Exploring the Relationship between Self-Awareness and Student Commitment and Understanding of Culturally Responsive Social Work Practice

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between self-awareness and social work students’ commitment and understanding of culturally responsive social work practice. Data consisted of assigned papers (N = 23), submitted by graduate social work students, which asked them to describe their ethnic/racial background and ancestors’ process of assimilation, and to reflect on their ethnic and racial identity as a means toward increased self-awareness and future culturally responsive practice. Content analysis revealed 11 themes, including students’ enlightenment of their privilege, experiences of cultural loss, and acknowledgment of biases as integral parts of culturally responsive practice. Implications for social work education and research are addressed.

INTRODUCTION

A major responsibility rests with schools of social work to prepare graduate students to facilitate and promote social justice, and to be culturally responsive in their future practice. The program objectives in the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) include the requirement that social work graduates demonstrate cultural responsiveness by practicing with respect, knowledge, and skills related to clients’ backgrounds and identities as well as an understanding of forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination (CSWE, 2001).

Although a considerable body of research indicates a strong relationship between increased self-awareness and cultural competency among counselors as a specified group of helping professionals (Richardson & Molinaro, 1996; Sue, 2001), less is known about how to foster graduate social work students’ self-awareness to develop culturally responsive future social work practitioners. This study begins to address this critical gap by qualitatively exploring the relationship between social work graduate students’ self-awareness and their increased understanding and commitment to culturally responsive social work practice.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Various disciplines have elucidated salient components of cultural competence (Constantine & Ladany, 2000, Harris, 1997; Van Den Bergh & Crisp, 2004; Dewees, 2001; Sue, 2001). Sue and colleagues (1982), in particular, identified three major components of culturally competent practice as knowledge, skills, and awareness. It is clear that focusing solely on social workers’ knowledge of other cultures is a limited approach. Social work scholars emphasize that, for social work practitioners, having an understanding of one’s values derived from their family, background, and position in society is vital for culturally responsive practice (Dewees, 2001).

Increasing Practitioners’ Self-Awareness

Practitioners’ self-awareness involves knowledge of their own cultural heritage and the potential effects of their background on their work with clients (Sue, 2001). Self-awareness, therefore, entails gaining insight into one’s identity and how it positions oneself in society. This insight includes exploring such facets of self as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical abilities, socioeconomic status, and cultural background among others. A critical aspect of self-awareness for culturally responsive social work practice includes the exploration and understanding of ethnic and racial identity. Racial identity development requires building self-consciousness and refers to a sense of collective identity based on the perception that one shares a common heritage with a specific racial group (Helms, 1990). Ethnic identity refers to the attainment of cultural characteristics and a sense and awareness of shared cultural variables such as history, language, and tradition (Alvarez & Helms, 2001). Both racial and ethnic identity development are individualized processes that take place over time as a person explores and makes decisions about the role that ethnicity and race will play in their lives (Phinney, 1990). Ethnic and racial identity developments become particularly important as practitioners prepare themselves to work with diverse client populations. Thus, better understanding of one’s own ethnic and racial identity helps to build self-awareness, which may enable culturally competent practice (Richardson & Molinaro, 1996).

Increased practitioner self-awareness also involves the understanding of personal ethnic and racial background (or roots) within a sociopolitical and historical context. Essentially, this entails the critical exploration of personal familial history within geographic, cultural, relational, and societal contexts. This examination of ethnic and racial background facilitates selfawareness by highlighting the underpinnings of one’s own beliefs, biases, and differences (Van Den Bergh & Crisp, 2004). Awareness of these personal biases can enhance social workers’ consciousness to issues that may impede effective work with clients that are ethnically/racially different from themselves (Sue & Sue, 1990).

Racial Identity Development among White Practitioners

According to racial identity development theory, it is important that individuals develop their racial identity so they are better able to “perceive and respond to racial information in one’s internal and external environments” (Helms & Cook, 1999, p. 84). Exploration of racial identity and background is especially relevant given that the majority of helping professionals, specifically social workers, are middle-class and Caucasian (O’Neill, 2001). Research indicates that white Americans often do not spend much time thinking about what it means to be white and do not focus on their sense of belonging to their white ethnic/racial group (Pope-Davis & Ottavi, 1994). This lack of self-awareness or underdeveloped ethnic and racial identity can be potentially problematic for white helping professionals, as it has been shown to predict students’ levels of confidence and comfort in creating a therapeutic alliance with diverse client populations (Ottavi, Pope-Davis, & Dings,1994). The preference of many ethnic/racial minority clients for practitioners of the same ethnic/racial background (Constantine & Ladany, 2000) combined with their under-utilization of social work services may be indicative of a lack of culturally responsive practitioners (Atkinson, Morten, & Sue, 1998).

