Discusses cultural discontinuities that affect learning effectiveness revealed by the increase in globalization of distance education. Considers the theoretical basis of such discontinuities, describes a study of West African extension students and print-based instructional materials, and suggests implications for instruction and research as well…

Elder care can involve the elder's children, other relatives, friends, community, and services sponsored by the government. According to the compensatory view, an individual prefers to rely on only one mode of elder care (i.e., care of elders in society, not just one's parents). In contrast, the complementary view suggests that the individual…

In the article, theoretical orientations and empirical studies are examined that have investigated relationships between family learning environments and children's school-related outcomes. A family model is proposed that involves associations among family background (human and economic capital, parents aspirations, and cultural contexts),…

School moral education in any country is carried out in a particular social and cultural context. The renewal of policy and practice in moral education in China has come about because of a rapidly changing Chinese society, as a result of the government's 'reform and opening up' policy since the end of the 1970s. The consequent changes in the…

In the West, institutions are considered the worst environment for rearing young children. It was thus surprising to discover on the 2002 Fulbright Travel Seminar to China that boarding schools for children two years of age and older were popular among affluent parents. This article uses observations of the first author in China, cultural…

This essay recreates the exciting Latin music and dance scenes of post-World War II Southern California, showing how Mexican Americans produced and consumed a range of styles and, in the process, articulated their complex cultural sensibilities. By participating in a Spanish-language expressive culture that was sophisticated and cosmopolitan,…

This article reports a case study of a high school teacher's attempt to enhance students' development of empathy after guiding them to explore the cultural, political, and historical context of text. Empathy is defined as an other-oriented perspective that is congruent with another's sociocultural values, political ideology, and historical…

The presumption of mainstream schooling and the removal of core status for foreign language learning at Key Stage 4 are presenting new challenges to our ideal of foreign language learning for all. In the current climate, the case for including children with special educational needs in foreign language classes has to be made with greater clarity…

Although young people in Nigeria become sexually active at a very early age, little is known about how they view sex, sexuality, and relationships with the opposite sex. Yet knowledge of their notions and expectations regarding these issues has the potential to improve care and inform the development of sexuality education programmes. This paper…

This essay examines how jazz educators construct methods for teaching the art of improvisation in institutionalized jazz studies programs. Unlike previous studies of the processes and philosophies of jazz instruction, I examine such processes from a cultural standpoint, to identify why certain methods might be favored over others. Specifically,…

Although language practices must obviously be an empirical focus in sociocultural research, this article suggests that emphasis on the human body's material aspect has not revealed how, in particular communicative contexts, its ideational influence surpasses that of language. This article suggests that in the "social" semiotic, the body's function…

Cultural diversity and the cultural context of adolescent career development are explored through the lens of the cultural syndromes of individualism and collectivism. The individualist cultural value orientation of some of the main theoretical perspectives that underpin career education and counseling practice in schools is highlighted. In…

Recent decades have witnessed an increase in thanatology education in colleges and universities. However, the infusion into thanatology curricula of religious faiths as they affect behaviors, experiences and emotions of dying individuals and survivors is still in its infancy. In this article I describe an effective approach I have used to…

In this article, the author, a mother of twin boys in middle school, shares excerpts from her sons' writings which she thinks are too violent and action oriented. She marvels at their knack for pacing, detail, and metaphor, but in the back of her mind she wonders what the content will make readers think of them as a boy and of her as a parent. She…

Research on children's understanding of emotion has rarely focused on children from nonindustrialised countries, who may develop an understanding at different ages as compared to children reared in industrialised countries. Quechua children from an agro-pastoralist village were given an adapted version of the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) to…