One of the critical issues in education today is how to help all students to maximize their fullest potential. Achieving this goal seems to be difficult for many people who come from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. At all levels, they endure direct and indirect disenfranchisements, disadvantages, and disillusionments,…

This article examines why Southeast Asian American adolescents and emerging adults in two urban settings prefer to use "blunts," or hollowed-out cigars filled with marijuana, over other methods of drug intake. Rationales for preferring blunts were both instrumental and social. Blunts allowed users to more easily share marijuana, the preferred drug…

Three- and 4-year-old children were asked to judge which of a set of 3 lines was the longest, both independently and in the face of an inaccurate consensus among adult informants. Children were invariably accurate when making independent judgments but sometimes deferred to the inaccurate consensus. Nevertheless, the deference displayed by both age…

Several unilinear and bilinear dimensional measurement models of Asian American acculturation and enculturation were tested with confirmatory factor analysis. Bilinear models of acculturation consistently outperformed the unilinear model. In addition, models that articulated multiple dimensions (i.e., values and behavior) exhibited a better fit to…

Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage for establishing patterns of behaviors that can last a lifetime. Adolescents' choices have a significant impact on future opportunities. Education can have tremendous influence on the overall success of an individual. For example, a quality education can affect employability, which indirectly influences…

Advances a theory that explains the educational achievement of Asian-American college students. Claims their subculture reinforces behaviors that virtually ensure achievement. Concludes need to further study the theory and its implications becomes increasingly important as college campuses continue to diversify. (Author/ABL)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally tailored smoking prevention program for Asian American youth (Youth-PASS). A field-tested questionnaire was used to solicit information from participants on knowledge, attitudes and behaviors associated with tobacco and tobacco use, as well as satisfaction with prevention program content and…

Examined annual official national statistics for specific methods of suicide by sex and racial group from 1923 to 1978. Shifts were found in suicide methods employed, most notably for women and Asian Americans. Generally, firearm use increased among nearly all ethnic/racial-sex groups while the use of poisons declined. (JAC)

Discusses a study conducted among Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White women to: (1) identify the factors related to intention to report/not report a rape to various people; and (2) ascertain the usefulness of Fishbein's model of behavioral intentions, which consists of "perceived outcomes" and "perceived expectations" components,…

Examines the relationship between acculturation and perceived intergenerational differences for 29 high school students from Hmong refugee families in the United States. High acculturation is associated with higher perceived intergenerational differences. This association depends on the number of years in U.S. schools. Specific acculturated…

College women (n=403) attending the University of Kansas (Lawrence) commented on situations of refusal of desire for sexual relations when they actually did want them (scripted refusal). Consistent with theories of proximal determinants of gender-related behavior, scripted refusal provides a way of dealing with the sexual double standard. (SLD)

Examines the effects of cultural influences on social behaviors of children from diverse backgrounds and suggests practical applications for developing and implementing social skills training programs for these children and their parents. It defines "social skills" and provides charts of behavioral characteristics for students with…