Practitioners who are in the early stages of ethnic or racial identity development might not fully understand the impact of racism and may erroneously adopt a “color-blind” attitude. This lack of consciousness about ethnicity/race and its detrimental effects on clients could not only adversely affect rapport building, but also impede their understanding of clients’ problems. In contrast, practitioners who exhibit a more developed ethnic and racial identity are more apt to include an integrative awareness of the role of ethnicity/race in their clients’ lives.

Ethnic and racial self-awareness is also imperative for ethnic/racial minority social workers. This process would generally involve reconciling ethnicity/race in a predominately white society (Alvarez & Helms, 2001). In this regard, ethnic/racial minority social workers must be cautious not to project their own experiences and biases onto their clients. On the whole, social workers’ self-awareness and understanding of their own ethnic and racial identity plays a vital role in the helping relationship and propensity toward cultural competence.

The initial phase of graduate education is an ideal time to orient future social workers to cultural competence by facilitating students’ ethnic and racial identity development, attitudes, awareness, and self-interests (Craig, 1994; Miehls, 2001; Ronnau, 1994; Sakina-Mama, 2001; Spruill-Spears, 2004). An understanding of how social work students process their own background in relation to their work with diverse client systems is especially relevant as social work educators grapple with developing students’ cultural responsiveness in the classroom. This study explores the following questions: (1) How do graduate social work students think about their ethnic/racial roots and ethnic and racial identity? (2) What process takes place as graduate social work students increase awareness of their ethnic/racial roots and identity and relate it to their commitment and understanding of culturally responsive practice?

METHODS

Sample

A purposive sample of Masters of Science in Social Work (MSSW) students from a large university in the Southwest was recruited to participate in this study. Eligibility criteria included students who completed an assigned Ethnic Roots paper for a Social Justice Foundation course during the semester prior to data collection. Twenty-three students volunteered to submit their papers for qualitative analysis. Based on Creswell’s (1998) guidelines for qualitative research, the sample of 23 students sufficiently allowed the authors to elucidate a focused, complex, and comprehensive understanding of students’ experiences and perceptions.

While papers were submitted anonymously, students’ ethnic/racial background, gender, and age were often discussed in the body of the essay. Reviewing these demographics, the sample closely resembled the broader population of students in the graduate program. Students were primarily female (N = 22, 96%) and ranged in age from 25 to 40 years old. Although not mutually exclusive, the majority of students identified as white (N = 18, 78%), a substantial proportion identified as Jewish (N = 6, 26%), and a few students specified descending from Italian, Irish, German, Hungarian, Russian, and English background. Two students identified as Latina.

Data Source: The Ethnic Roots Assignment

The data analyzed in this study consisted of a required paper assignment that asked graduate social work students to explore their families’ ethnic roots, their process of assimilation, and the implications of their families’ experiences on their own sense of ethnic and racial identity as well as perceptions of future cultural competence. Specifically, the assignment asked students to (1) describe themselves (age, birthplace, social class and status when growing up, current cultural orientation, etc.), (2) explore the background of their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and (3) discuss conclusions drawn from their family’s experiences of assimilation on their current sense of identity and perceptions of future cultural competency.

In completing the assignment, students interviewed their family members to gather family histories with a particular emphasis on their ancestors’ process of immigration. Furthermore, they utilized required readings that included acculturation and Anglo-Conformity theories to develop a critical understanding of how their family members integrated into mainstream U.S. society (see McLemore, Romo, & Baker, 2001). In doing so, students were asked to identify structural barriers as well as positions of privilege evident in their family’s integration into mainstream American society. Finally, the assignment asked students to draw conclusions based on their current status of assimilation and its implications on cultural sensitivity and culturally responsive practice.

Data Collection

Participants were recruited for this study in three ways. The researchers made announcements in graduate social work courses that sequentially followed the Social Justice course in which the Ethnic Roots papers were written; they passed out fliers in graduate courses; and a follow-up e-mail was sent to all MSSW students with a link to submit papers electronically. Students indicated their informed consent to participate by turning in their papers voluntarily, as stated explicitly in all recruitment materials. All papers were de-identified.

