Disability is a common phenomenon globally, an experience that comes with many challenges and stress. This study focused on culture's role in the well-being and education of children with disabilities within a Nigerian cultural context. The specific problem this study addressed is that the well-being and education of children with disabilities…

According to Lev S. Vygotsky (1896-1934), the highest levels of abstract thinking and self-regulation in preschool development are established in "pretend play using object substitutions." An extensive research literature supports Vygotsky's empirical model of the internalization of self-guiding speech (social speech > private speech…

By exploring changemaker principles as a component of social justice art education this research-informed article exemplifies how moral consciousness and responsibility can be developed when training artist teachers. It embeds changemaker philosophy in the higher education art curriculum and demonstrates how this can create ruptures and ripples…

Recent second/foreign language (L2) research has witnessed the application of sociocultural tenets to L2 classrooms. This study aimed to probe whether Iranian L2 learners' engagement in ZPD-activated collaborative dialogue, or "languaging", mediates their learning process and, specifically, their appropriate use of metadiscourse to…

The aim of this article is to present findings from a study (Alexandersson, 2007) about how one student--called Sofia--with intellectual disability interacts and communicates with her classmates and her teachers in an inclusive setting. Furthermore, the aim is also to analyse in what way the interaction contributes to Sofia's social participation…

Immigrant children from diverse language backgrounds face not only linguistic challenges when enrolled in mainstream English-medium classrooms, but also difficulties adjusting to an unfamiliar learning community. The culture of primary school classrooms in New Zealand typically reflects conventions across three dimensions: interactional,…

In this article, we trace the development of Hatano's research, focusing on the core of his research interest, namely, expertise, conceptual development, and classroom learning. He held both Piagetian constructivist views and Vygotskian sociocultural perspectives in balance, and preferred to study human cognition executed in everyday life. This…

Children's accounts of their participation in sociocultural activity related to number are essential for their teachers in order that they can assist children in building their formal learning in number on informally acquired numerical understandings. Children's participation in sociocultural activity related to number will differ from child to…

Investigated the impact of traditional cultural beliefs, called historic-sociocultural premises (HSCPs), on peoples' interpersonal and emotional lives. Results indicated that people in Mexican societies hold similar sociocultural premises and that HSCPs are related to how people cope with stress, personality traits, and vocational choice. (LLL)

Explores the historical roots of universalistic thinking about children's nature, their needs, and what constitutes healthy development. Considers the opportunities for a new psychology of childhood to be reconstructed in ways that pay more attention to the cultural dimensions, as well as to the socio-cultural process, of the subject. (Author)

The performance of 114 New Zealand children of European and Polynesian descent on spatial relations tasks was examined, following their interaction with another child of either the same or different cognitive level. Nonconservers were found to benefit from interaction relative to no interaction more than were partial conservers. (AOS)

Research in Mexican and British schools provides an empirical basis for arguing that, by the use of certain kinds of interactional strategies, teachers can enable children to become more able in managing individual and joint reasoning and learning activities in the classroom. The research described is based on a sociocultural conception and…

Proposes an approach to teaching reasoning through classroom conversation that integrates group work around computers into curriculum-related activities. The article examines research on collaborative learning and describes a program in which the computer is used to direct children's explicit, joint reasoning in curriculum-related activities. (79…

Current approaches to oral assessment of English in English secondary schools tend to concentrate more on "confidence" and "participation" than on the quality of children's thinking. This undermines the rich possibilities in classroom talk for cognitive development. Behavioural assessment approaches deny the essentially…

Reports on a study of Russian parental attitudes regarding appropriate age of initial school attendance and decisions regarding secondary education. Finds that 80% of parents of young children support kindergarten education. Includes 14 tables of data from the study. (CFR)