To reduce the risk of intolerance to differences, prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, students must be open to understanding the perspectives of different groups. Early introduction of healthy eating practices and physical activity in childhood is essential for healthy physical and emotional development. The same is true for the early…

Set in a graduate-level multicultural literacy course, this qualitative study draws on Bakhtin's theories of ideological becoming and a hybrid of critical discourse analysis (CDA) methods (Gee, 1996; Fairclough, 1995; 2003) to explore the complexities of learning to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students. We investigated how eight…

Given Australia's diverse student population, the need for pre-service teacher education to prepare what is a predominantly Anglo-Australian and middle-class profession to be effective teachers of diverse students is critical. In Lortie's (1975) classic study, however, he argues that the predispositions of teacher education students are a much…

Diversity does not simply mean differences of race or ethnicity but includes the cultural experiences that children bring to school, including language, beliefs, values, norms, family configuration, socioeconomic status, gender, special needs, home and community backgrounds, and learning styles. Yet while the population of children in schools is…

Reading achievement and academic challenges of Sudanese children were investigated. Sudanese parents, and their children, and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers were interviewed. Parents' and children's interviews were transcribed and four themes were generated from the data: Cultural Differences/Practices; Parent roles and expectations;…

This in-depth study examined the perspectives of 17 Korean undergraduate exchange students attending a U.S. southern university during the 2005-2006 school year. The struggles and frustrations they experienced; the difficulties they encountered socially, culturally, and academically; their contributions to the American academic community; and…

The purpose of this study was to analyse the beliefs about inclusion and teaching students with disabilities of physical education teachers from various countries and cultures. The participants were 29 physical education teachers from Ghana (Africa), Japan, the US and Puerto Rico. The research method was explanatory multiple-case study situated in…

This study compares US and Chinese elementary mathematics teachers' beliefs about how students learn mathematics. Interviews with teachers in each country revealed that Chinese and US teachers have distinct ways of thinking about how mathematics should be taught and how students learn. Many Chinese teachers talked about developing students'…

Teachers' lives have been the focus of much recent research on teaching, and we now have rich, detailed understandings of how teachers develop a 'teaching self,' in the context of concrete details of biography, school settings, relationships and educational systems within which teachers work. What we lack is a sense of the teacher in a place--a…

The uniqueness of this book lies in the multiple perspectives drawn from youth, their parents, and their teachers. These perspectives provide a range of lenses through which a student or beginning teacher may view child and adolescent development. The complex processes of development occur within a social context, and therefore a professional…

Interviews and biographical sketches of 16 minority students and teachers of German at 3 universities and 1 school district are reported. The process of acquiring the language and becoming familiar with a foreign culture unites these individuals of otherwise diverse ethnicity, background, and experience. (Author/LB)

Educating preservice teachers for culturally responsive teaching in increasingly diverse contexts remains a substantive challenge. Research findings have suggested that courses in multicultural education have not had much impact on instructional practices of preservice teachers as they enter schools and classrooms. Other scholars have argued that…

One of the issues that relates to Asian international students' perceptions about the quality of higher education is with regards to the difficulties and problems they face while studying in an Australian university. A survey was conducted with 78 First Year to Fourth Year Asian international undergraduate students undergoing a range of programs…

Recent research in second language acquisition (SLA) suggests that cultural pluralism can be an effective approach to assisting immigrants blend into the majority society. This handbook was designed to assist educators to be responsive and sensitive to the needs of a group of Kurdish political refugees who recently resettled in Idaho. It provides…

Because diversity is a fact of life in our rapidly changing, complex, and interdependent world, appreciating diversity is essential. This resource goes beyond teaching tolerance and understanding of diversity. It gives educators the tools for teaching children to value the differences between people. Using literature as a springboard, educators…