Cross-Cultural Competency Through Service-Learning

ABSTRACT

This article addresses the development of cross-cultural competency within the context of service-learning. The need to integrate cross-cultural competency into the academic curriculum has risen dramatically with the sharp increase in resident Hispanics and their families. Service-learning addresses the demand for culturally competent graduates who can address the paradigms of inequality and invisibility as well as the language barrier. Service-learning develops cultural competency through weekly direct contact and journal writing exercises. By venturing into the community, students see beyond the cultural walls that often divide neighborhoods, and they also make connections between economics, anthropology, history, political science, and other disciplines. Through service-learning, many university students develop maturity and ingenuity that they would not acquire in the classroom. Community partners—the families, students, and teachers—discover how to complement and advocate for each other to help ensure well-being and academic success. This article analyzes and evaluates the service-learning experience through a community practicum course in which students spend 40 hours working with Hispanic migrant families. It includes the evolution in service-learning in a university program and the value in the shift from a focus on language acquisition to the development of cultural competency as an integral part of the program. Working with a population that is culturally different from themselves and the textbook knowledge they have received has become a cornerstone of university language and teacher-training programs.     

Working With LGBT Baby Boomers and Older Adults: Factors That Signal a Welcoming Service Environment

Many providers recognize the importance of creating culturally competent services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Although multiple resources list steps to make professional practices more LGBT-welcoming, these resources provide no empirical data to support their recommendations. LGBT older adults (N = 327) were asked to describe what signals that a provider is LGBT-welcoming. Six of the top 10 signals related to provider behavior and suggest the importance of staff training; the balance included display of signage and rainbow flags, use of inclusive language on forms and the presence of LGBT-identified staff. Results provide evidence-based recommendations for working with LGBT older adults.     

“京西太平鼓”史迹考索

列入国家级非物质文化遗产名录的"京西太平鼓",是我国北方太平鼓的一个地域性分支。唐代以前的几种舞蹈与它具有渊源关系,直接的源头则是宋代定名的"太平鼓"。明清大量诗文记录了北京太平鼓的兴盛,证明这种民间艺术已经从农村走进城市。受清朝道光年间危害城市治安事件的牵连,太平鼓表演逐渐从北京退回郊区农村。今人主张的清末才由北京传入京西之说,则与史实大相径庭。隐含在古籍中的许多重要史料,尚需进一步发掘和研究。     

A qualitative study on the pros and cons of ethnically matching culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) client families and child protection caseworkers

A review of the literature indicated that empirical research into the advantages and disadvantages of ethnically matching child protection caseworkers and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) client families is not extensive. The main aim of this study was to address this gap. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 CALD client families and 17 child protection caseworkers (as part of a larger study). It was found that if CALD families fear a breach of confidentiality (because of cultural reasons to protect the family's privacy and name), and this fear exceeds the two main benefits of ethnic matching – namely, that it helps overcome language barriers and provides (cultural) sensitivity – then they are likely to prefer a non-matched caseworker. This may be a challenge in child protection practice if the pool of culturally competent caseworkers is small. Another challenge identified was when CALD families preferred an ethnic match but was seen by case managers as a risk to the accurate assessment of a child's wellbeing because the caseworker was over-identifying with the client family. Thus, the provision of a culturally sensitive service can be at odds with the need to protect children from harm. This issue is seen as best addressed on a case by case basis. This study is significant because it has shown that ‘over-identification’ is an important work practice issue in this matter. It has also used empirical evidence to inform best practice principles regarding ethnic matching.     

青海女性人口文化素质的现状与对策分析

青海女性人口文化素质偏低是由经济、传统文化观念、自然环境和女性身心特点等造成的。要进一步提高女性人口的文化素质,必须加快经济发展、发挥政府主导作用以及强化女性主体意识。     

Conceptualizing Cultural Politics in Subcultural and Social Movement Studies

In this article it is argued that combining theories of social movements and subcultures provides a way of 'conceptualizing cultural politics'. The focus is on debates that have taken place over the conceptualization of subcultures and social movements as well as the status and viability of cultural politics. Contemporary subcultural theorists are critical of the rigid concepts used by the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) but, it is argued, they provide few feasible alternatives. They also have little to say about the supposed contemporary significance of cultural politics. New social movement (NSM) theorists, on the other hand, have generated conceptual frameworks that recognize the complexity of collective phenomena and have developed an approach which enables us to engage with the controversy over cultural politics. However, they concentrate too narrowly on struggles waged at the level of lifestyle, culture and civil society. The article shows how, like the CCCS, critics of NSM theory rightly question the potency of symbolic challenges and stress the persistent role of material issues and the continued part that conventional political actors, such as the state, play in contemporary social conflicts. Finally, the case of New Age Travellers is used to illuminate these debates in subcultural and social movement studies and to show how elements of each approach can be employed fruitfully in empirical research.     

