Acculturation theory, cultural competency and learning from differences: reflections from a European short student mobility program

Abstract

There is a growing recognition that in an increasingly differentiated social environment it is important for social workers to be prepared to intervene in multi-diversified and multicultural contexts, so as to promote inclusion, respect and empowerment. On this account, mobility and full immersion programmes appear to contribute the most promising professional learning opportunities. However, full immersion programmes are emotionally and cognitively very demanding, sometimes even exacerbating prejudice and racism; this has led to ongoing debates as to which strategies can safeguard the effectiveness of such programmes. This paper draws on the theory of acculturation to enable a deeper understanding of how full immersion programmes can educate to diversity in social work, and of the learning processes that can occur when confronting diversity. The reflection focuses on written feedback from, and focus groups with, students who participated in a short mobility project. Findings show how self-reflective practice, which acknowledges emotional journeys including what are usually considered negative reactions, is a necessary pre-condition for successfully transferring experiences of relating to cultural differences – as in the mobility programme – to professional skills.

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