A Multicultural Personal Growth Group as a Pedagogical Strategy with Graduate Counseling Students

Abstract

The present study investigated a six-week multicultural personal growth group as a pedagogical strategy to support first-year graduate counseling students’ (N = 20) levels of ethnic identity development (Phinney & Ong, 2007) and social-cognitive maturity (Hy & Loevinger, 1996). Students’ levels of ethnic identity and social-cognitive development did not change; however, 90% (n = 18) of the students reported valuing the group experience and appreciated the group leaders facilitation of the pedagogical strategy. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and learning are discussed.

Keywords

• counselor education
• counselor development
• multicultural counseling and development
• scholarship of teaching and learning
• social-cognitive development