Do we have to teach them to be culturally sensitive?

Abstract

The authors studied cultural sensitiveness among students of first-, second- and third-year social work education in Israel. Students were screened for prejudice and for cultural sensitivity. Results show that social work education in Israel does not orient students towards reducing prejudice or enhancing their cultural sensitivity. A weak relationship between prejudice, cultural sensitivity and gender appears during the third year of studies. Some implications for curriculum building and social work practice in Israel are discussed.