Examines how various cultural communication practices and perceptions affected the way in which individuals from different cultures perceived the same negotiation process. Demonstrates that culture affected how Dutch and Chinese observers perceived and interpreted the same videotaped Chinese-Dutch negotiation. (SR)

The communication style of Asians is less "self exposing" than that of Americans, because Asian culture places more importance on the group than the individual. Integrating American-style adventure-education programs into Asian culture would require an understanding of adventure learning stripped of its cultural influences, understanding…

Suggests that immigrant Latino parents have an ethnotheory of child development that emphasizes being part of a group, and that this ethnotheory conflicts with teachers' views focusing on the development of individual potential. Analyzes three dialogues from parent-teacher conferences to illustrate parent-teacher cooperation or discord in the…

Some of the uses of laughter in conversation are examined, specifically as laughter occurs in a second language setting. Although the concepts of humor and laughter are often intertwined, not all laughter is humorous, nor does every humorous event evoke laughter. Furthermore, cross-cultural difference can contribute to misinterpretation of…

A study examined Japanese-American intercultural communication at the beginning stage from the perspective of Japanese participants. Data were collected in interviews with 50 Japanese visiting students to a large southwestern university for their account of their short-term (5-week) experience in America, which consisted of incidents, events, and…

A case study described the English literacy learning of two language minority students in a suburban kindergarten program in a predominantly white school district. Data collected throughout the school year indicated that weak home and school communication related to inaccurate interpretations of the children's literacy learning which led to…

As China continues to open to the outside world (economically, politically, and educationally), English language instruction and intercultural communication education in China has increased markedly to enhance international interaction with the United States and other countries. The Chinese approach differs from practices in the United States as…

A study examined the extent to which existing data on communication apprehension (CA) can be employed to accurately reflect the cultural differences observed. The impact of those findings on the understanding of the nature of CA as it occurs in multiple cultures was also examined. Ten research reports that contained quantitative information that…

Cultural differences contributed to the withdrawal of U.S. funding for the Support to Primary Education Project (SPE) in Cameroon, West Africa. The SPE proposed to increase the quantity and quality of primary school teachers and improve the skills of personnel responsible for supporting the teachers through technical assistance, training, and…

Examples of cross cultural misunderstandings are examined in this paper to show how cultural (contextual) meaning must be regarded as an integral feature of the overall semantic meaning of an utterance. The examples, taken from the Filipino dialect Tagalog, illustrate how ignorance of the cultural assumptions and attitudes associated with an…

A series of activities to help junior high school students understand that common barriers to communication are cultural differences, ethnocentrism, prejudice, and misinterpretation. (Author/AV)

Elucidates the reading problems of nonnative English speakers, noting reasons for the problems, giving signs of the problems, and demonstrating results of the problems. (HOD)

Presents recommendations for prekindergarten teachers for working with non-English speaking children who are entering the prekindergarten or early childhood program. A case study is included. (BB)

Examines the sociolinguistic aspects of Saudi greeting rituals, discussing the phraseology and nonverbal signals employed by greeter and greetee in various situations. Also explores the communication problems that Saudis and Americans have when communicating in each other's language and culture. (MDM)

"Culture shock" is the expression generally associated with the frustrations that occur when persons have difficulty functioning in a different culture or when persons are exposed to individuals from another culture. Culture shock typically occurs in a 4-stage process that can unfold over varying lengths of time: the honeymoon, crisis,…