Data Analysis

The ethnic roots assignment provided a framework for students to structure their papers, and the data source used in analysis consisted of students’ free responses within these guidelines. Content analysis was utilized to explore themes emerging from students’ ideas and insights expressed in their papers. In the first phase, the three researchers read through the data without coding. The second phase involved independently developing broad categories. These categories were discussed at length, resulting in three agreed categories (self-awareness, epiphanies, components of social work practice). In the third phase, researchers each reviewed texts to extract themes within each broad category. In the fourth phase, the research team discussed and developed consensus of 11 emerging themes (see Figure 1 for emerging themes under broader categories). In the few cases of disagreement, where researchers presented themes not recognized by the other team members, these ideas were not included among codes used in the analysis. Finally, the fifth phase involved each researcher using line-by-line coding employing these 11 themes. A final meeting was held to compare coded results. This reiterative process was used to reduce researcher bias in the identification of common themes across participants without losing individual meanings and experiences (Creswell, 1998).

FIGURE 1.

Conceptual framework of the relationship between self-awareness and future culturally competent practice.

FINDINGS

The findings revealed a three-stage process. Students initially discussed the development of self-awareness by exploring their ethnic/racial roots and identity. This development of self-awareness led students to report epiphanies or insights regarding themselves and their relationship to others. Finally, students relayed how this overall process shaped their views of culturally competent social work practice. The resulting themes and categories were organized into the conceptual model depicted in Figure 1.

Self-Awareness: Ethnic and Racial Identity

THEME 1: IDENTIFICATION WITH MAINSTREAM AMERICA

Many students reflected on their own racial identity by comparing themselves with what they considered “mainstream America.” Students who viewed their experience and that of their family as “typical” often described themselves as “just plain American.” Other students, who identified cultural practices, values, or traditions not typical of U.S. society, embraced a more pluralistic cultural identity. Many students struggled with what it means to be American. One Jewish student reflected,

I have never really felt a part of the dominant culture, but I have grown to value and enjoy being different. It certainly took a long time to be comfortable with not looking like everyone else or celebrating holidays when everyone else does. I am not really sure when I started to feel that I fit in. It is actually more that it became okay to be different as I have grown older, it matters less to me how society labels me.

Many other students expressed dissonance between the way they were viewed by society and how they felt internally. Several students conveyed their dual existence in attempting to balance their culture and their affiliation with their outward association with the mainstream. For example, one student said,

When I look in the mirror every morning, I see the reflection of a young, educated, middle class white woman. However, the mirror only displays outward appearance; it fails to account for the patchwork of ethnicity lying beneath the surface.

In describing the level to which they identify with mainstream culture, students thought about the way their relatives would be described ethnically, the length of time their family has been in the United States, their position as part of the ethnic/racial majority, and their comfort with the label “American.”

THEME 2: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH DISCRIMINATION

Students reflected on their own experiences and awareness of discrimination and how these experiences influenced their identity. Students described incidents in which individuals or organizations made discriminatory or stereotypical statements against their identified group. Such examples include a school’s practice of only hiring Christian teachers or being the target of derogatory comments during a swim competition from a fellow swimmer. Students responded to this kind of discrimination in various ways. Several students described responding with fear, offense, and frustration. Others felt embarrassed in the face of discrimination. Some students described molding their practices and behaviors to fit dominant norms.

Only after college, did I realize how much I had to leave my “Jewishness” at the door to maintain this happy equilibrium; the few times when I could not do this are the times when I remember feeling different and misunderstood amongst my peers and community. Thus while I have experienced the boon of white privilege, I have also felt the sting of intolerance.

This critical reflection of their experiences with discrimination allowed students to think through their reactions to these negative experiences and how these incidents may or may not have shaped their ethnic and racial identity. In the above case, the student reflects on how white privilege allowed her to blend in with mainstream society but at the cost of compromising her Jewish ethnic identity.

THEME 3: RECOGNITION OF WHITE PRIVILEGE

Many students explored their racial identity through recognition of their own white privilege. From a retrospective standpoint, several students acknowledged that skin color eased their family’s assimilation and acceptance as Americans.

I believe these opportunities were available to me because I was included as an example of an American. For this to have been possible, I needed to accept American ideals, but more importantly, America needed to accept me.

