Investigating Faculty, Students, and Diversity Officers' Attitudes Towards Cultural Diversity: A Causal-Comparative Study

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study is to investigate the difference in cultural competence scores among students, faculty, and diversity officers who participated in cultural competence training and those who did not. Research on diversity has seldom examined the effectiveness of cultural competence training on attitudes toward cultural diversity. The study participants (n = 411) were undergraduate students, n = 148, faculty, n = 129, and diversity officers, n = 134) from 4-year private non-profit universities in the Northeastern United States. The present study employed critical race theory to explore the effectiveness of cultural competence training programs and assess changes in student, faculty, and diversity officers’ attitudes toward cultural diversity. Data was collected using a Cultural Competence Assessment instrument that measures cultural diversity in two subscales: cultural awareness and sensitivity and cultural competence behaviors. The anonymous data was collected through Survey Planet. A two-way ANOVA was used to analyze all participants' data or competence skills and whether their scores differed using SPSS 29.0. The results showed that the scores between the students, faculty, and diversity officers were significantly different, indicating that the impact of cultural competence training on individuals is significant. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of institutional policies and the role of the community in promoting cultural competence, as well as intersectional factors influencing cultural competence within higher education institutions.