This paper explores the implications of grounding professional development in the Vygotskian sociocultural theoretical framework for regular classroom teachers who must deal with the cultural and linguistic diversity in their daily interactions with students. A solid conceptual framework for professional development is significant because it…

Across cultures, young children learn primarily within their family, with the family's culture positioning the values, language and purpose of children's learning toward the family's goals. Quality education begins within families, and at school entry age, children's learning within their families is critical to their educational success. However,…

In the field of intercultural business and technical communication, intercultural communication has been a regular topic in curriculum for decades; various teaching approaches exist for developing students' cultural awareness and helping them achieve a theoretical understanding about the concept of culture, cultural differences, and cultural…

Departing from the view that learning is a linear progression, we argue that through the lens of cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and cultural logic, teacher learning research can be advanced. Applying these two constructs to a collaborative autoethnography of two emerging scholars' transnational teaching and learning experiences in the…

This paper presents an overview of some of Michael Cole's work, starting with his pioneering research in Liberia with the Kpelle (and later, with Sylvia Scribner, studies of literacy with the Vai, 1981), which was formative of his version of a cultural-historical psychology, his translation and interpretations of the work of L. S. Vygotsky and…

Teaching and learning of Chinese as a foreign language and its culture is complex for Kenyan learners. It requires them to consider contrasting intellectual, policy and economic dimensions that instead of aiding its propagation among Kenyan learners, could even facilitate a hindrance to its progression. Potential measures that could be embraced…

This study is an investigation into factors that encourage and/or inhibit the use of social media in the academic learning process between Australian and Malaysian students at higher learning institutions. Push-pull-mooring theory was used as a guide, resulting in seven independent variables ("convenience", "social influence",…

This article seeks to develop the understanding of critical action learning (CAL) and to make a contribution to its theory and practice. The article begins by conceptualising critical action learning and builds on the work of Revans (1982) to stimulate fresh thinking. It provides a different calibration of his coupling of action and learning. An…

Inherently concerned with the personal and cultural development of individuals, intercultural competence can be regarded as an inseparable aspect of "Bildung". However, while scholars have acknowledged the affiliation between these two concepts, what remains to be investigated is the extent to which notions of "Bildung" are…

Different bases for an underlying strategy for the teaching of languages are discussed. (Available from Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland) (RM)

In light of recent research suggesting links between learning style and culture, this review of the literature looked at the various definitions of learning style, reviewed a framework for categorizing the types of instruments used to assess learning style, and explored the literature on learning style research among diverse groups. The study…

The growth model of intelligence; i.e. intelligence is the product of genetics plus environment (I.Q.=G+E), is discussed and questioned. If the growth model is discarded, formulating the problem of the development of intelligence in different ways and thinking of different possible technologies for changing intelligence can begin. The child…

The paper defines and discusses various social learning theories. Central to most theories of how an individual acquires socially acceptable behaviors are the processes of imitation, or observational learning, and identification, or modeling. The effectiveness of each process is noted. (SB)

Describes how putting the theory of multiple intelligences into practice in Montessori elementary schools could enhance students' self-knowledge, animate independent learning, and make learning communities more culturally inclusive. Suggests pluralizing the point of entry into a topic, building teaching teams to support diverse intellects, and…

This report examines the learning styles of Caucasian and African-American students. While research supports the claim that low academic achievement is prevalent in the minority community, there is no consensus regarding the causes. There are two schools of thought that involve (1) the cognitive deficit or genetic cause, and (2) the cultural…