Discussion and Implications for Practice
The purpose of this study was to examine multicultural competence among student affairs
professionals responsible for leadership education and programming on campus. Specifically,
this piece highlights the variance in multicultural competence as it relates to leadership educator
practices, including the structure and elements of program design, as well as the nature in which
diversity is addressed in leadership programming.
With respect to variance in multicultural competence and program structure, the study
demonstrated no significant difference in leadership educator’s multicultural competence scores
based on their program structure as open, targeted or positional. However, the results did
suggest that despite a larger portion of the sample indicating a more “open” structured program
and fewer utilizing a targeted or positional structure, leadership educators who utilized a targeted
or positional structure had slightly higher multicultural competence scores. Again, targeted
programs are those designed for a specific population of students, a group of individuals who
perhaps share a common characteristic, be it based on race or ethnicity, gender or some other
aspect of their identity. Positional programs would be those programs designed for students
based on their associated position on campus, for example a first-year leadership program or a
program for student organization leaders. It is assumed that these students share a common
experience or contextual learning environment. Therefore, the results may support a previously
asserted relationship between intentionality in the use of models and multicultural competence
(Wilson, 2012), and may support the intentionality that exists in designing targeted or positional
leadership programs, simply suggesting that leadership educators who are more multiculturally
competent may be more intentional in their program design.
Journal of Leadership Education DOI: 1012806/V14/I1/R1 Winter 2015
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This study also examined the variance in leadership educators multicultural competence
related to their utilization of selected elements in program design or format. The results
indicated a statistically significant difference for those who used guest speakers as an element in
their programming compared with those who used other elements. Specifically, those who
indicated using guest speakers had lower mean multicultural competence scores than those who
used other elements (i.e. community service, credit-bearing course, skills/personality inventories,
retreats, workshops, and mentoring programs). This may provide cause for further reflection and
upon leadership educator’s preparedness or comfort level in speaking and or facilitating
conversations. Munin & Dugan (2011) highlight the personal dimension of program design,
which requires reflection on the educator’s part to consider their level of comfort in facilitating
dialogue, specifically around issues of difference. While not statistically significant, the results
also suggest that those who utilize credit-bearing courses as an element in their leadership
program had slightly higher mean multicultural competence scores than all other categories. It is
important to note, however, that the proportion of educators who indicated using this element
(N=66, 40%) was the second lowest, suggesting that perhaps few educators have this opportunity
given the nature of their program and their institution. Yet, it may also be indicative of
leadership educator preparedness and/or comfort level. Those who are more multiculturally
competent may be more comfortable facilitating dialogue or teaching within a course setting.
And finally, this study examined the variance in multicultural competence of leadership
educators with respect to how they addressed diversity issues within their leadership program(s).
Participants who indicated they addressed diversity issues through workshops, retreats, targeted
programming (based on race, gender, religion or sexuality), or as a full course demonstrated
statistically significant higher multicultural competence scores than those who addressed
diversity through speakers or a section of a course. This supports earlier assertions about the
comfort and preparedness of leadership educators to facilitate dialogue around diversity issues.
Those professionals with lower multicultural competence may rely on other professionals to
facilitate conversations about diversity within their leadership program and may be less inclusive
in how they address diversity, simply adding it on as a section of a course versus integrating it
into the whole course. Research on high impact leadership practices continues to assert that
leadership educators must consistently integrate socio-cultural conversations into leadership
development programs (Dugan, et al., 2013) and challenges leadership educators to utilize these
dialogues as a primary pedagogical tool, embedding them within the structure and content of the
program. The findings from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership continue to highlight the
need for leadership educators to critically reflect upon their own skill set and comfort level in
facilitating dialogue around differences and developing programs for diverse populations,
supporting this current examination of leadership educators, their practices, and their
multicultural competence.