Competences of The 21st Century
The Development of Multicultural Counselor Competences
Nandang Budiman
Department of Educational Psychology and Guidance, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No. 229,
Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Multicultural Counselor Training, Multicultural Competence, Systematic Reflection, Socratic Dialogue,
Cultural Immersion.
Abstract: The development of multicultural competence is an issue that is being considered by multicultural counseling
experts nowadays. This research examines the effectiveness of multicultural counselor training in developing
multicultural competence. The present research used experimental method in the frame of pretest-posttest
control group design. The sample of research was 30 students of UPI’s Counselor Profession Education
Program 2016. The main result of this research is empirical data of the effectiveness of multicultural counselor
training in developing students’ multicultural competence, where is p = 0,00 ˂ α = 0,05. Average of
counselor’s multicultural competence development is 21%. The used training strategies consisted of
systematic reflection, Socratic dialogue, simulation, and cultural immersion. These research recommendations
are intended for the organizers of the Counselor Profession Education Program, school counselors, and
subsequent researches.
1 INTRODUCTION
Recently, some experts of multicultural guidance and
counseling as Hays and Erford (2010), Singh et al.
(2011), Kagnıcı (2011), Baruth and Manning (2012),
and Spanierman (2014) put their focus on conducting
research on multicultural competence development.
This happens along with the shifting paradigm of
cross-cultural counseling and guidance to the
multicultural guidance and counseling paradigm
(Vacc et al., 2003). The cross-cultural counseling and
guidance emerges from differences and
philosophically attempts to merge the differences to
be a single one, meanwhile, multicultural guidance
and counseling emerges from diversity that
philosophically attempts to develop the existing
uniqueness, so, by their uniqueness, humans are
capable of living in harmony in diversity.
The importance of multicultural competence
development is in line with the reality of life that
shows rapid development of multicultural life, where
at the moment humans almost certainly cannot escape
from the multicultural life (Loewenthal and Snell
2003). The development of multicultural life today is
not familiar with the boundaries of space and time.
Furthermore, after the enactment of the ASEAN
Economic Community or the ASEAN Free Market in
2015, multicultural life is growing. It should be noted,
however, that its development is not just a better
opportunity; it can be also a serious threat to human
life (Norman 2000). In addition, multicultural life is
not only making humans’ life more advanced but also
often brings humans to anomalous condition. State
institutions and social institutions seem to be
stagnating and have crisis of legitimacy because they
cannot normally perform their duties and functions.
The exclusivism is strongly growing so heart to heart
dialogue between individuals and groups can hardly
happen. In this condition, it is feared that a destructive
emotional outpouring, namely social anger, allows
envy and hate to be laid under the guise of virtue. This
life reality indicates that counselors should have
multicultural competence as the integrity of
nowadays counselors’ competencies. If counselors
have no the competence, then their professional
performance is feared not providing optimal service,
even barely hampering the implementation of
guidance and counseling services. A study showed
that about 40% of American counselors did not
continue further counseling session because the
counselor lacked cultural sensitivity as one of the
multicultural competencies (Bidell, 2012). It
310
Budiman, N.
Competences of The 21st Century: - The Development of Multicultural Counselor Competences.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 1, pages 310-315
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

confirms that counselors need to have multicultural
competence so that their professional services truly
meet effectiveness.
The present research departs from the importance
of counselor training that facilitates the development
of multicultural competence. All this time, the
development of counselors’ multicultural
competency is done through classroom training
(Sodowsky et al., 1998), understanding and field
practicing (Linwood et al. 2008), a project making
such as multicultural action project (Carlos et al.,
2011), multicultural counseling skills training for
graduate students (Ruth and Lien 2013), and
developing multicultural competence through
lecturing on multicultural counseling (Spanierman,
2014). Different from the respective development of
multicultural competence, the object of this research
is counselor training by focusing on multicultural
competence development. The used strategies are
systematic reflection, Socratic dialogue, and field
practice. Thus, the novelty of this study lies in
extending the object of study from operational
problems to structural problems in school
environment. This appears on the issue of science
education ontology, which consists of problems on
educational field and environment. The issues of
science training consist of fundamental, structural,
and operational while the issues of training
environment include training issues at home, school
and community (Supriatna et al., 2013). This study
examines the structural problems in school
environment, specifically on counselor training.