The Leveraging Effect of Supervisory Competencies Towards the Performance in Indian Manufacturing Group: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

The quick pace of technological changes, market and industry changes, demographic composition change and society changes requires that human resource managers should revitalize their proficiencies to go with these new challenges. The manager who is a liaison in the organizational hierarchy does a very important job in the organization to direct and channel the employee cluster towards its organization goal, and ensure that each member of the team should be dynamic and prolific. The study on supervisory competency analysis is a crucial and fundamental requirement for any organization. The current study ‘The leveraging effect of Supervisory competencies towards the performance in Indian manufacturing group’ is based on primary data collected from one hundred and fifty employees working in a paper manufacturing industry. The data collected were analysed using SPSS and SMART PLS software. The results of the study revealed that the impact of supervisory competencies towards his performance is huge which accounts to 81% (R²?=?0.810) and towards the growth of whole organization is 35% (R²?=?0.356). This implies that if the supervisory level employees are competent enough by possessing certain competencies, his individual performance will do extreme wonders and will create a strong bond between him and the organization and also create an impact on organization growth by clear strategy formulation, creating committed workforce, developing the organization as learning organization and stimulating individual and group productivity.     

Promoting public health through community engagement: Embracing the journey

ABSTRACT

This case study recounts and analyzes the journey that graduate students, enrolled in an experiential, interdisciplinary health promotions course, took with a diverse, urban, Black, Midwest community. Community members, faculty, and graduate students in social work and public health were fellow travelers on this voyage into uncharted territory. A major goal of the journey was to teach students how to recognize community strengths and to facilitate the community in using those strengths. The learner’s stance is used as the guiding principle for this reflective journey that generated serendipitous benefits and challenges. The article concludes with recommendations for interdisciplinary education and curriculum development.     

Perspectives of Culture-Bearers on the Vitality,Viability and Value of Traditional Khmer Music Genres in Contemporary Cambodia

Previous studies have explored the historical and social context for the endangerment and subsequent revitalisation of Cambodian performing arts, but little work has focused on music, or the views of culture-bearers themselves on these issues. By thematically analysing qualitative data from semi-structured interviews conducted in early 2013, this research explores the perspectives and motivations of a group of master-musicians, teachers and performers who are making efforts to sustain and revive their music traditions. Participants emphasised five factors that they believed significantly interplayed with the vitality of traditional Khmer music genres. Four of these were generally perceived to have an overall adverse effect on vitality: ‘outside’ influence; loss of interest and knowledge among younger people; low market demand for performances and teaching; and perpetuation of limiting constructs and belief systems. Only one factor identified was perceived to have a beneficial effect on vitality: the strength of infrastructure for learning and teaching. Somewhat surprisingly, then, opinions about the viability of traditional genres were on aggregate highly optimistic, though with some concern expressed about the impact of government action (and inaction) on this issue. Justifications given for sustaining and revitalising traditional Khmer genres included the role of these traditions in education and ritual, Cambodian national identity and musicians’ livelihoods. The study confirms the perceived value, among one group of culture-bearers, of revitalising Khmer music traditions.     

西部城市农民工双重社会适应研究——基于重庆的问卷调查

论文通过问卷调查数据,采用定量研究方法,对重庆市农民工城市和农村社会适应状况进行了比较,并分析了影响农民工城市社会适应的因素。农民工城乡社会适应水平都不高,城市职业适应和生活适应高于农村,农村文化适应比城市文化适应更好。多元线性回归结果表明:教育程度、收入、打工时间、和配偶一起打工、社会剥夺感、政府帮助等对农民工城市社会适应的不同方面有显著性影响。