Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

School Psychology

Department or School/College

Psychology

Committee Chair

Anisa Goforth

Commitee Members

Jacqueline Brown, John Sommers-Flanagan

Subject Categories

Multicultural Psychology | School Psychology

Abstract

School psychologists are responsible for promoting and maintaining an equitable, inclusive environment for all students to learn. For those who work in school settings, assessment of a student’s academic, mental health, and behavioral difficulties are often a significant component of school psychological practices. However, for various reasons, the assessment process can be flawed, and can unintentionally perpetuate systems of oppression in school-settings; this is especially true when working with children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. Within culturally responsive assessment, conducting interviews is necessary for connecting with and effectively supporting the student and family. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) is known to be a useful tool for this process in clinical settings. However, there is minimal research on the training and use of the CFI in school psychology practice. The aim of this study was to conduct a pilot CFI training for school psychologists and examine their perspectives of this CFI training’s content and process. In this qualitative study, data were collected by interviewing 11 participating school psychologists, and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analyses. The results presented five major themes: 1) there are multiple gaps between cultural knowledge, awareness, and skills, which are foundational for conducting culturally responsive assessments, 2) considerations for the application and relevance of the CFI in school-based practices, 3) the CFI was perceived as a valuable tool for enhancing the overall psychoeducational evaluation process, 4) participants sought an engaging and supportive CFI training program, 5) further professional development and ongoing coaching is needed to support the effective implementation of the CFI. These findings directly inform researchers of adaptations needed for future trainings on culturally responsive assessment and use of the CFI in school-based practice.

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© Copyright 2025 Jaida A. Lilly