Developing a Virtual Multicultural Intervention for University Students

The recent surge in acts of violence motivated by intergroup biases in the United States are of great concern. If allowed to progress, these conditions could create an unwelcoming atmosphere and could foster further division within the United States. Based on previous culture-related studies, multiculturalism is a possible solution to reducing intergroup biases, as it positively affects implicit and explicit cultural attitudes, perceptions, as well as behaviors. The current study developed a virtual multiculturalism intervention as a means to improve intergroup relations and combat cultural biases within the undergraduate student population. Specifically, 249 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to the intervention condition and the control condition. Results showed that participants in the intervention condition had a significantly higher improvement in multiculturalism scores, supporting the incorporation of a virtual multiculturalism intervention in higher education. This study calls for the implementation of a better framework of understanding of how changes in multicultural events are perceived and how this can be used to create a more empathetic population who are more comfortable and understanding with one another. This inexpensive and timesaving model holds the possibility of being used in the future to aid in overcoming cultural differences between student populations and varying ethnics groups alike.

«Det er så koselig her at jeg tar av meg skoene»: Om betydningen av sted i en flerkulturell barne- og ungdomsfestival

In this article, we explore how children and youth participating in a multicultural festival in Norway construct space and place. Such events respond to the call to action for reducing prejudice and stereotypes, and they aim to promote inclusion, participation and community. Nonetheless, researchers have criticized such events for instead promoting categorical understandings of cultural identities; as such, some researchers regard multicultural festivals as counterproductive to the aim of promoting inclusion. However, previous research has directed scarce attention to the participants’ perspective, in particular viewpoints of children and youth. Inspired by perspectives on spatial justice (Soja, 1996, 2010), we interpret young people’s experiences and meaning making while attending a multicultural festival. We collected data through an app, which allowed us to conduct structured interviews with children and youths on site. The findings bring out the significance of space and place when interpreting young people’s participation and meaning making at such events. We conclude the article by reflecting on the potential of perspectives on space and place to nuance an often one-sided criticism of multicultural events.

Helpful and Hindering Multicultural Events in Group Supervision

This study examines the relationship between multicultural events in group supervision, group climate, and supervisee multicultural competence using a mixed qualitative/quantitative design. The discovery-oriented approach yielded 196 helpful and hindering multicultural events among 136 participants. The most common events included multicultural learning and peer vicarious learning. Supervisees suggested improving their group supervision through better integration of multicultural issues and more supervisor involvement. Regarding group climate, supervisees reporting peer vicarious learning or multicultural learning experienced higher group engagement, whereas misapplications of multicultural theory related to higher reports of group conflict. Increased multicultural learning and extra-group multicultural events positively related to supervisees' multicultural competence whereas multicultural conflicts with supervisors, misapplication of multicultural theory, and the absence of multicultural events negatively related to supervisee multicultural competence. The findings of this study generated several suggestions for managing multicultural events as well as improving theory, research, and practice for group supervision.

Increasing Minority Enrollment at a Predominately White Southern University: Perceptions of High School Students

This study surveyed 363 high school students (215 blacks and 148 whites) on their perceptions for increasing minority enrollment at a predominately white southern university. Black high school students perceived that there should be more recruiting contacts by minority admissions personnel, faculty, students, and administrators to increase minority admissions. Varied multicultural events and programs were perceived as desirable, as were increased financial aids.