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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Multicultural Dispositions Index (MDI), which measures diversity awareness levels of educators. Evidence of the instrument's face validity was gained through a three-year pilot study of 477 teacher and counselor candidates at a Midwestern metropolitan university, followed up by a five-year principal study of 1,092 students from the same institution. The result is a 22-item, 4-subscale assessment tool that passed statistical tests for construct validity and inter-rater reliability. Respondent ratings of the MDI (M = 7.52, SD = 1.73) (t(1060) = 64.62, p <.0005, d = 1.47) and the practice of adopting dispositional self-assessment as a program completion requirement (M = 7.22, SD = 1.36) (t(1038) = 47.42, p <.0005, d = 1.98) were significantly greater than the median score of 5. The MDI can be used to assess changes in multicultural perceptions over the span of a semester or across a program of professional preparation to help candidates determine if teaching and counseling are appropriate professional matches.
