Title from PDF of title page, viewed on August 24, 2016Dissertation advisor: Omiunota UkpokoduVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 206-236)Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Education. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2016Many social service and healthcare professionals are often challenged in engaging in
culturally appropriate practice, particularly when working with diverse populations that differ
from their own (Rothman, 2008; Sue, 2010). Those who are the most vulnerable are the
populations in which social workers provide service delivery (Davis, 2007; Gilgun &
Abrams, 2002). Social workers who are not culturally competent may not provide equitable
nor culturally relevant care (Davis, 1997; Heydt & Sherman, 2005; Lu, Lum & Chen, 2001;
Sue, 1992, 2010). The purpose of this research study was to explore how social workers
describe their use of self in urban-based practice settings. The traditions of phenomenology
and case study provided the methodological framework. The theoretical frameworks of
Cultural Competence and Multiculturalism were used, along with the supporting interpretive
theories of self-reflexivity and social constructionism as paradigmatic underpinnings. The
participants’ cases were utilized to investigate the overarching research question: What are
social workers’ perceptions of their use of self as change agents? Six social workers
participated in the study through purposeful, criterion, and snowball sampling. The data
sources included in-depth, semi-structured interviews and self-reflexive field notes. Sampling
tools consisted of an invitational email and a preliminary assessment instrument to help
determine eligibility. The primary method of data analysis was transcendental
phenomenology (Moustakas, 1994) for the in-depth interviews. Findings from the in-depth
interviews suggests that social workers must first, be culturally aware of themselves and
second, obtain relevant knowledge about the diverse populations they serve in order to
provide culturally responsive service delivery.Introduction -- Review of the literature -- Methodology -- Findings and results -- Conclusions and recommendations -- Appendix A. IRB approval letter -- Appendix B. Email invitation to participate in urban social work research study -- Appendix C. Pre-participant assessment instrument -- Appendix D. Interview protocol -- Appendix E. Consent for participation in a research stud
