics of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, and/or disabilities.” However, MSU does not have data about how effective programs are in improving cultural competency.

3. Definitions of Key Terms
Diversity is used to "describe any area of social difference" (Mitchell & Vandegrift, 2014).
Culture is “the customary beliefs, social forms, material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also, the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time” (Merriam-Webster, 2012).
Cultural Competency, according to Hammer and Bennett, may be defined as "the capability to accurately understand and adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonality" (Hammer & Bennett, 2010).
Intercultural Sensitivity is "the meaning which people attach to cultural difference and the varying kinds of experiences that accompany different meaning attributions" (Bennett, 1993).

4. Limited knowledge & understanding
Keengwe (2010) studied multi-cultural education instruction designed to foster cultural competency among pre-service teachers.
Prior to instruction, the students had limited knowledge and understanding of other cultures.
The lack of knowledge caused students to be concerned about their feelings of incompetence.

5. Contradictory understandings
Guo, Arthur, and Lund (2009) examined the intercultural competence of pre-service teachers in their undergraduate preparation programs.
These university students held multiple and sometimes contradictory understandings of diversity.
Students expressed a disconnection between theory and practice.

6. Without intervention
Mahon (2007) measured the cultural competency of full-time teachers with no particular intervention.
She found the majority, 60.7%, scored in minimization on the IDI, & most of them were in the ethno-centric stage of minimization.
Conclusion: without intervention or training, teachers do not automatically increase in their cultural competency.

7. Research Questions
During academic year , what is the cultural orientation of undergraduate students when they begin a 200-level Human Relations course?
How does the beginning cultural orientation of students enrolled in the 200-level Human Relations course compare among semesters from ?

8. Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
Milton Bennett
The first three stages are defined as avoiding cultural differences
The last three stages are defined as seeking cultural differences
Developed by Milton Bennett
“The underlying assumption of the model is that as experience of cultural difference becomes more sophisticated, competence in intercultural relations potentially increases” (IDI handout)
Describes predictable stages through which individuals progress as their cultural competency increases.
First stages: (Denial, Defense, and Minimization) these are seen as ways of avoiding cultural differences, by denying its existence, raising defenses against it, or minimizing its importance
Last three stages:(Acceptance, Adaption, and Integration) these are ways of seeking cultural differences, by accepting its importance or by adapting one’s perspective to take it into account or integrating the whole concept into their identity

9. Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Hammer et. al., 2003)
In Denial: one’s own culture is the only real one, consideration of other cultures is avoided by isolation from them
In Defense: one’s own culture is the only good one
In Minimization: elements of one’s own culture are seen as universal, so there are only surface differences between cultures, deep down they are all the same
Acceptance: other cultures are seen as equally complex but are different constructions of reality
Adaption: has the ability to shift perspective in and out of another cultural experience of someone from another culture
Integration: one’s experience of self is expanded to include the movement in/out of different cultural worldviews

10. Intercultural Development Inventory
Mitchell R. Hammer, Ph.D.
Originated from the DMIS
Designed to measure individual/group intercultural sensitivity
Originated from the DMIS, created in collaboration with Dr. Bennet
Used only 5 out of the 6 stages that were in DMIS because adaptation and integration, when tested rendered the same results
IDI is a 50-item, theory based instrument, it is easy to complete taking only about 30 minutes
It generates an in-depth profile of an individual or groups’ level of intercultural competence
It was created to measure the cognitive states that are described by the DMIS

11. Intercultural Development Inventory
The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) developed by Dr. Mitchell Hammer and Dr. Milton Bennett, was used by permission.
Useful for purposes of assessing training needs, identifying interventions aimed at increasing intercultural competence, assisting with the selection of personnel, and program evaluation.
Here it calls Defense, Polarization. However they are the same by definition.
**Confirmatory factor analyses conducted by Hammer and Bennett (1998, 2001) supported five dimensions with reliability coefficients ranging from .80 to .85.
Correlations with the Worldmindedness Scale and Intercultural Anxiety Scale supported the IDI’s construct validity.
Dr. Elizabeth Sandell is a Qualified IDI Administrator

12. Results from previous MSU undergraduate research
Undergraduate students arrive at the Human Relations class with polarization orientation or ethno-centric minimization orientation to cultural differences and similarities (McNabb & Tupy, 2011).

