REVIEW OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY MEASURES OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE FOR USE IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

This study reviews extant measures of cultural competence from many disciplines and evaluates their suitability for social work education based on 8 criteria: validity, reliability, relevance to social justice, item clarity, definition of diversity, coherence, social desirability, and appropriateness for social work. Nineteen instruments met inclusion criteria. Of these, 4 are recommended for social work education. Points of discussion include the ability of scales to transcend disciplinary boundaries, scales as cultural artifacts, and emerging tensions in scale construction. This study calls for interdisciplinary collaboration to develop instruments, pool knowledge, and work toward a socially just world.