J. Owen, M. M. Leach, B. Wampold, and E. Rodolfa tested the hypotheses that (a) some therapists express more multicultural competencies (MCCs) more than other therapists and (b) clients' perceptions of their therapists' MCCs are a function of specific client or therapeutic factors. In the present analysis, the authors critiqued 3 major components…

Cultural immersion experiences have been used in multicultural counselor training courses to address racism. Cultural immersion experiences include activities designed to provide concentrated, direct, substantial, and meaningful interactions with multiple elements of a target culture for the purpose of promoting crosscultural competency. In this…

CNN commentator Bill Bennett's invocation of "professorial" was the latest among a string of comments about Barack Obama, who used to teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago. On September 13, the "New York Times" columnist Thomas L. Friedman wrote, "Obama may be a bit professorial, but at least he is trying to unite the country to…

Disability support personnel within Australia include those who provide direct and daily care to people with intellectual disability (ID), largely in residential and day service contexts. Their roles and responsibilities are many, calling on far ranging skills. Yet, they come to these roles with levels of education that range from incomplete high…

During a 45-minute observation period, Texas teachers must demonstrate their abilities on a long checklist of "performance indicators." This approach, like its sister systems cropping up in other states, is based on a narrow, standardized, and superficial view of teaching. (Author)

Specialists in developmental disabilities and aging need competence in the following areas: advocacy, characteristics of older persons with developmental disabilities, planning and implementation, communication, and training. (SK)

Discusses factors involved in addressing question of whether rehabilitation counselors with rehabilitation counseling master's degrees are more competent and effective than other counselors. Discusses differences between education and training; methodological considerations; and political and moral aspects. Asserts that assuring appropriate…

A female-dominated profession such as home economics should focus on developing realistic attitudes toward careers, awareness of sociocultural conditioning, and management skills. A leadership development model has four competencies: favorable attitudes, psychological and social preparedness, technical/administrative skills, and political…

This conceptual framework for occupational competence and qualification views competence as individual attribute, job requirement, or competence-in-use. Other components include cognition and metacognition, developmental rather than adaptive focus, and creation of a learning environment that allows reproductive, productive, and creative levels of…

The symbiotic relationship between work and mental health requires counselor competence in both career and mental health counseling. Professional associations have developed competency statements and training standards that integrate psychopathology, career development theory, assessment techniques, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, among other…

Compares the National Council for Vocational Qualifications model for assessing skilled performance with traditional British approaches. Concludes that the model is rigid and inflexible and can lead to deskilling. (SK)

Describes the variety of types of products produced by instructional designers, discusses the role of the designer, lists the critical instructional design attributes needed by instructors who design and implement loosely structured instructional products, and discusses prototype evaluation methods for less flexible, instructor-centered products.…

Decrying the lack of professional standards, the author attempts to define an organizational development professional in terms of the personal traits, skills, and competencies needed. He outlines a learning sequence for skills development and presents a skills assessment scale for self-evaluation. (SK)

Explores the relationship between academic assessment and assessment of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for health professionals in Britain. Examines the relationship between competence and excellence or expertise and the development of reflective practitioners. Raises concerns about using NVQs in professional occupations. (SK)

Suggests that "competence" is a component of power-knowledge practices that regulate adults through a process of self-regulation. Argues that competency-based education is a means of producing consent without using oppression or force in reproducing the social order. (SK)