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CMU Core Competencies Initiative  ›  Intercultural & Global Learning + Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)  ›  Resources & Tools  ›  Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale

Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale

Screenshot of article of Miville-Guzman Scale report which reads: WABASH NATIONAL STUDY OF Liberal Arts Education MIVILLE-GUZMAN UNIVERSALITY-DIVERSITY SCALE - SHORT FORM, (M-GUDS-S) The following items are statements using several terms that are defined below for you. Please refer to these definitions throughout the rest of the questionnaire. Culture refers to the beliefs, values, traditions, ways of behaving, and language of any social group. A social group may be racial, ethnic, religious, etc. Race or racial background refers to a sub-group of people possessing common physical or genetic characteristics. Examples include White, Black, American Indian, etc. Ethnicity or ethnic group refers to a specific social group sharing a unique cultural heritage (e.g., customs, beliefs, language, etc.). Two people can be of the same race (i.e., White), but from different ethnic groups (e.g., Irish-American, Italian-American, etc.). Country refers to groups that have been politically defined; people from these groups belong to the same government (e.g., France, Ethiopia, United States). People of different races (White, Black, Asian) or ethnicities (Italian, Japanese) can be from the same country (United States). Instructions: Please indicate how descriptive each statement is of you by circling the number corresponding to your response. This is not a test, so there are neither right nor wrong, good nor bad answers. All responses are anonymous and confidential.

What is it and how does it work?

The Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale - Short Form (MGUDS-S) is a 15-item self-report rating scale that measures the degree to which respondents report awareness and acceptance of similarities and differences across individuals (Miville et al., 1999; Fuertes et al., 2000). It has previously been validated with a range of populations including from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (Kegel & DeBlaere, 2014; Viljoen & Els, 2023). 

Surveys may be administered multiple times in a semester to collect longitudinal data. Instructors can configure the survey to release results to students for feedback purposes.

Which skill(s) are targeted?

The Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale - Short Form (MGUDS-S) can be used to collect students' self-report ratings of their own skills in the following competency areas:

  • Consider, examine, and integrate differences between individual positions and the positions of others in multiple cultural contexts.

Who else has used it?

Although the Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale - Short Form (M-GUDS-S) is frequently used in higher education contexts including the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, it has not yet been tested with CMU students. If you are interested in pilot testing this instrument, please email eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu.

icon indicating less than 1 hour time commitmentEducator time commitment

15 minutes

icon indicating more than 1 hour time commitmentStudent time commitment

3-5 minutes

Contact eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu for help with incorporating this resource.

Educator how-to steps

  1. Download and review the Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale - Short Form (M-GUDS-S)
  2. Optional: Email eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu for assistance with pilot testing the instrument with your students.

Reference

Fuertes, J. N., Miville, M. L., Mohr, J. J., Sedlacek, W. E., & Gretchen, D. (2000). Factor structure and short form of the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 33(3), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2000.12069007 

Kegel, K., & DeBlaere, C. (2014). Universal-diverse orientation in Asian international students: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale, Short Form. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20(3), 469–474. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034746

Miville, M. L., Gelso, C. J., Pannu, R., Liu, W., Touradji, P., Holloway, P., & Fuertes, J. (1999). Appreciating similarities and valuing differences: The Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46(3), 291–307. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.46.3.291 

Viljoen, C. & Els, C. (2023). A validation study of the Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale in South Africa. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences 26(1), a4856. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v26i1.4856