Many students recognized how white privilege afforded them a certain level of social acceptance. White students felt more easily included in social groups and recognized that their white skin protected them from the discrimination and prejudice people of color face. Cultural norms could be practiced socially with freedom and these norms could be maintained over the generations due to the privilege that came with being white.

All along I lived in a land of immense acceptance and maintained a feeling of exclusivity. I looked like those around me, believed strongly in their spiritual faith, and seemed to excel at valued activities. I faced few struggles and even fewer diversions from the norm. I developed within the world of white privilege.

Students also acknowledged economic privileges. In fact, socioeconomic privilege and white privilege were often mentioned conjointly. Students pointed out educational and employment opportunities afforded to them due, in large part, to their ethnicity/race. In addition, students remarked on their own and their families’ advantages in obtaining better pay for their work and in owning property, recognizing that not everyone experiences these privileges. In describing these economic opportunities, many students expressed awareness that their being white aided them in reaching their goals and dreams. One student reflected on both her own white privilege and the privilege of her ancestors when she wrote the following:

There is no doubt that we live, and have for generations, with the privilege of color. This by no means suggests that they did not experience times of struggle or face adversity. However, many of the positions that they held and the professions that they chose would have been denied to persons of other races…. The privilege of being white has benefited both my relatives of the past and will continue to benefit those in the future.

Being white was also associated with experiencing emotional ease in society. White students remarked that they encountered less stress and had fewer worries or troubles. They acknowledged that their skin color “shielded them from prejudices and discriminations,” giving them the luxury not to have to defend themselves in ways that people of other races often did. In describing how their families assimilated and advanced in U.S. society, many students incorporated ethnic/racial privilege into their stories of how they have come to enjoy their successes today.

Self-Awareness: Ethnic Roots

THEME 4: IMMIGRANTS’ STRUGGLES WITH ASSIMILATION

Students identified an understanding of the marginality of being an immigrant through an exploration of their ancestors’ struggles to assimilate into mainstream American society. They discussed the complexity of assimilation through a narration of their ancestors’ conflicted feelings to both retain their native culture and integrate into mainstream society. Students then identified various ways in which their ancestors purposefully attempted to shedthe skin of their ethnicity. The deliberate loss of language was one way that families tried to assimilate.

The German language, though passed down for many years, stopped at my grandfather’s generation. My uncle’s explanation for the lack of emphasis placed on German language and culture related to World War II; he explained that most people did not want to be in any way associated with the Nazis. Since many Americans did not know the difference between being from a German heritage and being a Nazi, most German Americans chose to become as much like the Americans as possible.

Students indicated that their family members deliberately did not pass on their native language to their children because of the pressures to assimilate into the predominately English-speaking culture of the United States. They indicated speaking English was one powerful way to attempt to shed their ethnic heritage or ties. This was considered an attempt to distance themselves from their ethnic roots. Students further reported that their ancestors altered their names to make them sound more “American” to ease their process of assimilation into the mainstream.

The end result was that the children’s names, both first and last, were decidedly less “ethnic” than those of their parents. This assimilation through naming became even more pronounced in my parents’ generation. Their names… are more American and “gentile” than those of their parents—perhaps one of the few signs of assimilation by substitution at this stage in our family history.

Students also reported that their ancestors shed their cultural heritage in an effort to be accepted by mainstream society. One student relayed,

It is doubtful that my great-great grandmother’s Native American heritage was esteemed by her family. More likely, subsequent generations tried to distance themselves as much as possible from what they perceived to be shameful roots. The result being that by my father’s generation very little remained of her customs, language, and culture. In exchange for suppression of their Native American heritage, family members on my father’s side of the family were rewarded with acceptance into mainstream society.

By researching and critically analyzing their ethnic roots, students conveyed the realization that their current perception of self was rooted in the many choices that their ancestors had made. The examination of deliberate and non-deliberate cultural losses and acquirements of American cultural values and norms further allowed them to gain better self-understanding.

THEME 5: IMPACT OF DISCRIMINATION IN FAMILY HISTORY

Students also indicated an awareness of the impact of discrimination on their families’ life trajectories. Students discussed the influence of institutional discrimination in excluding their families from the mainstream by “other-ing” them and severely limiting their family’s educational choices. One student stated,

… members of my family tended to be excluded from American society. An obvious reason for their exclusion was the fact that they were noticeably different from members of American society. Differences included ethnicity, language, and lifestyle. For example, even as recently as my grandparents’ generation, Mexican Americans were forced to attend segregated schools.

