Citizenship and Social Activism: A Mixed Methods Case Study to Understand Cultural Competence in Students of a Service-Learning Based Course

Abstract

This mixed methods case study sought to understand cultural competency in the students of a service-learning based course, “Citizenship and Social Activism (HDFS 310),” taught at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. Cultural competency refers to how people interact with those who are of different cultural groups. For the purposes of this study, cultural competency was also defined by four components: attitudes, knowledge, awareness, and skills. Using a pre- and post-test survey, the participants showed statistically significant changes in the levels of self-reported cultural competency in the overall scores and in the subsection scores that correspond to the four components. Survey data was complemented by qualitative data collected by coding participants’ reflective journals. The qualitative data provided situation-specific information about what levels of cultural competency participants were demonstrating; additionally, the journals provided information about how participants define, perceive, and struggle with the concept of cultural competency.