On the basis of the foregoing description, the
problem examined in this study is "Is Multicultural
Counselor Training effective for developing
multicultural competence?"
2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
The method used in this research is experimental
method in the frame of pretest-posttest control group
design (Hapner et al., 2008). In this respective design,
the participants were grouped into two groups; a
group act as experimental group because they receive
multicultural counselor training treatments while the
other groups have no experimentation, thus act as
control group. Both groups run pre-test and post-test
with the aim of testing the impact of independent
variables that are reflected in the differences of
dependent variable.
The subjects of the study were the students of
UPI’s Counselor Profession Education Program,
academic year 2015/2016 by using saturated samples
because of the limited existing population. The
required data were collected using a force-choice
questionnaire to uncover multicultural competence,
which has been examined by experts’ judgment and
empirical test so its validity and reliability have been
tested.
To test the validity of statement items of
Counselors’ Multicultural Competence Disclosure,
point biserial correlation was performed to correlate
one predictor variable that is dichotomous (binary or
binomial) with a criterion variable with interval or
ratio scale (Furqon, 2001). The technique of data
analysis was Mann-Whitney Test. The decision
making in hypothesis testing used α = 0,05.
3 RESULTS
3.1 The Profile of Counselors’
Multicultural Competence
Development
The profile of counselors’ multicultural competence
development was obtained through statement items
analysis. The complete profile of counselors’
multicultural competence development is shown in
the following table 1.
Table 1: The profile of counselors’ multicultural competence development.
Competences of The 21st Century: - The Development of Multicultural Counselor Competences
311

Table 1 show that the data were processed through
percentage of counselors’ multicultural competence
score from item, indicator, dimension, aspect, and the
average of its development.
3.2 Empirical Evidence of the
Effectiveness of Multicultural
Counselor Training
The main hypothesis formulated in this research is
"multicultural counselor training is effective to
improve multicultural competence". In this
hypothesis, multicultural competence is treated as a
dependent variable, whereas multicultural counselor
training is treated as an independent variable. This
main hypothesis is further elaborated into 13 more
detailed hypotheses; each declares the effectiveness
of the multicultural counselor training in improving
the aspects and dimensions of multicultural
competence.
Table 2: Result of effectiveness measurement on
multicultural counseling training in enhancing multicultural
competencies.
No. Sources
of
variation
Mann-
Withney
U
P Note
1. Total 0,000 0,000 significant
2. As
p
ect 1 16,000 0,000 si
g
nificant
3. As
p
ect 2 33,000 0,000 si
g
nificant
4. As
p
ect 3 15,000 0,000 si
g
nificant
Table 2 show that the hypothesis of this research
is further elaborated into the statistical hypothesis as
follows:
H0:
μ
1 -
μ
2 = 0 (1)
H1:
μ
1 -
μ
2 ˃ 0 (2)
The test criteria are as follows: H0 is rejected if p
˂ α, where p is the probability value obtained
empirically, while α in this study is set at 0,05.
To test the effectiveness of multicultural
counselor training in improving multicultural
competence, effectiveness test is done by employing
Mann-Withney formula, which was processed by
SPSS 1.10 Program. The results are as follows.
4 DISCUSSION
The result of hypothesis testing shows that
multicultural counselor training is effective in
developing multicultural competence. According to
the result of this hypothesis testing, generally
multicultural counselor training is proven to facilitate
the significant enhancement of multicultural
competence. It means that if multicultural counselor
training is implemented as in accordance with its
manual, then multicultural competence will increase.