By contemplating the impact of institutional and historical racism, students relayed being able to better understand how they and their family members arrived at their present life circumstances. In addition, students discussed the social and political isolation that their family members experienced due to institutionalized discrimination. Students related this to the important role of ethnic enclaves in both shielding their ancestors from discrimination but also reinforcing social stratification.

That they were ghettoized was simultaneously a barrier and a comfort. While they barely subsisted, especially during the Depression years, it was a consolation to be surrounded by other Jewish immigrants, with whom they could maintain their old country traditions with.

Students grappled with the complexity of systemic discrimination by, for example, thinking through the conflicting yet dual role of ethnic enclaves. By thinking through these experiences, students had the direct opportunity to struggle through the impact of historical discrimination on their families’ life trajectory in the United States.

THEME 6: EXPOSURE TO DIVERSITY WHILE GROWING UP

Students also discussed the importance of social and ethnic/racial diversity in their upbringings. Some discussed the shielding effects of growing up in an ethnically/racially homogenous environment where they were unaware of racism, discrimination, or even exposed to people who were culturally or racially different from them. Some white students discussed developing a resistance to the impact of their homogeneous and racist surroundings, such as,

… the experiences of closed-minded, conforming and segregated Midland have produced the opposite effect in me of which they intended. Thetypical perspective of “different as bad” and “them versus us” did not stick to me.

Students further described the scarcity of interracial networks and marriages in their families. For example, one student reported,

… my parents did not have any close personal interactions with members of other ethnic groups…. Certainly, it was understood that allowing the next step in assimilation, marriage to someone of a non-white ethnic group, would not have been acceptable on my part.

Students expressed developing an understanding of both implicit and explicit social cues in regards to racial and ethnic diversity. By reflecting on the impact of growing up in a homogenous or heterogeneous social environment, students were able to explicate how their upbringing directly impacted their views and comfort level with people of other types of backgrounds.

THEME 7: EPIPHANIES: INSIGHTS GAINED

Students explicitly remarked on epiphanies or realizations they came to as a result of completing this assigned paper. This form of written meta-cognition provided valuable data on the processes students experienced in thinking about their own ethnic and racial identity and background. While we found some common themes among these epiphanies, this process appeared to be highly individualized, making it difficult to thematically report the varying comments of students. Some of these revelations are presented in the following four subthemes.

1. Awareness of one’s ethnic roots

Many students realized that they had given little thought to their ethnic heritage prior to writing this assignment. In retrospect, students valued knowing more about their families’ histories and appeared surprised that they did not know more before this point. One student wrote,

I have completely assimilated to the American way. As an unfortunate side effect of that, until now I knew very little about my ethnic heritage and the culture of my ancestors. From now on, when I look in the mirror I will see the many ethnicities that lie beneath the surface and how they make me who I am today.

2. One’s identity within a cultural and historical context

Students reported that the exercise of exploring their ethnic roots exemplified the importance of situating one’s identity within a cultural and historical context. One student wrote,

We do not always spend time thinking about our ethnic roots. We live our daily lives without asking ourselves how we arrived at a certain place. But how will we know where we are headed if we do not know where we come from? Knowing our family history can give us insight into our sense of identity.

Students described viewing themselves differently after gaining a better understanding of their ethnic roots. Several began questioning who they really are. Some students viewed themselves with a new complexity: “Who am I? It seems like a simple question, to which I would quickly answer, ‘a white American young woman,’ but am I discrediting myself in that simple response?” Another student wrote, “As I ponder on how to compile this new knowledge about my lineage, I consider important factors in my life that have impacted my own cultural assimilation as well as my cultural resilience.”

This process of identity development through awareness of ethnic roots was especially true for students who were part of the dominant culture. One student reflected,

Exploring my ethnic roots has given me the opportunity to see just how much the dominant American culture has been a part of my family for generations, so much so that I identify myself more as American or as Texan than anything else.

However, this insight into cultural identity was not limited to students of the dominant group. Students of color also described gaining a better understanding of who they are through hearing and writing about where they came from. One especially eye-opening passage was written by a Latina student who described the process of uncovering information about her family history as “both difficult and enlightening.” This student described her family’s resistance to talking about its ethnic roots and insistence on focusing on their many generations as Texans. Upon completing the assignment, the student uncovered a rich ancestral history in Mexico. She described gaining this knowledge in the passage below.

