The purpose of this paper was to review research within the field of digital games and language learning to explore whether gaming can facilitate communicative competence and foster motivation for language learning. To answer my questions I conducted a research synthesis, compiling a variety of research over the last decade to answer my questions as effectively as possible. Results showed that digital games do in fact facilitate language development and induce motivation. Research also showed that different games provide different opportunities and activities, resulting in some games fostering language competence more than others. For instance, World of Warcraft provided social situations where conversations were erratic, spontaneous, contextual and driven by small events in the game, while The Sims focused more on strategic and creative activities. Additionally, research suggested that digital games motivated learners to develop their L2 language in hope of achieving more goals together within a variety games and game types.

A Standardized Patient (SP) is a trained actor who portrays a particular illness to provide training to medical students and professionals. SPs primarily use written scripts and additional paper-based training for preparation of practical and board exams. Many institutions use various methods for training such as hiring preceptors for reenactment of scenarios, viewing archived videos, and computer based training. Currently, the training that is available can be enhanced to improve the level of quality of standardized patients. The following research is examining current processes in standardized patient training and investigating new methods for clinical skills education in SPs. The modality that is selected for training can possibly affect the performance of the actual SP case. This paper explains the results of a study that investigates if there is a difference in the results of an SP performance assessment. This difference can be seen when comparing a virtual human modality to that of a pre-recorded human modality for standardized patient training. The sample population navigates through an interactive computer based training module which provides informational content on what the roles of an SP are, training objectives, a practice session, and an interactive performance assessment with a simulated Virtual Human medical student. Half of the subjects interact with an animated virtual human medical student while the other half interacts with a pre-recorded human. The interactions from this assessment are audio-recorded, transcribed, and then graded to see how the two modalities compare. If the performance when using virtual humans for standardized patients is equal to or superior to pre-recorded humans, this can be utilized as a part task trainer that brings standardized patients to a higher level of effectiveness and standardization. In addition, if executed properly, this tool could potentially be used as a part task trainer which could provide savings in training time, resources, budget, and staff to military and civilian healthcare facilities.

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This study measures the perceived competence and likeability of female leaders belonging to three different races, Caucasian, African American, and Asian Indian. The female leaders were manipulated on their leadership styles (agentic, communal or combination). A 3 (target ethnicity: Caucasian, African American and Asian Indian) x 3 (type of leadership: agentic, communal, a combination of agentic and communal) between subjects design was used and 331 participants were obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) indicated a significant difference between leadership styles but no statistical significant difference between the three races on perceived competence and likability. Furthermore, the communal leadership style was rated highest on both competence and likability, which may indicate that (1) feminized leadership tactics are gaining more traction and (2) when female leaders are perceived as being successful, there is potential for them to be viewed as simultaneously agentic and communal. However, while this may suggest an advantage for the communal female leader, it may not hold true for the agentic female leader. The female leader with an agentic leadership style was rated lowest on competence and likability, which may suggest that a backlash against agentic female leaders continues to be prevalent.

In this study, the researcher examined the levels of cultural awareness and knowledge among graduate students enrolled in a counseling program at Mississippi State University. A secondary purpose was to assess differences in the level of cultural awareness between Caucasian and African American graduate students enrolled in this counseling program. The study continued the work of Cottrell (2004) who examined undergraduate student’s levels of cultural awareness and knowledge using the Culture Shock Inventory (CSI). Archival data from his study included a sample of 665 undergraduate students. The sample was extended to include 200 graduate students in a counseling program at Mississippi State University. The data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate analyses, t tests, for the group of undergraduate and graduate students on their levels of cultural awareness. A multivariate analysis, MANOVA procedure, followed by eight univariate tests, was conducted to study the difference between the two groups, undergraduate and graduate students, and to determine if differences existed between African American and Caucasian American graduate students in counseling. Results from the t-tests for the undergraduate group indicated that these students had low levels of cultural awareness. The t tests for the graduate students also indicated low levels of cultural awareness. The graduate students appeared to lack knowledge of different cultures and seemed to endorse high levels of Western ethnocentrism. The MANOVA procedure indicated statistically significant differences between the undergraduate and graduate students in cultural awareness, with the graduate students in counseling having higher levels of cultural awareness than the undergraduate students. No statistically significant differences in cultural awareness were found between the African and Caucasian American graduate students in counseling.The results of the study appeared to indicate that training in counseling increased graduate counseling student’s observational skills and sensitivity to behavioral cues in dealing with persons from other countries and cultures. However, the counseling students in the study appeared to retain an underlying Western ethnocentrism and a substantial cultural close-mindedness that would impede the counseling relationship when working with persons from foreign countries and other cultural heritages. Implications for the counseling training field were discussed.

