Cultural Competence in Advising Hispanic and Native American Students

1
Cultural Competence in Advising Hispanic and
Native American Students

• Faye Vowell, Chris Farren, Roland Shook Western
  New Mexico University
• Session 509 2006 NACADA Annual Conference

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Structure of Presentation

• Cultural competence
• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Process to achieve cultural competence using
  quality tools
• Planning-examples of baseline knowledge gained
  through the literature and information gained
  through focus groups and surveys
• Doexamples of information to be shared in
  faculty/staff development
• Study
• Act

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Living With Change

• The world of higher education is changing and we
  must respond.
• an increasingly diverse student body more
  female, older, international, minority, retooling
  
• Changing knowledge and technology base
• Uncertain funding
• Increased accountability

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What is cultural competence?

• Being competent in crosscultural functioning
  means learning new patterns of behavior and
  effectively applying them in the appropriate
  settings. 
• Cultural competency emphasizes the idea of
  effectively operating in different cultural
  contexts.
• They should be reflected in attitudes,
  structures, policies, and services. 

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Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA)

• PLAN plan ahead for change. Analyze and predict
  the results.
• DO execute the plan, taking small steps in
  controlled circumstances.
• STUDY check, study the results.
• ACT take action to standardize or improve the
  process.

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Plan Assess Values and Determine Institutional
Gaps

• Conduct focus groups with Native American and
  Hispanic faculty and students
• Create a survey to get broader input from your
  target audience
• Set goals for the institution that flow from
  these values and actions
• Validate your categories and actions with
  stakeholders.

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Process to Achieve Cultural Competence in an
Institution/Department

• Create awareness of need in primary stakeholders
  by educating them in regard to the concept
• Create a process management team
• Read the literature to get baseline knowledge of
  your target group of students. In our case,
  Native American and Hispanic students
• Use the PDSA cycle to create the implementation
  process

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High School Drop Out RatesACE (2002) and Tierney
(1992)
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Native Americans in Education

• Only 40 who graduate from high school will
  enroll in college.
• The retention rate for Native American students
  in college may be as low as 15 .
• Tierney (1992)

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Hispanics in Education

• College Completion rate (Chapa Valencia, 1993)

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Hispanics and Native American Cultural Values
Group Activity

• Take 5 minutes with your group to determine what
  you think are the 3 most important Latino
  cultural values.
• Take another 5 minutes with your group to
  determine what you think are the 3 most important
  Native American Cultural Values

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Hispanic Education Barriers

• Cultural incongruence (Gloria Robinson Kurpius,
  1996)
• Nonsupportive university environments (Cervantes,
  1998 Ponterotto, 1990)
• Financial and socioeconomic issues (Chapa
  Valencia, 1993)
• Educational stereotypes (Retish Kavanaugh,
  1992)
• Lack of mentors (Fields, 1988)

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Hispanic Cultural Values from Focus Groups

• Personalismopersonal relationships and
  interactions.
• Familismoa strong sense of family centrality and
  importance
• CariñoBecause we cherish one another and all
  that is around us, we need to be mindful to do
  things with love, with care, with heart

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Hispanic Cultural Values

• GanasOne must give 100 effort to all that one
  does. Enthusiasm, positive energy, dynamic and
  vibrant joy will help create a better space for
  self and others.
• OrgulloA special kind of pride that is not
  haughty or arrogant
• Respeto/Respectfor self and others.

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WNMU Survey Results
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Students Perspective Jana, a 1st generation
college student

• Questioned whether she belonged in a university
  system
• In class, Instructors told her she was not
  participating and would not receive full credit
  for class participation
• Out of class, she was criticized for her strong
  Latino identification and for speaking out. She
  was seen as a troublemaker and accused of
  creating unnecessary tensions.
• At home, she family was concerned the she was not
  placing family first because she was spending
  more time at school than with them
• She had no one to discuss not fitting into either
  academic or family environments
• (Gloria Rodriguez, 2000)

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Students Perspectives

• My problem became your problemI never hit
  roadblocks at WNMU-GGSC. You all did the
  paperwork necessary so I only had to fight with
  one institution (Navajo Nation), not two.
• Female student, Navajo, MAT Secondary Program

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Students Perspective

• My advisor was always helpful. She connected me
  helpful resources in the community. She also
  held high academic standards for me, she pushed
  me and I appreciate that.
• Male graduate, Navajo, MAT Special Education

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Group Activity

• Take the top Chicano cultural value from your
  groups list and determine how you would
  implement an advising strategy to lessen problem.
• Do the same for the top Native American cultural
  value.

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What We Are Doing

• Student Success Seminar

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Do Share your knowledge and actions with advisors

• Plan your inservice or professional development
  session
• Invite participants
• Evaluate their learning in the session
• Design a follow up to whether the advisors are
  implementing these actions

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Study or Check Study the Results

• The process management team analyzes the results
• The results are shared with the advisor and
  student stakeholders and their suggestions for
  further changes are requested as are their
  comments about the positive results of the changes

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Act Take action to Standardize or Improve

• The process management team shares the results
  more broadly across the institution.
• The process management takes steps to make the
  changes part of the policies and procedures of
  the institution.

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What We Are Doing

• Policy Changes

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Contact us at the following email addresses

• Faye Vowell vowellf_at_wnmu.edu
• Chris Farren farrenp_at_wnmu.edu
• Roland Shook shookr_at_wnmu.edu
• With special thanks for their insights with
  Native American students in Gallup
• Corine Frankland cfrankland_at_wnmu.org
• Julie Horwitz juliehorwitz_at_hotmail.com