In five studies, the applicability of two North American instruments for student evaluation of teacher performance was assessed at the University of Western Sydney (Macarthur, Australia). Results of a multitrait-multimethod analysis indicate the instruments are applicable at this institution and across diverse educational settings. (Author/MSE)

Toys play a role in children's lives worldwide and can be used effectively to teach global education. There are more commonalities than differences among toys from different nations. The origins of toys are varied, sometimes reflecting religious beliefs or political events. Toys also indicate cultural values and attitudes and social changes. (BC)

A 20-year study indicated that educational salaries at all levels have continuously declined relative to the average weekly earnings in Australia. Possible explanations are the role of government, the national teachers' union policy toward different payment systems, and the cultural attitude toward intellectual endeavor. (JOW)

Discusses the incorporation of new technologies into schools in Spain; considers the exposure students have to mass media; suggests using the cultural environment created by mass communications; and proposes Communic*Active Education which would enable pupils to learn from communications media outside school as well as in the classroom. (Contains…

Home visiting programs must be sensitive and responsive to the cultural ecology of their participants. Staff of home visiting programs need to assess the cultural context of the program, establish a dialog with the client population regarding program goals, attend to the culture of the program staff, and consider alternative program formulas. (MDM)

Considers the development of culturally relevant curriculum in Pacific Island nations. Discusses the legacies of colonialism in island education, the contrast between alien Western curriculum provided in schools and traditional knowledge transmitted by nonformal means, and the notion of curriculum for "literacy" in indigenous cultures.…

Describes the experiences of delivering an MBA (Master in Business Administration) program in Eritrea (North East Africa) through the United Kingdom's Open University. Discusses tutoring teams that travel to Eritrea, localizing case examples and assignments, sensitivity to local cultural contexts, writing assignments, student assessment, and…

Historians, architectural historians, folklorists, archaeologists, geographers, and preservationists are engaged in documenting and interpreting the material record of human occupation through systematic study of the built environment. "Vernacular architecture" as an object-oriented approach to cultural and historic research is discussed…

Key aspects of student difficulty with proportional reasoning can be understood only when the social and cultural contexts in which it is embedded are considered. A constructivist, interpretive case study provided insights into physics students' associations between cultural heritage, world views, societal expectations, authoritarianism,…

Describes the cultural origins of East Asian educational values and practices, contrasting characteristics of East Asian and Western education; arguing that differences in cultural values carry over into educational values, policies, and practices; and cautioning that with the current global diffusion of educational policies, it is important to…

Individuals belong to different cultural networks, and these networks and connections between them play an important role in success or failure of educational innovation and should be included in any model of the management or evaluation of innovation. Looks at functions of the different networks to which individuals belong at three levels,…

Focuses on the cultural meaning of university education and of participation in the extremely competitive entrance examinations to university, as viewed from a Greek provincial town. Notes that despite high graduate unemployment, university education and sitting for entrance examinations have important social status implications. (DSK)

Examines the contribution of storytelling to the education of young children, and reviews theoretical frameworks used to contextualize storytelling in formal education. Presents five major types of contributions of storytelling: to other language and expressive arts, to the inner world of affect, to autobiography, to narrative, and to certain…

Traditional counseling assumptions, constructs, and techniques have produced mixed results with minority-group college students, including illusory conclusions and lack of preparation for the world outside college. Culturally relevant strategies to assist minority students in making gainful insights in job preparation and employment are discussed.…

Presents a cultural analysis of the process by which controversial subject matter in social studies remains deemphasized or omitted. Examines research related to taboo topics in schools. Notes that the closer and more meaningful a topic is to students' lives, the more likely it is to be taboo. Offers practical suggestions for teachers to explore…