As English skills are being increasingly perceived as valuable human capital, an awareness of inequitable access to the acquisition of this "profitable" language has developed. Although this allegedly unequal access, which can be referred to as the "English divide", is a matter of concern to applied linguists, little research…

Reports the results of interviews conducted in Sapporo, Japan, an area undergoing rapid urbanization. The study sought to determine the effect of urbanization on degree of intensity of interaction with neighbors, and on the use of honorifics. (Author/AM)

Four papers in this issue focus on population and urban growth in: (1) sub-Saharan Africa; (2) Latin America; (3) the Soviet Union; and (4) Japan and China. While each region has unique population features, similarities exist based on northern or southern hemisphere geographic locations and on a communist or non-communist political orientation.…

Before being included in Kanazawa City in 1954, all villages in the Yasuhara district of Japan might have been called model village communities, for these farming communities were built around common utilization of naturally-flowing ground water, and the rice farmers worked communally exhibiting principles of closeness and equality. When Yasuhara…

Describes efforts in Japan since the 1960s to institutionalize lifelong education. Reviews new strategies, such as the role of private enterprise in providing education in urban areas. Outlines the formation and results of recent literacy programs, highlighting problems caused by international policy. (12 citations) (MAB)

This essay on cultural change is intended to provide background reading material for teachers using "The Changing World Today" or "Cultural Change in Mexico and the United States," two textbooks from the Anthropology Curriculum Project. The essay can also be used, however, as a high school semester course in anthropology or as…

This student text and accompanying pupil study guide for intermediate grades examine cultural change in Japan, Kenya, and India. The unit objective is to help students examine processes of change occurring in the world today by systematically presenting cultural change concepts and illustrations in case study settings. The books provide students…

This document explores the role played by women in the economic success of Japan in recent decades. Part 1 provides a brief history of Japan's rural legacy and describes its urbanization process. Part 2 reveals trends in the nature and extent of the economic activity of Japanese women using data on cohort age-groups at 5-year intervals beginning…

This report reviews the problems of protecting nature in a heavily industrialized democracy such as the United States. Factors contributing to the establishment of protected areas in the United States are traced from the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 to the present. Arguments in defense of wilderness areas consider nature as: (1) a…

The impact of urbanization and industrialization on adult education in East and Southeast Asia was the subject of a conference attended by thirty-five East Asian adult educators and scholars. Conference objectives included the following: to identify the impact of industrial development in urban and rural communities and the related problems of…

Designed to be used as a source of supplementary activities for courses in geography, world history, and world cultures, this unit focuses on current issues including political repression, multinational corporations, and urbanization. While emphasizing a personal perspective (how major issues have affected the daily lives of ordinary people) the…

Technology provides a new and effective tool for accelerating economic growth, and developing countries are embracing technology and education as the means toward attaining economic parity with the United States and other developed nations. Evidence suggests that this strategy is paying off. Developing countries are building a technology…