This significant change can be seen in the percentage
of multicultural competence development which is
21%. The effectiveness multicultural counselor
training in enhancing multicultural competence is
believed to be not a coincidence, but it all happened
because multicultural counselor training is designed,
developed, and implemented based on fundamental
theoretical-philosophical foundation, accurate
theoretical-contextual basis, and appropriate
implementation strategies. Therefore, the
effectiveness of multicultural counselor training in
enhancing multicultural competence can be, at least,
analyzed from three perspectives, namely theoretical-
philosophical, theoretical-contextual, and
implementation strategies.
Firstly, in theoretical-philosophical perspective,
multicultural counselor training is built on
fundamental human philosophy. The Multicultural
Counselor Training multicultural counselor training
sees humans as a culture system that has potential to
develop optimally (Jackson, 2006; Baruth and
Manning, 2012; McLeod, 2003; D’Andrea and
Heckman, 2008). This philosophy recognizes that
human beings have human potential. It means that the
multicultural counselor training strongly agrees with
the view of humanistic counseling which its focus
intervention seeks to facilitate potential in order to
develop optimally. However, multicultural counselor
training also strongly agrees with behavioristic
counseling groups, who rely on environmental
engineering in intervening their guidance and
counseling. It is very visible in seeing humans as a
cultural system. In other words, multicultural
counselor training sees human beings have the
potential that can develop optimally if there is
sufficient environment facility. The cultural system in
which the individual grows will facilitate the
development of individual potential, including the
potential of multicultural competence.
Philosophically speaking, multicultural counselor
training is aimed at facilitating the development of
multicultural competencies. The reason is that
multicultural counselor training is built on the theory
of multicultural counseling, especially the principles
and strategies of multicultural competence
development. In its principle, multicultural
counseling philosophically seeks to facilitate the
development of multicultural competence as the
foundation of the individual to be able to live in
ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences
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harmony and diversity (McLeod, 2003; Hays and
Erford, 2010; Jennifer et al., 2010). Thus, judging
from the theoretical-philosophical side, the
effectiveness of multicultural counselor training is
likely to be marked by a fundamental human view and
a clear purpose namely facilitating the development
of multicultural competence.
Secondly, in theoretical-contextual perspective,
the effectiveness of multicultural counselor training
in enhancing multicultural competence can happen
because it is supported by strong concept and proper
context understanding through need assessment. For
Ruth and Lien (2013) need analysis in the
development of multicultural competence is a must.
It indicates that the accuracy of multicultural
counselor training assessment should be a guarantee
of effective multicultural competence development,
that is, needs assessment built by the accuracy of
contextual understanding. Based on the bioecological
theory of Bronfenbrenner, known as context theory
(Papalia et al., 2004), it is explained that human
development occurs in the context of ecological
systems that may support or inhibit the development
itself. He suggests that to understand how humans
develop, understand human ecology firstly. This
theory identifies five interconnected contextual
systems, namely microsystems, mesosystems,
ecosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems.
Based on this context theory, assessment of guidance
and counseling should take which context is believed
to be most influential to the individual into account.
It should be recognized that development is related to
cultural factors (Lago, 2006). Basically, the
implementation of multicultural counselor training is
highly influenced by multicultural guidance and
counseling approach, that bases its practice on the
need of the counseling in accordance with the
uniqueness of its cultural identity development
(Baruth and Manning, 2012).
Thirdly, the effectiveness of multicultural
counselor training in improving all multicultural
competence can be seen from the analysis of its
implementation strategy. Multicultural counselor
training uses four main strategies in its
implementation, namely systematic reflection,
Socratic dialogue, simulation, and cultural
immersion. As it is understood, people are now
almost certainly unable to avoid the problems of
multicultural life related to values and beliefs
(Loewenthal and Snell, 2003). It means that the
current and the future humans who can live worthily
are human being who are willing and able to test their
own values and beliefs, it is called reflection.
Reflection is a self-criticism through a process of
examining the values, beliefs, and personal
experiences done for and by oneself (Morin, 2002;
Yip, 2006). Multicultural competence is full of
values, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills that,
in its development, can be facilitated by the ability
and the intention to do reflection (Toros and Medar,
2015). Therefore, reflection, especially systematic
reflection, is used as the initial strategy of
Professional Counselor Training of multicultural
Counselors in developing multicultural competence.
