An empirical analysis of the freak life style and its cultural premises, based on ethnographic and survey data, is related to an interpretative examination of the emergence of the freak culture within the present generation of middle-class youth at this point in history and its implications for social change. (Author/EH)

Few research studies focus on middle class Blacks. This paper analyzes historical and contemporary perspectives of the group and illustrates how social mobility and social change influence the economic and political competitiveness of Blacks. Approaches and techniques for studying Blacks as part of the larger society are suggested. (VM)

Argues that the propensity and capacity of many adults to conduct self-directed learning projects is now well proven, and that researchers should now infuse a spirit of self-critical scrutiny into this developing field of research. Advances four criticisms regarding the current state of self-directed learning research. (Author/CT)

EDUCATORS ARE NOT ADEQUATELY FINDING WAYS TO DEAL WITH THE DISADVANTAGED IN AMERICA. THEY ASSUME THAT THEY MUST MAKE THE DISADVANTAGED CONFORM TO AND FUNCTION IN THE DOMINANT MIDDLE-CLASS SOCIETY. HOWEVER, WHILE THE MIDDLE CLASS SEEMS TO FAVOR A HOMOGENIZATION OF ALL CULTURES, SOME MINORITY CULTURES RESIST THIS PRESSURE AND FAVOR A SOCIETY IN…

By the middle of the nineteenth century American society was becoming restructured according to the concept of career. A new middle class emerged, and within it professionalism became the highest goal. The creation of the university in America provided the necessary matrix for its development, making possible new attitudes about authority,…

Suburban migration has been seen as a means of improving one's standard of living; the high quality of education in suburbia was believed to be one way of achieving this improvement. However, it appears that the suburbanites' belief in the American dream and their support of the educational system have cooled. Dissatisfaction among middle class…

Responses of four revisionist historians and economists to Diane Ravitch's review of their works are presented. Those defending the revisionist viewpoint are: Walter Feinberg, Harvey Kantor, Michael Katz, and Paul Violas. (JD)

In the recent social revolution, rebellious middle-class youth attacked and rejected, among other values, the American middle-class belief in the worthwhileness of work. Although this recent humanistic revolt hardly affected the patterns of working life in America, it influenced attitudes toward work not only among middle-class adolescents and…

This report studies the Oakland, California black elite. They have historically fulfilled the role of intermediary between the black masses and the white power structure. The aim of the report is to deterimne how the Afro-American elites of Oakland define their position and those of black Americans generally. It also analyzes the blacks'…

The thesis of this paper is that constructivism and similar pedagogic formulations are problematic because: (1) being nondialectical they close off possibilities for dialogue about issues such as those discussed in this paper; and (2) they are embedded in forms of discourse which privilege middle-class culture, values, language, and ways of…

Based on 3,522 one- to two-hour personal interviews conducted in 1973, this study compares the 1973 views and attitudes of American youth to a survey conducted in the late 1960's. As a result, significant trends are traced through an era filled with events that deeply affected the lives of young people, such as the peak and ending of the Vietnam…

THE SIR ALEXANDER MACKENZIE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, AT INUVIK IN THE WESTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC, ACCOMODATED 300 PUPILS DURING THE 1963-64 SCHOOL YEAR. MOST OF THE YOUNGSTERS KNEW NO ENGLISH, HAD NEVER SLEPT ALONE, AND HAD NEVER SEEN RUNNING WATER AT THE TIME OF THEIR FIRST TRIP TO INUVIK. THESE YOUNGSTERS ARE FROM TWO DISTINCT GROUPS--THE KABLOONAMIUT…

The paper purports the need to restore the human environment by changing the present consumer-oriented value system toward a value system encompassing a global approach. Since human actions stem from cultural attitudes and values, before the human environment can be improved there must be basic change in the underlying cultural causes of the…

The higher girls' schools in Japan from 1895-1926 are related to the family structure and cycle, the role of the wife and mother, the relationship between the sexes, and the relationship between generations. The higher girls' schools (comparable to secondary education), were created for the families of middle class society. They fostered the good…