Consumers of mental health services are recognized as experts due to their rich lived experiences. Because of their expert status, they are expected to play a vital role in the re-shaping of mental health systems by determining what culturally competent services look like and how services are provided to culturally diverse populations. Therefore, it is essential that the consumers' voices, choices and roles in transforming the mental health system are included in assessing the cultural competence of mental health counselors (New Freedom Commission, 2003). There is a significant gap in the literature regarding the consumers' unique perspective (Pope-Davis et al., 2002). There is a need for both qualitative studies and studies that focus on consumers to gain a deeper, richer insight of the consumers' perspective (Rubin & Rubin, 1995). A qualitative phenomenological design was used to give voice to three participants regarding their perceptions of cultural competence in the counseling relationship. Phenomenological interviews were used to explore in depth and with diversity the participants' subjective meaning of the lived experience (Denzin & Lincoln, 2003). Constant comparative research methods were used to analyze the data. Four themes naturally emerged from the data. Theme 1) Defining Cultural Competence was discussed as being inclusive of all differences; not focusing solely on race or ethnicity, including more than recognizing obvious differences, and counselors' willingness to raise and engage in the issue of culture. Theme 2) Counselor Attitude participants voiced that counselors' attitude plays a significant role in whether certain topics are broached and how much is shared about the topic. They reported what counselors convey through their attitude and interactions as being more important than what they convey verbally. Theme 3) The Counseling Relationship was discussed in regard to the importance of counseling relationships that fosters an environment of safety where sharing information and teaching and learning is reciprocal between counselor and consumer and Theme 4) Counselor Attributes were found to be more important than counseling techniques and theories. The findings are presented in a discussion of themes with narratives developed about each case. / Ph. D.

Family therapists face a dramatic increase in the cultural diversity of their clients. Multicultural competence will help family therapists meet the needs of their increasingly diverse clientele (Kocarek, Talbot, Batka, & Anderson, 2001). The measurement of multicultural competence is necessary in order to evaluate the outcomes of multicultural competence programs and the services that minority persons receive. This study reports the development of an instrument to assess clients' perceptions of their therapists' multicultural competence that can be used in individual and family therapy. This instrument was developed through three phases: item generation and theme development, client feedback and evaluation of interrater reliability, and pilot and validity testing. Winsteps (Linacre, 2001) software was used to scale the measurement data to the Rasch Rating Scale Model, and evaluate the dimensionality, rating scale use, item fit, person fit, reliability and precision, as well as to create norms for interpreting the measures. Preliminary support for the MTCI-CV suggests a fairly reliable and valid measure at this stage. Additionally, logistic ordinal regressions were conducted to determine whether MTCI-CV measures are associated with client satisfaction level and goal attainment level. We found that positive client perceptions of therapist cultural competence (on the MTCI-CV) significantly contribute to the probability of clients expressing satisfaction and goal attainment in therapy. / Ph. D.

