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Abstract
Based on a review of the multicultural counseling competence literature, Kitaoka (2005) identified four areas of further research: (1) integrating discrepant factor analyses regarding the structure of multicultural competence; (2) the ambiguity of Multicultural Awareness; (3) the impact of an inclusive versus an exclusive definition of culture; and (4) the impact of test taker frame of reference on multicultural competency assessment test scores. This study examined the effects of test taker frame of reference on scores for the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI). The instructions to the MCI were revised to create three different versions: (1) instructions that were not revised; (2) instructions that cued participants to think of cultural groups with whom they were relatively familiar; and (3) instructions that cued participants to think of cultural groups with whom they were relatively unfamiliar. Participants were randomly assigned to one of these groups.
Using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) it was found that the familiarity a test taker had with a particular cultural group did not significantly impact MCI scores. Test takers did demonstrate preferences for certain frames of reference when responding to the MCI: (1) participants conceptualized culture based primarily on race/ethnicity; and (2) participants responded to items based on groups they were relatively or very familiar with, even when instructed otherwise. These findings may be of relevance to individuals developing and constructing tests and test items, as well as training programs that use the MCI and similar measures to assess MCC.
