This critical duoethnography takes silence in classroom discussions as a sociocultural artifact that reveals the norms of the society that upholds it. In this research, we made visible and explored the content of silence we experienced as international graduate students. We found that repeated patterns of silence in classroom discussions acted to…

This study explores problem solving practices in a gifted and talented mathematics classroom in response to the calls for investigating problem solving as a sociocultural cultural activity rather than a cognitive activity of individuals. Therefore, we used a socio-mathematical norm perspective for our investigation. Data consists of forty-three…

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a peer-led single-session intervention targeting the sociocultural pressures of body image. Participants: New members of 13 sororities at one university. Methods: Participants were randomized by sorority into the intervention (n = 207) or wait list control (n = 264). Online surveys were administered at…

Motivational beliefs, especially self-efficacy, are very important in understanding students' academic engagement and achievement. Students' self-efficacy influences their academic decisions, choices, and learning behaviours. Building on a case of an African international student identified as Frank, this case study illustrates the influence of…

This work examines how social media users learn language alongside their progression of becoming active participants in online social spaces. Using an ecolinguistic view, it explores how the process of posting and commenting on Reddit (one of the world's most popular social sites) is both afforded and constrained by the unique sociocultural…

This article aims to use the cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) framework to analyse the participation of an early childhood teacher in children's creative play, in order to enhance and support creativity. The study is grounded on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, and highlights teacher's play involvement and the arts as a cultural…

Objective: Studies conducted with Latina/o populations suggest there are gendered norms surrounding drinking behavior, but research examining alcohol use among Latina college students in the context of traditional feminine gender role (TFGR) norms, is scarce. Participants and Methods: 405 Latina undergraduates completed a web-based study of…

The aim of the study was to profoundly gain understanding into specific cultural values that underlie traditional practices which pose as barriers to rural girls' education in Zambia. A pairwise case study approach was used to identify and describe types of cultural values prevalent in the Bemba and Tonga ethnic groups of Zambia. A total of 28…

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the study abroad experience on student multicultural competence (i.e. knowledge and awareness) using the Multicultural Counselling Knowledge and Awareness Scale in two study abroad programmes during four separate yearly excursions. The first study abroad programme incorporated cultural…

The post-world war II American social and cultural setting was ambiguously featured with enforced conformity in the name of prosperity and Americanization of the nation. Despite of this fact, American writers, especially, dramatists conveyed their message against this fixation through variety and intellectuality. Edward Albee's "The Zoo…

This article examines ethnomethodology in order to consider its particular yet under-used perspective within literacy research. Initially, the article outlines ethnomethodology, including its theoretical position and central concepts such as indexicality and reflexivity. Then, selected studies are used to illustrate the application of the…

In this historical study of English teaching, Jory Brass adopts a governmentality perspective to highlight the contingency and limits of pedagogical arguments that construct an oppositional relation between power and freedom. In the first part of the essay, Brass historicizes contemporary critiques of transmission pedagogies by comparing them with…

Thanatologists, as Balk recently commented (Balk, 2004), have been saying that there is no recovery from bereavement, or that we should not speak of bereavement as leading to a recovery. The term recovery has a high level of plasticity and can be shaped to fit diverse meanings, including contradictory meanings. We will sort our way through some of…

Authors of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) adolescent novels have recently moved away from addressing the "problem" of sexual identity and have instead focused on personal and societal "acceptance" of non-normative sexualities. Within the increasing number of "acceptance" titles published depicting gay males,…

The term "social change" refers to variations over time in the ecological ordering of populations and communities, in patterns of roles and social interactions, and in the cultures of societies. Some facets of social change in one middle eastern country are presented in this paper. The study looks at the influence of social changes on…