Dagens arbetsmarknad kännetecknas av ständig rörlighet av arbetskraft och en generationsväxling som under de närmsta åren kommer att påverka efterfrågan på arbetskraft. Under sådana omständigheter är det viktigt att säkra att de kompetenser som organisationers medarbetare innehar stannar kvar även om enskilda medarbetare väljer att lämna organisationen. För att säkra dessa kompetenser var kompetensöverföring en central fråga att arbeta med. Svensk sjukvård är inget undantag från denna verklighet, utan är i stort behov av att attrahera nya och kompetenta medarbetare. För att säkra att nya medarbetare får den kompetens som behövs för organisationens verksamheter, är individuella och organisatoriska villkor för kompetensöverföring under inskolning varit viktiga faktorer. Vi har studerat medarbetares upplevelser av vad som villkorar kompetensöverföring under inskolningsprocessen på Norrlands universitetssjukhus. Utifrån tidigare forskning har vi definierat begreppet kompetens genom faktorerna motivation, kunskap, färdigheter, erfarenheter, nätverk och värderingar. Dessa har utgjort grunden för genomförandet av denna studie. Vidare har strukturer som HR-strategier, handledar- och mentorskap samt inskolning identifierats. Strukturerna har studerats ur perspektivet att dessa utgör villkor för hur kompetensöverföring genom inskolning kan ske. Resultaten av studien visade på att alla ovan beskrivna villkor påverkade hur kompetensöverföring sker. Samtliga deltagare upplevde även att kompetensöverföring genom inskolning är ett område som bör ges stort fokus i syfte att säkerställa god och hög kvalité så väl ur medarbetar- som medborgarperspektiv.

The United Kingdom (UK) is becoming increasingly diverse (Office for National Statistics, 2013). Educational psychologists in the UK will need to feel competent in providing services to an increasingly multicultural population. This research study used a mixed method, two-phase, sequential, explanatory study design to explore the self-perceived intercultural competence of UK educational psychologists and trainee educational psychologists (EP/Ts). The study also explored EP/Ts experiences of working with culturally diverse populations. The first phase of this research study used an online adapted version of the MCCTS-R (Holcomb-McCoy & Myers, 1999; Munoz, 2009), and the second phase built upon the first phase with follow-up semi-structured interviews, analysed using Braun & Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis. The results of this research study present a breadth and depth of information. EP/Ts generally perceived themselves to be competent to work cross-culturally with particular areas of competence including knowledge of assessment bias, poverty effects, and positive attitudes towards diverse cultures. EP/Ts also reported areas of lower competence including theories of racial/ethnic identity development, limited experiences of community work and limited knowledge of community resources. However, EP/Ts perceptions about development needs depended upon their awareness. The process of participating in the study raised awareness of gaps in knowledge and limitations in practice. The study concludes with a discussion of implications for the practice of EP/Ts.

In this field study report, the author investigates behaviour associated with inviting in order to see if there is any effect on the language used across cultures due to factors such as status, age, gender in actual social interactions. Chapter one gives a brief introduction to the important role of the English Language in the world in general, and in Vietnam nowadays in particular, and a review of Teaching Methods which have been used in Vietnam so far. Chapter two will deal with the theoretical background, language competences including linguistic competence, sociolinguistic competence and communicative competence. In addition, speech act theory , face work, distance, power in relation to status, age and gender as well as reviews research on the differences between spoken and written are also discussed. Chapter three defines the structure of an invite with its social and cultural characteristics focussing on the natural structure of a spoken invitation. Chapter four describes research and data analysis of the issuing, accepting and declining of spoken invitations used by Vietnamese speakers of Vietnamese (VSV). Chapter five contains the data analysis of the issuing, accepting and declining of spoken invitations used by Australian speakers of English (ASE). Chapter six discusses the comparison of Vietnamese and Australian spoken invitations, the main difference being found in the use of much more direct forms used in VSV as opposed to more tentative forms preferred by ASEs. Directness of form, however, does not reflect a lack of politeness, which is conveyed to a much larger extent by other prosodic and paralinguistic features. Chapter seven is a brief cross-cultural investigation of the spoken invitations of Vietnamese learners speaking English. This shows up a degree of cross-cultural interference and offers some implications for the classroom. Chapter eight contains a summary and conclusion. The results of the study may suggest that Vietnamese learners of English need to be taught not only linguistic competence but also communicative competence with an emphasis on cultural and social factors. Spoken invitations which really have some function in actual interactions need to be incorporated in the program for teaching spoken English.