ABSTRACT

Cultural humility is increasingly important in social work literature given its emphasis on mitigating power imbalances in helping relationships, particularly across cultural differences. Consequently, there is a need to understand whether and how cultural humility can be taught in social work education, both through traditional classroom instructions and cultural immersion programs. Guided by the Transformative Learning Theory (TLT) and relying on ethnographic observations and reflective journals, this study explores the process of developing cultural humility among 19 U.S. social work students who studied abroad in Ghana in the years 2016–2018. To summarise how the learning process required to develop cultural humility manifests at each of the TLT stages, we identified three major themes: 1) confusion and discomfort, 2) re-moulding, and 3) humility in action. Specifically, this process seems to depend on the experience of a disorienting dilemma, meaningful connections with others, and the ongoing readiness to function beyond one’s own cultural frame of reference. We suggest TLT can serve as a guide to social work educators and study abroad coordinators in planning, facilitating, and evaluating transformative learning experiences which can help students begin this life-long journey.

摘要

鉴于社会工作文献强调减轻帮助关系中的权力不平衡，特别是跨文化差异的关系，文化谦逊在社会工作文献中变得越来越重要。因此，有必要了解在社会工作教育中是否以及如何通过传统的课堂教学和文化沉浸项目来教授文化谦逊。本研究以变革性学习理论（TLT）为指导，依靠民族志观察和反思性期刊，探讨了 2016-2018 年在加纳留学的 19 名美国社会工作学生培养文化谦逊的过程。为了总结培养文化谦逊所需的学习过程如何在每个 TLT 阶段体现出来，我们确定了三个主要主题：1）困惑和不适，2）重塑，3）行动中保持谦逊。具体来说，这个过程似乎取决于迷失方向的困境的经历、与他人的有意义的联系，以及持续准备超越自己的文化参考框架。我们建议 TLT 可以作为社会工作教育工作者和出国留学协调员规划、促进和评估变革性学习经历的指南，从而帮助学生开始这一终身旅程。