Diversity Leaders in the 21st Century.

Becoming a Diversity The Value and Impact of Multicultural Pedagogy

Presenter: Elisa Velasquez

Co-Presenter(s):
Jordan David, Camille Babida, Shirley Garcia, Jonathan Lerma, & Shioban Rodriguez

Presenter Status: Faculty

Academic Year: 22-23

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Elisa Velazquez

Department: Psychology

Funding Source/Sponsor: Other

Other Funding Source/Program: McNair & Social Sciences Summer Award

President's Strategic Plan Goal: Diversity and Social Justice

Abstract:
The growing demand for diversity initiatives in the U.S. has resulted in initiatives pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education and the corporate world. However, assessments to ascertain the impact of these initiatives remains a challenge (Levy Paluck, 2006; Roth & Ritter, 2015). Cammarota (2011) documented the academic and personal impact of multicultural pedagogy on students’ sense of self, critical thinking, engagement with class materials, ownership of their learning, etc., which "leads to the commitment to care for and better the world around them." We identified the impact of multicultural pedagogy on undergraduate students in a diversity leadership psychology class. This service-learning class included three frameworks: (a) the Big 8 of Diversity, (b) Multicultural Excellence, and (c) the Systems Model (Bronfenbrenner, 1969). Participants gave us permission to conduct a qualitative text analysis of their main class papers. Preliminary results indicate that participants developed a strong sense of cultural identity that allowed them to appreciate the diversity represented in their classmates, which fostered a stronger sense of community. A systems approach allowed them to understand the structural underpinnings of inequities (educational and health) and their role as transformative diversity leaders. Participants recognized their societal privileges as resources they could use to become agents of change. Ultimately, participants left the class with a lifelong commitment to become advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion. We used the most impactful class assignments, identified by the participants, to propose a faculty professional development toolbox to align diversity learning objectives with multicultural pedagogy.