This paper explores issues of religion and ethnicity, with emphasis on how these factors relate to adjustment for families (particularly African American families) of a child with disabilities. A framework for further research and policy development is offered, which relates culture/ethnicity, religious connectedness, and family…

Child specialists from 41 countries were surveyed on the role of symbol-making tools as cultural artifacts. Results suggest that symbol-making tools reflect countries' levels of human development. Place of residence, socioeconomic status, teacher and parent educational levels, and commercial availability account for often wide within-country…

Reviews the issues and evidence on "measuring" student intelligence. The construct validity of "intelligence," the role of cultural context as a modifier of the meaning of test results, and the lack of meaningful predictive validity of IQ tests are discussed. Results conclude that measuring intelligence currently has no contribution to…

Argues that parent and teacher choices are significant for school reform only to the extent that they result in schools of distinctive character that rest upon a coherent ethos, a shared understanding of education, and the purposes of human life. The author examines four school characteristics that help describe how and why they are distinctive.…

Examines strategies for teaching sociology in an international setting using London as an example. Focuses on ways for faculty to integrate resources of a city in another culture into the overseas study curriculum. Discusses shaping courses to fit an international setting, anticipatory socialization of students, and support for faculty. (DK)

This paper reviews the cultural and historical context of mainstreaming students with disabilities in the United States and contrasts this with a proposed model for Canadian integration. Mainstreaming and integration are seen as reflecting different social dynamics and cultural traditions, and the administrative and research implications of the…

The difficulties faced by Americans, coming from an individual-oriented society, in dealing with the group-oriented Chinese are discussed. Issues of reciprocity, prestige, stability and harmony are considered. (26 references) LB)

Various aspects of obituaries (e.g., size, position in paper, use of photographs, multiple appearances) are examined to show how they communicate information about the socioeconomic status of both the deceased and the survivors. The Nigerian announcements are compared with similar notices in English, German, and Indian newspapers. Aspects of…

Worldwide expansion of enrollment in postcompulsory education has contributed to an ambiguous "post-adolescence" life stage as young adults transition into adult citizenship. Possible pathways at the end of compulsory schooling have diversified, particularly in developed countries under the influence of vocationalism. Young adults need…

It is proposed that, although the role of the university in advancing technology is acknowledged, there is in the university little intellectual consideration of the social forces that shape technological advancement or of the political, economic, cultural, environmental, and ethical implications of new developments. (MSE)

This article describes the development of the Birmingham Institute for Conductive Education in England; its work with students who have motor disorders; its collaborative work with the Peto Institute in Budapest, Hungary; the compatibility of conductive education and England's National Curriculum; and differences between Hungarian and British…

Using "Gone with the Wind" in its German language version provides language reinforcement as well as a means of augmenting the study of literature and cinematic adaptation and cultural contexts. Both novel and film serve as good sources for verbal and written exercises. (LET)

A study of the relationship between the deaf, their native sign languages, and the encompassing hearing societies and their cultures, within the context of schooling, demonstrates how the discourse on sign language within education is a vital ingredient in the assertion of symbolic power by the hearing establishment over the deaf community. The…

Queensland, Australia, is embarking on a massive limited bilingual second-language learning program for all students in the first eight years of school. Potential implementation problems and implications for the wider society are discussed, including the effect of the emphasis on studying Asian languages. (Contains 40 references.) (Author/LB)

Two sociocultural value clusters that predict an English-as-a-Second-language and an English-as-a-Foreign-Language approach are juxtaposed, respectively, to English language acquisition management. The two approaches are described in educational terms and related to the changing functions of English in the world and to national language…