The continuing perceived complexity of educational systems and the current status of organizational and administrative theory suggest a renewed theory-building effort in the field of educational administration. It is in this sense that this paper presents a heuristic paradigm for the study of educational administration in the Americas, a…

This exploratory study provides a foundation for research on socialization in Japanese schools, identifying types of cooperative and competitive student behavior as seen by teachers. The first of two surveys (each using two questionnaires) asked teachers to list examples of cooperative or competitive behavior. The second, designed from the…

The application of cultural materialism, a Darwinistic approach to social forces, reveals that human learning is ultimately governed by the required process of human energy procurement. This "ethno-logic" interpretation of the correlation between techno-environmental levels and human learning stands in contrast to the conventional but…

Focusing on how textbooks and ideology influence and reflect literacy instruction, this book examines literacy as defined in the public elementary schools of British Columbia, Canada. Chapters include: (1) "Approaches to the Study of Literacy and Curriculum"; (2) "The Text in Historical Context: The Debate over Schooling and…

Drawing on a cross-national study of children's reading, a study examined the correlates of reading success and failure in Taiwan. Subjects, 240 randomly selected Taipei fifth graders, were administered a reading test, cognitive test, and mathematics achievement test. A structured interview with each child's mother and classroom behavior…

Over 60 years of American anthropological and sociological research writings have erected a concept of culture that restricts its role in planned change models to one of active or tacit resistance to change. As an alternative, this paper suggests that the substitution of a contemporary, dynamic conceptualization of culture as developed by…

Since an individual's ability to think critically most often manifests itself orally, research on sex differences should not overlook interpersonal communication styles and patterns in relation to the critical thought process. Any such examination should (1) define critical reasoning as it exists within Western society; (2) examine perceptions of…

A survey of master's level English language teacher trainees in a Chinese university examined prevailing attitudes toward a methodology course and compared them to previous findings. Students were asked to rate course quality and the quantity of various course materials and tasks. The results showed an overall positive reaction to the course, with…

The case studies summarized in this report are based on ethnographic surveys carried out mainly in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, and Senegal (collectively called "Tropical Africa" in the text). The surveys were also carried out in the Maghreb countries, especially Algeria and southern India. Their common objective…

This paper examines the value conflicts engendered by computing developments in two different institutional settings: electronic funds transfer systems and instructional computing in primary and secondary schools. While specific values depend upon culture and upon the character of the particular institutional setting studied, these two cases serve…

Studies of the creation and management of impressions have advanced rapidly in recent years. However, relatively little empirical information has been provided about the processes by which impressions are created and managed in routine interaction and about the range of matters about which impressions are created. The excessive use of internal…

A student's belief in the value of literacy is essential to effective teaching and successful learning, but can result only from a local culture whose aim is to produce literacy. The social identity and cultural norms of the young are registered in their use of language, and if literacy, as defined by others, calls the norms and identity into…

An overview of the historical roots of racism is presented, and the role of higher education within the institutional structure of American society is analyzed. Two case studies are reviewed in detail, along with the relevant political issues and change strategies to help remedy racism in America. A key dimension of racism involves education,…

This teaching guide about India presents teaching-learning strategies. The major intent is to help the teacher and student examine and understand another culture within its own frame of reference, thereby helping the student understand his own. The overall emphasis of the guide is on the development and understanding of concepts and…

The major components of cross-cultural communication are treated in this collection of essays. The articles illustrate the influence which a society's values, role expectations, perception, nonverbal patterns and language behavior bring to bear on the international cross-cultural encounter. The following articles are presented: (1) "American…