Analyzes a bi-national survey about teachers' beliefs surrounding puberty; adolescent rebellious attitudes, and academics. Finds significant difference between Japanese and U.S. teachers. Explains teachers' impact on students shows cultural differences and cross-national trends. Discusses survey results in light of qualitative studies of Japanese…

This paper discusses the characteristics of middle school students and teachers, and provides suggestions for the development of cultural awareness at the middle school level. Between the ages of 10 and 14 years, adolescents experience rapid physical growth, changes in social relationships and in emotions, and changes in intellectual development…

Discusses the discipline problems that arose when several Southeast Asian students attended a middle school in Minnesota. Describes how these problems were transformed into a human rights learning experience for the students. (SRT)

Examines the design of middle schools and cultural differences in the ways Anglos and Navajos view the stages of human development, noting interpretations of child development and their concomitant requisites for appropriate parenting. The article concludes with a discussion of the mismatch between Navajo culture and middle school planners in the…

This study explored middle school teachers' perspectives on and expectations of adolescence and puberty, using observations and interviews of 15 teachers in two Japanese middle schools and two United States (U.S.) middle schools, as well as a survey of teachers in selected schools in both nations. Teachers in the U.S. described puberty as being…

The school lives of culturally diverse young adolescents identified as potential dropouts were studied ethnographically. Data collected across two years indicated that teachers who students considered most successful in helping them learn used practices based on knowledge about students' home cultures and knowledge about the impact of students'…

Examines the current status of cultural diversity in middle school education theory, suggests some developmental characteristics of young adolescents of color that are often overlooked, and proposes some ways that middle school education could be modified to be more responsive to the ethnic and cultural diversity of early adolescents. (SM)