A Systematic Review of Cultural Competency Educational Techniques in Social Work Education

Background and Purpose: As we move forward in an increasingly diverse world, cultural competency becomes imperative for social workers striving for social justice and racial equality. Although cultural competency is a vital skill for two of the nine social work competencies in the Council on Social Work Education’s 2022 Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), it is a skill in which the learning process varies greatly from program to program. Practitioners commonly report low self-efficacy with the application of cultural competency skills in the field. The literature on cultural competency education in social work programs is limited and not cohesive. The purpose of this study is to examine the approaches used to teach cultural competency in social work education to gain a better sense of the educational efforts in this area.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using bibliographic databases (e.g. ProQuest Central and Gale Academic OneFile). Search terms were input at the abstract level, with terms related to cultural competency (e.g., “cultural competence” or intersectionality), social work (e.g., “social work” or BSW or MSW), and education (e.g., education or pedagogy). Located studies were chosen for initial review if they met the following criteria: (a) Regarding cultural competency education during either a BSW or MSW program – not post-graduation, (b) Pertains to cultural competency in total and not just one aspect of cultural competency, (c) Published in a peer-reviewed journal, (d) English language.

Results: Of the original 196 articles obtained in the initial search, 111 were examined at the abstract level, 28 articles at the full-text level, and 11 articles were retained for the systematic review. The studied articles could be sorted into three groups. Four articles proposed new models for cultural competency education. Specific courses or techniques for teaching cultural competency in social work were covered in six articles, while another article gave a more literature-based overview of cultural competency education in social work programs. Findings indicate that there is great controversy in the literature regarding cultural competency, cultural sensitivity, cultural humility, intersectionality, diversity, multiculturalism, and a number of other related topics.

Conclusions and Implications: Although cultural competency is one of the key skills social work students are expected to learn, there are vastly differing recommendations regarding how to obtain those skills or the best ways to put them into practice. This study provides an overview of the current issues in this field and the methods discussed in the literature for teaching this concept to social work students. The variance in opinions on cultural competency found in this study implies that (1) this is a topic that requires further discourse across the profession, and (2) applied research is needed on the techniques which would be most effective for practitioners to connect with their clients in a way that promotes racial equality and social justice.