It was almost as if my parents were ashamed to admit their Mexican ancestry…. As a result, I always have had a sort of me-them mentality in terms of how I viewed myself versus people from Mexico. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how looking into my ethnic roots would challenge and change my views.

3. The concept of assimilation

Some students discussed developing a more complex understanding of the process of assimilation and the significance of this process in being accepted by mainstream society. Through research for the assigned paper, a student recognized the “extent to which people feel the need to assimilate into the American culture.” This was the first opportunity for many students to consider what it feels like to clash with the mainstream culture. Another student, reflecting on the concept of assimilation, wrote,

I have always held a biased view of assimilation as the equivalent of success. It is only now, as I try to reconnect to my roots that I have been able to see the negative side of assimilation—that becoming part of the dominant culture results in a loss of identity. It took this firsthand experience for me to understand this basic concept.

4. Privilege of belonging to the dominant culture

Similar to theme three on the recognition of white privilege, students reported developing insights regarding the privilege of belonging to the dominant culture. Students described becoming aware of this privilege and access to the mainstream through the exploration of their ethnic roots.

Being part of a dominant ethnic group, I have been afforded the luxury of ignorance on many issues regarding ethnicity. Through the process of exploring the history of this phenomena and my personal history further, I recognize that what was a non-culture (“white”) just feels that way to me because it is the dominant culture and I am a part of it.

Through a critical assessment of their ethnic roots, students indicated that they were forced to think through how their families’ life trajectories had or had not been impacted by institutional racism. They were able to reflect on the meaning of “whiteness” and the privileges afforded as a direct result of it.

Important Components of Social Work Practice

After having the students write about their ethnic roots and reflect on their own heritage, the assignment asked students, “What conclusions do you personally draw about your own current status of assimilation based on your ethnic roots, socialization, and personal experiences and its implications for culturally competent practice?” From this section of the paper, students connected what they had learned about themselves and their backgrounds to their future work as culturally competent social workers. In doing so, four additional themes evolved indicating these beginning graduate social work students’ perceptions of components of their future culturally competent practice.

THEME 8: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ETHNICITY/RACE IN THE SOCIAL WORK PROCESS

Several students acknowledged that ethnicity/race is a complex yet important factor in the social work process. Particularly, white students gainedperspective of their own privilege and how this may potentially translate in the social work process. Specifically, students understood that many of their minority clients will recognize them as being part of the dominant culture, and the privileges afforded as result of this, which may then have implications for building a working alliance. One student commented on these particular challenges:

To be an effective social worker, I must acknowledge and respect cultural differences and learn to work through conflicts and misunderstandings based on those differences. Minorities may mistrust me as a member of the dominant culture….

Some students then struggled with how to incorporate this understanding of the significance of race and culture when working with ethnic/racial minority clients. Other students expressed developing an understanding of the importance of acknowledging and including ethnicity/race as important variables within the therapeutic process.

I can learn to accept and understand its implications without defensiveness. With time and effort, it will further inform me of my own biases, and inspire deeper empathy for my clients’ struggles.

THEME 9: DEVELOPMENT OF EMPATHY

Students recognized a need for social workers to be empathetic to the many struggles and obstacles people face when they do not belong to the dominant group. Students acknowledged that social workers, especially those of the dominant group, must step outside their world of privilege to honor the challenges others face. One student wrote,

By recognizing the lack of hardships I have experienced as an assimilated citizen of this country, I must consider the undeniable fact that some or many of my clients will not have had a similar experience to my own. They may not feel welcome in this country, due to legislation that tries to deny them services, curriculum that is taught in our schools, or even the way people treat them based on race, ethnicity, language, religion, dress, etc. I need to be sensitive to these differences and aware of barriers and prejudices that people from different backgrounds experience.

Students also expressed ways in which they planned to actively work toward developing empathy for their clients’ situations. Some planned to draw from their own experiences of discrimination due to religious affiliation or socioeconomic status in order to better relate to the adversity faced by their clients and to gain “a glimpse of how ignorance and prejudice canmake someone feel.” Others discussed the importance of “stepping outside of their comfort zone” by consistently being open to hearing and learning more about the experiences of ethnically/racially minority people.

Because I have been socialized primarily surrounded by white people, I will have to open my eyes, my mind and my heart to other ethnicities that I have no true knowledge of. In order to be a culturally competent social worker, I will have to force myself out of my comfort zone so I can truly empathize with others who may not share my automatic advantages.

