scholarly journals The Need for Advancement in the Conceptualization of Cultural Competence

10.18060/214 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph S. Gallegos ◽  
Cherie Tindall ◽  
Sheila A. Gallegos

The concept of cultural competence has become ubiquitous in human services language and settings. Though the literature from various disciplines is replete with discussions on the topic, there still exists much disagreement regarding the definition of cultural competence as well as how to operationalize, test, and apply concepts related to cultural competence in social service settings. A related issue stems from debate regarding whether cultural competence is a theory, model, paradigm, framework, or perspective. Though cultural competence has been referred to as a theory by some scholars from different disciplines (e.g., Lum, 2005; Blue, Thiedke, Chessman, Kern, & Keller, 2005; Wu & Martinez, 2006), there is still disagreement about whether the concepts related to cultural competence actually meet the criteria for a theory and, consequently, whether they can be used to generate hypotheses and allow for independent observations that can be used to continue building theory, conduct empirical research, and provide evidenced-based practice implications. The authors join in this theory debate through an analysis of the elements of theory and conclude that it has better fit with the definition of social perspective than it does social theory.

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-90
Author(s):  
Zuzana Vařejková

This paper deals with the education of mothers in the care of the child and is a project of qualitative empirical research. First, it presents a theoretical definition of the topic – parenting, child care and parental learning. Subsequently, it describes the methodology and results of qualitative research which dealt with the issue of parental education of mothers in child care, specifically their access to information resource.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Spencer ◽  
Katharine Charsley

AbstractEmpirical and theoretical insights from the rich body of research on ‘integration’ in migration studies have led to increasing recognition of its complexity. Among European scholars, however, there remains no consensus on how integration should be defined nor what the processes entail. Integration has, moreover, been the subject of powerful academic critiques, some decrying any further use of the concept. In this paper we argue that it is both necessary and possible to address each of the five core critiques on which recent criticism has focused: normativity; negative objectification of migrants as ‘other’; outdated imaginary of society; methodological nationalism; and a narrow focus on migrants in the factors shaping integration processes. We provide a definition of integration, and a revised heuristic model of integration processes and the ‘effectors’ that have been shown to shape them, as a contribution to a constructive debate on the ways in which these challenges for empirical research can be overcome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-305
Author(s):  
Alan Scott ◽  
Silvia Rief

This article discusses one early manifestation of a recurring theme in social theory and sociology: the relationship between general (‘universal’ or ‘grand’) theory and empirical research. For the early critical theorists, empiricism and positivism were associated with technocratic domination. However, there was one place where the opposite view prevailed: science and empiricism were viewed as forces of social and political progress and speculative social theory as a force of reaction. That place was Red Vienna of the 1920s and early 1930s. We examine how this view came to be widespread among Austro-Marxists, empirical researchers and some members of the Vienna Circle. It focuses on the arguments and institutional power of their opponents: reactionary, universalistic and corporatist social theorists. The debate between Catholic corporatist theory and its empiricist critics is located not merely in Vienna but also within wider debates in the German-speaking world. Finally, we seek to link these lesser-known positions to more familiar strands of social thought, namely, those associated with Weber and, more briefly, Durkheim and Elias.


2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 842-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Suzuki ◽  
Mary B. McRae ◽  
Ellen L. Short

Sue’s proposed model is based on a critique of the Eurocentric assumptions underlying current clinical practice and reflects his innovative thinking and unique synthesis of past research. The specific areas addressed in this article focus on an examination of the multidimensional model of cultural competence (MDCC) and issues related to the definition of competence and its measurement. Areas of needed elaboration in the model include complexities related to power hierarchies (i.e., authority, authorization, and leadership) and implications for training and practice. Particular emphasis is placed on the complexities of cultural competence and the important contributions of Sue’s MDCC as an important step in making cultural competence a reality in the practice of counseling psychology.


IFLA Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Blackburn

Two examples of community engagement in Australian public libraries, drawn from the author’s experience, are analysed using Sung and Hepworth’s (2013) community engagement model for public libraries and Overall’s (2009) definition of cultural competence in a library and information science framework. The examples are examined for the community engagement characteristics identified by Sung and Hepworth; each is also considered for cultural competence, using the domains which Overall posits are the sites where this competence occurs or is developed. A virtuous circle of community engagement is extrapolated from the second example. ‘Hierarchical equivalence’ between organizations, a group’s proportional presence in a population and the nature of each group’s aims, are suggested as further factors in sustainable community engagement. That culture is an asset on which communities draw to engage with libraries and the broader community, and that communities will respond to engagement approaches if they offer the possibility of meeting community aspirations, is evident in both examples.


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