Children learn the words of their native language(s) from interactions with their caregivers. Although previous research has found that the language children hear during those interactions predicts vocabulary outcomes, few studies have investigated how qualitative features of social interactions work together to affect children's vocabulary…

This article examines a rural public school with an increasingly racially diverse and working-class student body as a site where inclusion and exclusion were negotiated based on popular beliefs about culture. I look at how the interpretation of particular behaviors as indicative of a cultural regard for the value of formal education created…

In recent decades, the Bedouin population in Galilee, in Northern Israel, experienced significant multifaceted changes. Exposure to other cultures and other social components, with which this population had very limited interaction in the past, had affected its norms and behavior patterns and caused adaption of manners and values that had not been…

This study explored empirically the influence of acculturation (Hispanics' acquisition of behavioral patterns of the North American culture) on help seeking (coping) when a stressful event is experienced. It has been proposed that mental health services in the United States are highly reflective of Anglo American cultural values and thus…

The acculturation of two ethnic groups in Oklahoma was compared. Hispanics seemed to be more assimilated than Southeast Asians. Both groups were more assimilated in their work places and residences than in friendships. Ethnic networking reduced assimilation. Biculturalism was the most satisfactory form of acculturation, followed by assimilation,…

This paper considers a number of variables in examining the roles of both formal and nonformal education in the process of acculturation among the adult Mayan Indians of Guatemala. (Author/EB)

The psychological and social adjustment patterns of 809 Indochinese refugee heads of household in Illinois were examined by collecting data on their intrapersonal and interpersonal communication patterns. Four of five propositions derived from an interactive communication theory of the acculturation process were supported. The Indochinese…

In a study of 630 elderly Hispanic women it was found that four cultural factors associated with assimilation were not strong predictors of preventive health behavior. These findings agree with those of other studies. Stronger predictors for Hispanics are sociodemographic factors and access and availability of health services. (VM)

The important role that self-concept has in the educational process and its relation to academic success suggest that it might prove relevant to a study of cross-cultural adjustment. The focus of this investigation is the relationship between self-concept and the personal, social, and academic adjustment of high school-aged international exchange…

In a study designed to discover and describe the transmission of cultural meaning among women in middle management positions, oral histories of 10 middle management women were tape-recorded. The tapes were then transcribed and statements referring to the subjects' organizational enculturation were transferred onto approximately 500 sort cards.…

This is a pilot study on the readjustment process of Brazilians returned from graduate study in the U.S. Subjects were 31 former exchange scholars who were interviewed by the senior author after they returned to Brazil. The family, professional and social problems experienced by those scholars as they tried to readjust to life in their home…

In an examination of some relationships between culture, assertiveness, decisionmaking, and self image among Chinese Americans, this paper focuses on themes such as: (1) how cultural factors impinge on individual capability to be assertive; (2) specific ways in which cultural conditioning affects decisionmaking skills and other behavior patterns;…

A principal mission of the American Field Service (AFS) Research Department is to carry out research and evaluation projects that could lead to increased understanding of the nature and impact of AFS exchanges. During the 1982-83 hosting year, three families in the U.S. Middle West agreed to participate in the study of the patterns of adjustment.…

This paper investigates the value system of Cuban students living in the United States, how those systems interface with the school and the home, and how they influence their personalities, behaviors, and family relationships. Eighth-grade students attending a predominantly Spanish private bilingual school were administered a questionnaire, and…

Describes knowledge, perceptions, and risky behaviors related to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) of 1,173 impoverished African-American and high- and low-acculturated Latina women. Data indicate the need for culturally sensitive AIDS prevention programs with separate sessions for women of different ethnic backgrounds and acculturation…