13. Methodology
223 persons, 18 to 30 years old, who were enrolled in EEC 222w (Human Relations in a Multicultural Society) during each semester from 2011 to
The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Hammer & Bennett, 1998, 2001).
The assessment was on-line at the beginning of each semester.

14. Characteristics of students
25 freshmen
99 sophomores
62 juniors
22 seniors
years old
years old
156 female
128 education majors
201 U.S. citizens
185 not ethnic minority
190 in North America until age 18 years
171 no time in other countries

15. Research Question #1
During academic year , what is the cultural orientation of undergraduate students when they begin a 200-level Human Relations course?

16. Cultural Competence at the beginning of 2014-2015

17. Comparison of Perceived Orientation and Developmental Orientation

18. Research Question #2
How does the beginning cultural orientation of students enrolled in the 200-level Human Relations course compare among semesters from ?

19. Distribution of Beginning Orientation Scores 2011-2015
Perceived Orientation
Developmental Orientation

20. Comparisons of beginning Perceived Orientation from 2011-2015
There were no significant differences in PO pre-instruction scores between any semesters from 2011 to 2015, because the significance value was greater than .05. Therefore, all of the mean scores from the semesters were similar.

21. Comparisons of beginning Developmental Orientation from 2011-2015
There were no significant differences in DO pre-instruction scores between any semesters from 2011 to 2015, because the significance value was greater than .05. Therefore, all of the mean scores from the semesters were similar.

22. Conclusions
During academic year , the cultural developmental orientation of undergraduate students when they began a 200-level Human Relations was at the ethno-centric minimization stage.
The beginning cultural developmental orientation of students enrolled in the 200-level Human Relations course is statistically the same among semesters from

23. Implications
Cultural competency is important at all levels of education: K-12 schools, college/university programs, teacher professional development, etc.
Faculty development may support faculty members to incorporate diversity education.
MSU Institutional Research office can sample MSU students to measure cultural competency instead of surveying the entire population.

24. Future research
How do gold and purple courses (the diversity graduation requirements) facilitate cultural competency among MSU’s undergraduates?
How does the cultural partnership assignment affect cultural competency?
How does the service learning assignment affect cultural competency?

25. Acknowledgements Dr. Elizabeth Sandell, research mentor
Students in EEC 222W, Human Relations in a Multicultural Society
Dr. Karla Lassonde, Director of the URC
MSU Foundation
MSU College of Education
The Honors Program at MSU
Undergraduate Research Center at MSU
MSU Center for Excellence in Scholarship and Research

26. References
Bennett, M. J. (1986). A developmental approach to training for intercultural sensitivity. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10(2), 179 – 195.
Bennett, M. J. (1993). Towards ethnorelativism: a developmental model of intercultural sensitivity in R.M. Paige (Ed). Education for the intercultural experience. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press,
Gentry, J., Lamb, H., Becker, M., & Hall, R Can Pre-service teachers' perspectives on diversity change? The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education. 8, 1-18.
Guo, Y., Arthur, N., & Lund, D Intercultural inquiry with pre-service teachers. Journal of Intercultural Education. 20(6),
Hammer, M. & Bennett, M. J. (1998, 2001, 2010). Intercultural Development Inventory Manual. Portland, OR: The Intercultural Communication Institute.
Hammer, M. R., Bennett, M. J., & Wiseman, R. (2003). The Intercultural Development Inventory: A measure of intercultural sensitivity. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27, 421 – 443. 
Keengwe, J Fostering cross-cultural competence in pre-service teachers through multi-cultural education experiences. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38,
Mitchell, M. M. & Vandegrift, D Student perceptions of internationalization, multiculturalism, and diversity in the business school. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 25(1),
Sandell, E., & Tupy, S. (2014). Where Cultural Competency Begins: Changes in Undergraduate Students’ Intercultural Competency. Unpublished manuscript.
Taylor, S. V. & Sobel, D. M Rich Contexts to Emphasize Social Justice in Teacher Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy in Professional Development Schools. Equity & Excellence in Education. p. 249.
Tupy, S., McNabb, C., Koenig, E., Leidall, S., & Sandell, E. (2012). Impact of a Cultural Partnership on Undergraduates’ Intercultural Competence. Proceedings of the 2012 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Weber State University, Ogden, UT.

27. Questions?