Overview of the Diversity & Oppression Scale
Dear Social Work Adminstrator, Practitioner, or Instructor:
Below you will find information on a newly developed Diversity & Oppression Scale. The scale is available for your use free of charge. It was developed with funding from the Russell Sage Foundation as a resource for you to measure the effectiveness of your social justice course in improving students' understanding of diversity and opression according to the new educational policy and accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work. No training is necessary to administer the scale. To download, simply register on this website. All information will be kept confidential. We hope you find it a useful tool in measuring cultural competence.
What is the Diversity & Oppression Scale?
The Diversity & Oppression Scale (DOS) is a 25-item self-report measure of students' understanding of diversity and oppression, based on the requirements of the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE). Specifically, the instrument was developed using the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) core competencies that directly address cultural diversity and oppression (Council on Social Work Education, 2008). Cultural competence is defined as the students' ability to: 1) understand oppression and its impact within the students' lives and the lives of others; 2) advocate for social justice; and 3) effectively serve the needs of a culturally diverse group of clients.
DOS includes four subscales:
1) Cultural diversity, self-confidence, and awareness (11 items)
2) Diversity and oppression (8 items)
3) Social worker/client congruence (3 items)
4) Social work responsibilities in cultural diversity (3 items)
Responses are given in a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree).
Download slides from presentation on DOS
Who is DOS for?
DOS was developed for graduate-level social work students.
Who can deliver DOS?
No training is necessary to deliver the scale. The scale is self-administered and it takes 5 minutes to complete.
How do I get a copy of DOS?
Register here to get access to a downloadable pdf of DOS.
What else will I have access to if I register?
Registering for this website will provide you with the following:
* Downloadable pdf of DOS
* Discussion board
Cost and copyright:
The scale is available at no cost to anyone who wishes to use it. To access the downloadable pdf, please register here.
Acknowledgments:
The scale development and testing were funded by the Russell Sage Foundation. The investigators would like to acknowledge the contributions of faculty at the University of Texas at Austin in the early development of the scale, especially the support of Dr. Darlene Grant.
References
Chen-Hayes, S. (2001). Social justice advocacy readiness questionnaire. Journal for Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 13(1/2), 191-203.
Council on Social Work Education (2008). Educational policy and accreditation standards. Retrieved from http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id=13780
Lee, S. M., Baker, C.R. Cho, S.H., Heckathron, D.E., Holland, M.W., Newgent, F.A., Yu, K. (2007). Development and initial psychometrics of the Counselor Burnout Inventory. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 40, 142-154.
Lipkus, I. (1991). The construction and preliminary validation of a global belief in a just world scale and the exploratory analysis of the multidimensional belief in a just world scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 1171-1178.
McLean, S., Wade, T.D. & Encel, J. (2003). The contribution of therapist beliefs to psychological distress in therapists: An investigation of vicarious traumatisation, burnout and symptoms of avoidance and intrusion. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 31, 417-428.
Ponterotto, J.G., & Park-Taylor, J. (2007) Racial and ethnic identity theory, measurement, andresearch in counseling psychology: Present status and future directions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 282-294.
Shorkey, C., Windsor, L., & Spence, R. (2009a). Assessing and developing cultural competence/ relevance in chemical dependence treatment organizations that serve Mexican American clients and their families. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 36(1), 61-74.
Shorkey, C., Windsor, L., & Spence, R. (2009b). Assessing cultural competence/relevance in substance abuse treatment programs: a tool for African American clients and their families. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 8, 113-128.
Victoroff, J. (2005). Introduction to the oppression questionnaire (OQ). Retrieved July 25, 2007, from http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/VictoroffOppressionQuestionnaire.pdf
