SSW Cultural Competency 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school social worker notices that a Native American student frequently avoids direct eye contact with teachers. The most culturally competent interpretation is:
- The student is being defiant
- Eye contact avoidance may reflect a cultural norm of respect (Correct answer)
- The student has a social anxiety disorder
- The student is disengaged from learning
Correct answer: Eye contact avoidance may reflect a cultural norm of respect
In many Native American cultures, avoiding direct eye contact with authority figures is a sign of respect, not defiance or anxiety.
Question 2: When working with recently immigrated families, a school social worker should prioritize:
- Immediate assimilation into mainstream American culture
- Understanding acculturation stress and its impact on family dynamics (Correct answer)
- Referring all concerns to a bilingual counselor only
- Avoiding discussions of the family's country of origin
Correct answer: Understanding acculturation stress and its impact on family dynamics
Acculturation stress significantly affects immigrant families' well-being, and understanding it is central to providing culturally competent services.
Question 3: A Latino family declines mental health services for their child, saying 'We handle problems within the family.' The school social worker should:
- Override the family's wishes and refer the child anyway
- Respect familismo as a cultural value and explore family-centered support options (Correct answer)
- Document the refusal and close the case
- Report the family to child protective services
Correct answer: Respect familismo as a cultural value and explore family-centered support options
Familismo is a strong cultural value in Latino culture emphasizing family unity, and competent practice involves working within this framework.
Question 4: Which concept describes the process by which individuals adopt the cultural norms of the dominant society while maintaining elements of their culture of origin?
- Assimilation
- Marginalization
- Biculturalism (Correct answer)
- Separation
Correct answer: Biculturalism
Biculturalism refers to the ability to function effectively in two cultures simultaneously, maintaining heritage while adopting aspects of the new culture.
Question 5: A school social worker is conducting an assessment with a Hmong family through an interpreter. Which practice is most important?
- Using the student to interpret to save time
- Directing all communication to the interpreter
- Speaking directly to the family and allowing the interpreter to translate (Correct answer)
- Simplifying questions to avoid translation errors
Correct answer: Speaking directly to the family and allowing the interpreter to translate
Speaking directly to the family maintains dignity and relationship-building, even when using an interpreter.
Question 6: The NASW Standards for Cultural Competence emphasize that cultural competency is best understood as:
- A fixed skill set learned in graduate school
- A lifelong developmental process requiring ongoing self-reflection (Correct answer)
- Knowing the cultural facts about every ethnic group
- Applying the same interventions across all cultural groups
Correct answer: A lifelong developmental process requiring ongoing self-reflection
Cultural competency is an ongoing, lifelong process of self-awareness, knowledge acquisition, and skill development.
Question 7: A school social worker from a collectivist cultural background is working with a student who values individualism. What is the most competent approach?
- Impose collectivist values as they are healthier for children
- Recognize personal bias and center the student's individual cultural framework (Correct answer)
- Avoid discussing cultural differences to prevent conflict
- Refer the student to a social worker who shares the student's background
Correct answer: Recognize personal bias and center the student's individual cultural framework
Self-awareness of one's own cultural values and centering the client's framework are hallmarks of culturally competent practice.
SSW Cultural Competency 2
A school social worker notices that a Native American student frequently avoids direct eye contact with teachers.
The most culturally competent interpretation is: