Multicultural Competence: An Examination of Critical Consciousness and Multicultural Awareness in Undergraduate Students

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between critical consciousness and multicultural awareness among undergraduate students at Auburn University. Due to the constantly changing makeup of the United States population and the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics requiring counselors to be multiculturally competent with diverse populations, counselor educators are under more pressure than ever to promote multicultural competence in counselors-in-training (Cohn & Caumont, 2016; ACA, 2014; Hill, Vereen, McNeal, and Stotesbury, 2013; Zalaquett, Foley, Tillotson, Dinsmore, & Hof, 2008; Decker, Manis, & Paylo, 2015). This study found both political awareness and engagement in advocacy activities to be strong predictors of increased multicultural awareness among the participants. These predictors provide evidence linking critical consciousness and multicultural awareness, which can potentially be used by counselor educators to increase multicultural competence in counselors-in-training. Additionally, a discussion regarding the further discussion of the implications for counselor educators is provided.