The systematic reflection of multicultural
competence is the process of assessment, analysis,
internalization, and the initiation of multicultural
competencies done by and/or for oneself. The
systematic reflection of multicultural competence,
actually, is an auto critical action by counselors or
learners of their own multicultural competence.
Systematic reflection in enhancing multicultural
competence is considered to be important because
systematic critical reflection on the development of
multicultural competence is necessary if the
counselor commits to succeed (Sharma et al., 2011;
Bettendorf and Fischer, 2009).
The second strategy used by the multicultural
counselor training is Socratic dialogue strategy, as
one of the six strategies of multicultural guidance and
counseling approaches (Jackson, 2006; Palmer and
Laugngani, 2008; Gladding, 2012). The Socratic
Dialogue is considered to be an appropriate strategy
to facilitate the development of multicultural
competence. It is based on a belief that the Socratic
dialogue in guidance and counseling has been proven
as effective strategy in developing higher order
thinking skills, developing meta cognition, and
improving counselee’s performance (Lam, 2011). In
addition, the Socratic dialogue can be used to clarify
meanings, feelings, and consequences for what have
been understood, believed, and made as solution
(Copeland, 2010). Meanwhile, multicultural
competence is built on attitudes and beliefs,
knowledge, and skills (Hays and Erford, 2010;
Jennifer et al., 2010; Jackson, 2006). So, the Socratic
dialogue is considered to be an appropriate strategy to
be a multicultural guidance and counseling strategy
specially to facilitate the development of attitudes and
beliefs, knowledge, and counselors’/counselees’ in
developing their own multicultural competence. In
turn, their multicultural competence will be based on
higher order thinking skills and firm metacognition,
so that the counselor appears as a professional in
multicultural guidance and counseling and is able to
live in harmony and diversity. If the Socratic dialogue
is really done well in multicultural counselor
professional training, then it almost certainly will
Competences of The 21st Century: - The Development of Multicultural Counselor Competences
313

result a significant effect on the increase of
multicultural competence. Therefore, the
effectiveness of t multicultural counselor professional
training in facilitating the enhancement of
multicultural competencies is most likely influenced
by the Socratic dialogue.
The third strategy used by multicultural
counselors training is cultural immersion strategy
through field practice. This strategy is done with the
consideration that it is necessary to sharpen
multicultural competence development skills through
professional practice that is the practice of developing
learners’ multicultural competence supervised in the
authentic field setting. This is important because the
development of multicultural competence of learners
includes professional work. Therefore, this
multicultural competence development skill must be
thoroughly examined through the supervised practice
and independent practice in the field.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Both holistically and independently aspects analysis,
multicultural counselor training is empirically
effective in developing counselors’ multicultural
competence. The indication can be seen that all
aspects of counselors’ multicultural competence
increase significantly after attending multicultural
counselor training. The counselors’ multicultural
competency emerges from the moderate category,
before multicultural counselor training, to the high
category, after the training. It indicates that
counselors’ multicultural competence that includes
including an awareness of values and cultural biases,
sensitivity to cultural values and biases of counselees,
as well as an appropriate cultural intervention strategy
has developed optimally through the training of
multicultural counselors. Multicultural counselor
training is a systematic effort to develop counselors’
multicultural competence through systematic
reflection, Socratic dialogue, simulation, and cultural
immersion.
This research produces three recommendations.
Firstly, the study program that holds Counselor
Profession Education is recommended to implement
a systematic reflection strategy, Socratic dialogue,
simulation, and cultural immersion as a counselor
professional education learning strategy. Secondly,
school counselors are recommended to use systematic
reflection, Socratic dialogue, and cultural immersion
in developing the learners’ multicultural
competencies while enhancing their own
multicultural competence. Thirdly, further research is
recommended to examine the training of
multicultural counselors in family and community
counselor.
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