Predicting Multicultural Self-Efficacy: A Hierarchical Regression of School Counselors’ Title I School Status,Mindfulness,and Hope

Abstract

Background

Multicultural school counseling self-efficacy has been defined as a school counselor’s sense of confidence to perform multicultural school counseling tasks. Scholars indicate that multicultural school counseling self-efficacy is important because it can predict the frequency and effectiveness with which school counselors engage in multicultural school counseling services.

Objectives

We sought to explore potential factors that may predict school counselors’ multicultural self-efficacy. We identified three variables: school counselors’ employment in a Title I school setting, mindfulness, and hope.

Research Questions

Three research questions guided this study: (a) Does employment at a Title I school predict school counselors’ multicultural self-efficacy?; (b) Does mindfulness predict school counselors’ multicultural self-efficacy when controlling for employment at a Title I school?; and (c) Do school counselors’ reported levels of hope predict their multicultural self-efficacy above and beyond mindfulness and employment at a Title I school?

Methods

We conducted a hierarchical regression to examine whether the three variables predicted participants’ multicultural self-efficacy. We entered Title I school setting in Step 1, mindfulness in Step 2, and hope in Step 3.

Results and Conclusions

In Step 1 of the analysis, employment at a Title I school predicted multicultural self-efficacy. In Step 2, we found that mindfulness was a significant positive predictor, but employment in a Title I school was no longer a significant predictor. Finally, in Step 3, hope emerged as the strongest predictor of multicultural self-efficacy, while mindfulness remained significant. Based on these findings, we provide implications for school counseling practice, training, and research.