Cultural Awareness and Competence

Running head: CULTURALLY RELEVANT RESEARCH APPROACHES 1

CULTURALLY RELEVANT RESEARCH APPROACHES 2

Culturally Relevant Research Approaches

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Culturally Relevant Research Approaches

An analysis and a description of traditional research, addressing the question of its cultural relevance.

Traditional research is described as research done by individuals outside a specific organization. This research is aimed at offering some generalized truth on the investigated question. The basis of this research is a hypothesis where various variables are handled by a researcher in order to ascertain a particular research question through manipulation. This research is assessed from two perspectives; qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research is the analysis of data obtained through interviews, journals and observations, while quantitative involves data that is numeric. Cultural relevance tends to be critical when the human population is involved. In traditional research, quantitative research does not cater to the cultural factors of the population being researched as qualitative research does. Under the group, I am analysis that is Asian Americans. Their data were collected from interviews and observing their way of living. Understanding their culture as social workers will limit bias when handling individuals from different cultures.

An analysis and a description of what comprises culturally relevant research.

Cultural relevance is significant to social workers because it allows them to maneuver through various multicultural situations whereby they must serve clients from different backgrounds and cultures without offence or bias. Cultural relevance involves social workers working on cases to approach each case in a way that is respectful to cultural differences while showing appreciation for diversity. Therefore, research needs to be culturally relevant. This means that the research conducted should take into consideration the social, cultural and linguistic needs of the population in question. By taking into consideration these aspects, the research will gather more information and will take a shorter period.

An analysis and a description of at least three research studies that have addressed the cultural group you are exploring.

In the United States, Asian Americans are among the fastest-growing ethnic groups. In the census conducted in 2010 in the US, based on Davidson & Smith (2015), the Asian American population was over seventeen million individuals, which translates to over five percent of the population. In terms of ethnic composition, the population has the most diverse composition. Below are three studies that focus on the issues that affect this population.

Research conducted by Cheng (2015) offered a detailed analysis of the stigma levels that affected Asian Americans in terms of social and biological explanations. The population group compared was European Americans. Based on this research, the population tends to suffer greatly from mental illness. In addition, they do not seek the needed help provided to people who suffer from mental illness. Cheng noted that research conducted before had failed to look into how this population group responded to explanations pertaining to mental illness relating to social and biological factors.

This research was aimed at determining whether Asian Americas are affected by mental illness and the genetic, social, and biological factors behind it. The participants of the study were 236 Asian Americans and 206 European Americans. Data was collected from both population groups. In Asian Americans, stigma levels were high. Conditions such as depression were not affected by fear in members of this population.

The second study by Lui & Zamboanga (2018) focused on the use of alcohol by Asian Americans. This research focused on explaining how the use of alcohol contributed to mental outcomes. In this research, alcohol was mainly linked to mainstream culture. Individuals who suffer from mental challenges as a result of abuse of alcohol did not seek medical aid such as psychiatric intervention. One of the reasons for this was that the members were immigrants and felt that mental illness was a shameful condition.

The third research was conducted by Root & Brown (2014), which focused on domestic violence among Asian Americans. Asian Americans tend to be ignored when it comes to this kind of research. This research acted as a bridge to fill the gap in the lack of information on the causes of domestic abuse among Asian Americans. The research concluded that domestic abuse was prevalent among families with members who were alcoholics.

An evaluation of the key differences between traditional research and culturally relevant research and how that impacts the cultural group you are exploring.

Cultural relevant research is research among individuals of multicultural backgrounds that involve cultural, social, and linguistic differences. Culturally relevant research is crucial because it allows the making of informed conclusions. In the case of Asian Americans, without considering issues such as cultural beliefs and background, the findings are useless. Traditional research focuses on answering particular research questions using observations, numerical data, and interviews. When assessing Asian Americans, this research would not offer helpful information (Ocampo, 2020).

A discussion of the relationship of culturally relevant research to the promotion of social justice for the group you are studying.

Social workers must promote social justice. Therefore, culturally relevant research ensures that the findings consider cultural diversity. When approaching various individuals facing problems, it is essential to avoid generalizing due to their different cultural backgrounds and how they face their problems. Minority groups like Asian Americans are most affected by social issues like discrimination. To promote social justice in this group, it is essential to consider their background and culture. In addition, issues like domestic abuse and discrimination may need social workers’ intervention.

Identify how to engage in collaborative practice to advocate for appropriate services.

Collaborative practice is the promotion of service delivery by various stakeholders. Working with multicultural groups requires advocating for different issues affecting them, involving various stakeholders. When working with our population groups, some issues that need addressing are mental illness and alcohol use. These need collaborative efforts from social workers, psychiatrists, and mental health counselors. With these joined efforts, the client's needs are achieved.

References

Cheng, Z. H. (2015). Asian Americans and European Americans’ stigma levels in response to biological and social explanations of depression. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50(5), 767-776.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0999-5

Lui, P. P., & Zamboanga, B. L. (2018). Acculturation and alcohol use among Asian Americans: A meta-analytic review. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 32(2), 173-186.  https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000340

Ocampo, A. C. (2020). 14. Are second-generation Filipinos “Becoming” Asian American or Latino? Historical colonialism, culture, and Panethnicity. Contemporary Asian America (third edition), 358-377.  https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479849994.003.0021

Root, M. P., & Brown, L. (2014). An analysis of domestic violence in Asian American communities: A multicultural approach to counseling. In Diversity and complexity in feminist therapy. Routledge.