The extent to which criteria of relevance as determinants of the roles of universities are relevant, inconclusive, or irrelevant is discussed. The author, a vice-chancellor of the University of Malawi, suggests the role of the university is determined by the characteristics of the society it serves. Unfortunately, the model of relevance most…

Discusses factors influencing the changes in adult education in Canada (changing technology and environment, new adult self-concept, changing age profile of population, adult education's improving public image, immigrant competition, improved course organization and marketing, and real growth values) in relation to opportunities for the Canadian…

Suggests that Americans misuse their children as instruments of pride and power, instead of recognizing them as human beings with needs of their own. (Author/AM)

Assesses the prospects for changes in present global flow of television and suggests that long-range results may include dispersal of production centers and over-all cultural enrichment. (MH)

Dissatisfied with recent educational accomplishments under Mao, the new regime is purging radicals from the universities and raising the banner of intellectual standards. (Editor/LBH)

Presents a dialog on the value and utility of the Person-in-Environment (PIE) System for describing, classifying, and coding common problems clients bring to social workers. Problems cited include the model's dependence on constructs with deep cultural meanings and its responsiveness to individual characteristics and needs. Advantages include…

Explores the structure of interests across samples of employed U.S. racial-ethnic minority and nonminority adults drawn from over 38,000 individuals who participated in the 1994 revision of the Strong Interest Inventory (SII). Results suggest that the SII can be used to assess the interests of those from different racial-ethnic groups. (RJM)

Relates the experiences of a white academic teaching in a black rural state college--a plunge into the world of black experience which shocked the academic. States that everything was different--students' names, their manner of dress, their reaction to the O.J. Simpson verdict. Finds that leaving the ivory tower was not easy, but the job exceeded…

It is argued that negative portrayals of the professoriate in popular culture stem from growing anti-intellectualism in American society. College faculty are often derided as those whose work is primarily or entirely theoretical, too esoteric for practical use. Faculty are also portrayed as foolish or eccentric. Popular culture and public opinion…

Highlights the challenges faced by a teacher educator from the country of Georgia during implementation of the Step by Step and the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking initiatives. Addresses both the difficulty and the promise of changing traditional institutional culture in Georgia that dates from the Soviet era. (SD)

Examined the association between parent racial socialization and child competence among African American preschoolers. Found that strong racial identity and ethnic cultural enrichment at home were linked to higher factual knowledge and better developed problem-solving skills, as well as fewer problem behaviors. (JPB)

Explores the nature of school leadership in Pakistan by drawing on two studies describing experiences of headteachers in Karachi. Identifies three determinants of personal efficacy of headteachers: The powers and accountability of the school system, community expectations within the context of the national culture, and the individual's personality…

Examines the communicative use of gestural and vocal modalities by normally developing Italian children during the transition from one- to two-word speech. Results indicate that gesture and gesture-word combinations during this transition is a robust feature of communicative development in a rich gestural culture. (37 references) (Author/CK)

Interviews with 401 randomly sampled residents of Singapore concerning the acceptability of 18 actions that suggested child abuse found strong disapproval of sexually motivated acts, greater disapproval of physical than emotional abuse/neglect, and some opposition to mandatory reporting of child abuse. Results support the use of definitions of…

Surveys the linguistic attitudes and cultural identity of Cajun speakers stratified by age and sex from four communities in Louisiana. Findings reveal that Cajun identity rests fundamentally in the linguistic ability of the speakers and that the criteria established has created considerable tension within the cultural Cajun community. (32…