In the form of a story, this paper reveals the life and lifework of a committed Latino professor of English who was born in Brooklyn in the Bedford-Stuyvesant projects. First recounting the early years of a bright boy, the paper then proceeds to tell about the young man as a dropout, as a soldier in Vietnam, as a student in college, and then as a…

This Digest considers language learning as a socio-cultural process, contending that to fully function in a particular language, one not only needs to understand the mechanics, such as the grammar, but also to apply that language across various contexts, audiences, and purposes. The Digest discusses language learning at home, language learning in…

This study examines the influence of differing social contexts on the historical understanding of primary and elementary students in Northern Ireland and the United States. Although children in both locations learn about the past not only at school but from relatives, historic sites, literature, and the media, the U.S. emphasis on a narrative of…

This monograph documents the work of 41 participating community colleges in Exploring America's Communities (EAC): In Quest of Common Ground, a project stimulating a national conversation about American pluralism and identity, addressing such issues as what it means to be American, what brings us together and what divides us. Developed by the…

The 33 papers presented at this conference are, as follows: "Child Participation in an Everyday Adult Practice" (Andrew Brent Andressen); "Education for Sustainable Development in Southern Philippines" (Caridad Bernardino); "Distance Education and Instructional Technologies: Cultural Transmission or Cultural Erosion"…

This paper focuses on a unique group of Palestinian women--those who live and attend college in Israel. The paper explores the developmental and social-psychological processes leading to gender and national identity achievement among female Palestinian student activists in the Israeli universities and the dialectical relationship between these two…

A researcher undertook a study of her own second language learning progress, focusing on development of pragmatic competence in Japanese and the relationship between language and social identity while living and working in Japan. The study addressed three areas: the formal instructional context of studying Japanese in Japan; the influence of the…

The Victorian and Edwardian British cared deeply about what their children were reading. While some feared that unsuitable literature would ruin both the children of the nation and the nation itself, many viewed the power of reading as a key to boundless imaginative and intellectual opportunities. This book examines the role of child literacy in…

A study examines the use of Kiswahili as representative of the dynamism of Kenyan society and the degree to which the Kenyan body politic has achieved cohesion. It focuses on a series of urban centers with overlapping spheres of influence, referred to as the urban corridor. The Kenyan situation is viewed through a model provided by chaos theory…

Intended for teachers of grades 5 and up, this unit on ancient Rome introduces students to a variety of primary sources, all chosen with the idea that they can be used to form an accurate and informative picture of what it was like to be a Roman during ancient times, and the similarities and dissimilarities between life then and today. The unit…

To help clarify the meaning of three social constructs (class, race/ethnicity, and gender) that have been persistent indicators of reading ability, a literature review examined 393 research reports published between 1985 and 1989 in four major journals that commonly present research on reading. Articles for the review were selected regardless of…

This paper discusses two types of adjustments that foreign students face when they encounter university culture in the United States. The central section lists and describes four key groups of underlying principles, values, and practices in American education and discusses the reasons why these may be difficult for foreign students to understand.…

Dealing with the relationships among language, communication, and culture, the 12 papers in this collection are divided into three parts. The first part deals with the critical issues related to language acquisition, context, and cognition. The second part presents an array of perspectives in analyzing the role of language in comparative…

Cultural interference in writing classrooms includes linguistic and social differences that lead to mixed signals both for students and teachers and unshared expectations among this community of learners. This can be seen particularly at a place like the University of Texas at El Paso, where the Hispanic community of students comprises…

Predicated on the idea that children can connect with Americans of the past by reading quality fiction, nonfiction, and folktales, this book presents a diverse selection of children's literature that supports American history and social studies texts in grades K-8. The book is divided into two parts--the first part aimed at primary grade children…