Furthermore, many students acknowledged that cultural competence is not merely something that future social workers can build while in the classroom. Instead, students recognized the value that will come from working with diverse client groups and recognizing that the client is the expert on her or his own life. The lessons learned from their clients will be critical in continuing to build cultural competence. For example, a student who had experience working in the field wrote,

In recent years however, this writer has worked with many people who were either born in Mexico or whose parents were born in Mexico and this has added a new perspective to American life and culture and what it means to be an American. These experiences have only enriched this writer’s experiences in working with people from different cultures.

THEME 10: CULTURAL AWARENESS

Students commented that, in order to understand clients and their backgrounds, social workers must be open and willing to learn more about their clients’ culture. This knowledge will not only assist toward the understanding their clients’ worldviews and experiences in the context of their cultural backgrounds, but students related this knowledge to the value they experienced in truly understanding their own heritage and the connection between that heritage and who they are today. Therefore, students stated that a better understanding of their clients’ backgrounds and cultures will help them gain insights into their clients’ lives and will then increase their ability to facilitate change.

To be culturally competent and effective as a practitioner, I also need to educate myself regarding the cultural backgrounds of those who seek treatment. I must demonstrate that I have a good understanding of their world in order to develop a good rapport and be of assistance in their lives.

While students expressed value in learning more about other cultures, they also acknowledged the individuality and uniqueness among individualmembers of a cultural and racial group. The meaning individuals attribute to their own heritage, ethnicity, and identity was recognized as an individualized process. One student related how her self-reflection has helped her gain an understanding of the processes others may be facing when she wrote,

The process of assimilation into any culture will be different for every time period, location, ethnicity, community and family. In knowing and valuing my own family assimilation, it will enable me to be more sensitive to others.

THEME 11: VALUE FOR CONTINUED SELF-REFLECTION

Students further recognized that self-awareness is an ongoing process. A value for continued reflection of one’s own identity and how it influences one’s social work practice was then evident in several student comments.

I believe that cultural competence and awareness begin with myself, so I must do my own search for identity. So far, I think I am on the road to self-exploration and I know that this will be a work in progress.

Being mindful of my own perceptions, background, and beliefs and knowing that they will not coincide with everyone I encounter is an important aspect of culturally competent practice.

The importance of continuous self-reflection is critical as it acknowledges that the self is not static but continuously changing. Furthermore, continuous self-reflection is vital in the aspiration to be a culturally responsive practitioner.

DISCUSSION

This study’s findings indicate that graduate social work students’ exploration of their ethnic/racial roots and identity presented them with many eye-opening insights related to the development of cultural competence. This process allowed students to critically examine their background by developing an understanding of their ancestors’ struggles and privileges. In their narration of their families’ stories, students critically analyzed the systematic shedding of ethnicity through the loss of language, cultural traditions, and religion. This process was especially meaningful for students who were further removed from the immigrant experience. For example, students who found that their family members had assimilated into the mainstream by means of cultural loss recognized the role this played in their identification as “plain American.” Therefore, students who knew littleabout their immigrant ancestors’ experiences were able to connect their immigrant roots to their current conceptions of self and their future work with diverse clients.

Students transferred insights regarding their ethnic roots to their current development of ethnic and racial identity. Not only did students identify the role of white privilege in their immigrant ancestors’ acceptance into the mainstream but they were able to link this acceptance to their own privilege. For example, white students recognized the many economic, social, and emotional advantages afforded to them due to their race and acceptance into mainstream society. Students were then able to link this acknowledgment of privilege to social work practice by recognizing potential challenges to developing a therapeutic alliance with ethnic/racial minority clients, including potential feelings of distrust among their future ethnic/racial minority clients.

The study findings are limited by the sampling procedure and small number of participants. The sample was composed of volunteers who may have been more invested in this assignment than the typical graduate student. One participant completely avoided any discussion regarding ethnicity/race, which could be reflective of a larger issue of student resistance to the assignment. In addition, the majority of participants were white and female, thus findings cannot be generalized to all graduate social work students. Future research should examine how other student samples response to this exercise and process these concepts.

Despite these limitations, this study provides a preliminary understanding of the relationship between self-awareness and future cultural responsiveness. To advance this knowledge base, future studies should investigate and develop educational tools to enhance social work students’ self-awareness in relationship to culturally competent social work. Furthermore, this study could inform future quantitative studies that utilize pre- and post-test designs to measure change in students’ attitudes regarding cultural competence as a result of increased self-awareness and ethnic and racial identity development.