Both content and event analyses were applied to cultural and social knowledge underlying narrative production in three African-American preschoolers. Results suggest that the use of alternative approaches broadens understanding of the repertoire of narrative structures among African Americans. Suggestions are offered for building collaborative…

Teacher educators addressed negative student responses to a multicultural foundations course by designing an action research study to investigate students' identities, experiences, and beliefs. Analysis of written assignments and focus group discussions uncovered three categories of beliefs about the purposes of schools in relation to cultural…

Examines the failure of colleges of education to address racial diversity and teacher preparation issues. Research supports that teacher immediacy, or communication that facilitates physical and psychological closeness, positively influences teacher effectiveness, credibility, and the teacher/student relationship. Teacher trainers must become bold…

Summarizes the status of preservice special-education teachers' preparation for diversity based on a review of the special-education literature. Issues regarding the special-education literature base, special-education professional standards, and special-education organizational structures are addressed. Identified challenges include retooling…

Assessed Oakland University's elementary-teacher-preparation program to determine aspects of the program that most affected students' preparation to teach in diverse classrooms. Pre- and post-semester surveys of student teachers placed in urban/suburban schools indicated that students learned adequate skills for teaching diverse students, but…

A study of 26 Asian-American students with learning disabilities in grades K-5 found that although the district policies reflected desired professional practices, there were no guidelines for documenting how variables such as second-language acquisition, culture, socioeconomic status, and other differences were accommodated. Policy recommendations…

Examined cross-cultural mentoring of ethnic minority doctoral students (proteges) in special education programs, noting the role of mentoring in preparing proteges for higher education faculty positions. Protege and mentor interviews indicated that cross-cultural mentoring was crucial in preparing ethnic minorities for faculty positions. All…

Discusses the inappropriate referral of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students for speech-language therapy. Preassessment considerations that should be considered and the interrelatedness of culture, language, and communication as they impact on an individual learner's behavior are explained. Culturally appropriate assessment…

Explores the conflicting cultural perspectives associated with studying English, drawing on two studies of Mexican students. P. Ryan (1994) studied the perceptions of culture related to language learning for six college teachers and their urban students. N. Francis (1994) studied the perceptions of rural bilingual (Spanish/Nahuatl) elementary…

Discussion of library education in New Zealand focuses on the cultural clash between government control of education and university autonomy, as well as the clash between an indigenous people and a culture introduced from outside. Topics include nationwide higher education reform; distance education; quality assurance, including strategic…

Examines the microeconomics of Mexican American households in Tucson (Arizona) and Los Angeles (California), exploring factors affecting household organization and the dynamics of Mexican American households as part of a larger cluster. Case studies of four households support the discussion. Causes of conflict and family interests and objectives…

This article criticizes application of linguistic interdependence theory to the bilingual/bicultural model of English literacy for deaf students, suggesting that deaf learners do not match theory assumptions. It draws on the work of Vygotsky and Halliday to develop a conceptualization of literacy processes and argues that becoming literate…

During their elementary school years, many students develop a dislike for school. Their alienation is due partly to the school environment and discouraging educator behaviors. Children sense they are overly assessed and classified, arbitrarily promoted, confined to large groups, and bound to a routine work schedule that values competition and…

Compares conversational styles of intermediate and advanced learners of English as a Second Language in language proficiency interviews. The article describes differences in amount of talk and rate of speaking, extent of context dependence and ability to construct and sustain narratives, but not in frequency of initiation of new topics nor…

Discusses the preparation of students of Indonesian origin for the type of thinking and writing they will have to do in graduate programs in Canada. The article argues that foreign students bound for Western English-medium universities must learn not only to produce a new language but also to display a different form of logic in the classroom.…