Answering the call : an examination of multicultural competence among academic advising ...

140 Pages·2016·1.17 MB·English

by  Tia Noelle Dumas

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations
8-2014
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Tia Noelle Dumas
University of Louisville
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Dumas, Tia Noelle, "Answering the call : an examination of multicultural competence among academic
advising professionals." (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 378.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/378
This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's
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ANSWERING THE CALL: AN EXAMINATION OF MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE AMONG ACADEMIC ADVISING PROFESSIONALS

By
Tia Noelle Dumas
B.A., University of Oregon, 2001
M.A., University of Oregon, 2004

A Dissertation
Submitted to the Faculty of the
College of Education and Human Development of the University of Louisville
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Educational & Counseling Psychology, Counseling, and
College Student Personnel
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky

August 2014
Copyright 2014 by Tia N. Dumas

All rights reserved

ANSWERING THE CALL: AN EXAMINATION OF MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE AMONG ACADEMIC ADVISING PROFESSIONALS

By

Tia Noelle Dumas
B.A., University of Oregon, 2001
M.A., University of Oregon, 2004

A Dissertation Approved on

August 6, 2014

by the following Dissertation Committee:

___________________________________
Dr. Amy Hirschy, Dissertation Chair

___________________________________
Dr. Bridgette Pregliasco

___________________________________
Dr. Shelley Thomas

___________________________________
Dr. Jeff Valentine

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DEDICATION
This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Brenda and Thaddeus (deceased),
and to my siblings Tosca, Tara, Thaddeus (deceased), Theo and Troy. I love you with
my whole heart.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my dissertation chair, Dr. Amy Hirschy, for her incessant
belief in my abilities and my potential, as well as her unparalleled mentoring. Thank you
to Dr. Jeff Valentine for introducing me to the world of systematic reviews and for
teaching me the power of quantitatively synthesizing studies. My doctoral studies were
forever changed as a result of his instruction. I would also like to thank Drs. Bridgette
Pregliasco and Shelley Thomas for their feedback, direction, and guidance as members of
my dissertation committee.
Thank you to Dr. Nora Scobie, the professional academic advising community,
and the student affairs community at the University of Louisville for their participation in
my study and their contributions to advancing multicultural competence in the academic
advising field. Thank you to the faculty in the College Student Personnel program at the
University of Louisville including recently retired professor, Dr. Michael Cuyjet, and
Drs. Bridgette Pregliasco and Amy Hirschy for the old and new lessons they shared with
me that I will carry onwards for the rest of my career.
I am grateful to my colleagues in the College of Education and Human
Development, especially Drs. W. Blake Haselton, Melissa Evans-Andris, and Diane Kyle
for their constant encouragement of my professional development as a practitioner,
Holmes Scholar, and burgeoning researcher. Thank you to the College of Education and
Human Development Diversity Committee, and especially to Drs. Monica Delano and
Shelley Thomas. They are champions of social justice. I would also like to acknowledge
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and thank Dr. Ann Larson for teaching me that the quality of strength, lined with bravery
and empathy is a powerful combination.
Thank you to my doctoral student peers and graduate student classmates,
especially Joy and the graduate assistants and fellows in the ECPY department. I so
valued our regular dialogue about all things non-doctoral. Thank you to my friends in
California and Oregon, as well as to the members of my extended family in California
and Illinois: Daniel and Danielle Gilmore, and Raymond, Isabeau, and Gianna
DeGennaro. You inspire me. Finally, I want to extend my deepest appreciation to
Kirsten (and family), Dwayne, Kristin (and family), Ben, Angela, Kate, Laura (and
family), Julie (and family), and Stefanie (and family) for truly believing in my ability to
dare greatly.
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ABSTRACT
ANSWERING THE CALL: AN EXAMINATION OF MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE AMONG ACADEMIC ADVISING PROFESSIONALS

Tia N. Dumas

August 6, 2014

This dissertation examined the relationship between background characteristics
and multicultural competence among academic advising professionals at a large, public,
urban research institution in the southern United States. It begins with a brief overview
of ethical principles in academic advising, focusing on the responsibility academic
advisors have to advise all students equitably. The dissertation study is guided by a
conceptual framework grounded in student departure theory (Tinto, 1975, 1987, 1993),
learning-centered academic advising (Lowenstein, 2005), culturally sustaining pedagogy
(Paris, 2012), and multicultural competencies in helping and advising (Pope, Reynolds, &
Mueller, 2004) to argue for an understanding of culturally responsive advising practice as
an ethical and social action. The latter part of the dissertation reveals that certain
personal and professional attributes affect levels of multicultural competence.
The volunteer, convenience sample consisted of 81 professional academic
advisors, and current and recent master’s and doctoral students in a counseling and
personnel services preparation program. Using an exploratory univariate regression
analysis, results from the survey study indicated that race/ethnicity and frequency of
participation in multicultural coursework and training are significant predictors of a
higher multicultural competence score. The study concludes with implications for both
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research and practice in an era of increasing awareness of the importance of completing a
postsecondary degree.
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