It is widely accepted that within certain biological limits, a child's development emerges out of a continuous and increasingly complex interaction with significant people in his or her environment. Mothers and other significant adults, as experienced members of the culture, may be viewed as mediators and tutors who transmit cultural knowledge and…

This pilot study examined the psychological and emotional stresses faced by new Chinese immigrant teenagers upon entering a new cultural environment. Interviews with teenagers (n=22) from three different political and economic areas of China and some of their parents (n=10) and school guidance counselors (n=2) indicate that these youth, because of…

An ethnographic study examined the nature of social and cultural contexts as they shaped literary practices in a combined fifth/sixth-grade classroom. Research questions focused on the meanings given to the reading and discussion of literature within the embedded contexts of classroom and community. The five focal students for the study differed…

This book examines the many popular representations of student life at women's colleges produced in the United States during the Progressive Era. According to the book, in hundreds of college novels, newspaper accounts, popular periodical essays, and scientific treatises, the "college woman" was described and defined in a period when…

Wetland Perspectives, a 2-week teacher workshop held in July 1995, aimed to increase teacher understanding of some aquatic habitats of Wisconsin through Western scientific and Native American cultural perspectives. Workshop objectives included giving participants a more complete understanding of Wisconsin's wetlands, an opportunity to learn about…

An examination of the ritual of "sharing time" in a first-grade classroom in the United States shows how it reaffirms the ideal model of a "Good Communicator," develops a concept of personhood as "Self-as-Autonomous-Person," and establishes respect for "Authority." Through the development of these three "sacred objects," sharing time functions as…

This qualitative study examines the perspectives of 14 teachers of students with severe disabilities whose role changed from special education teacher to integration facilitator. All 14 participants expressed strong beliefs that students with severe disabilities would learn more in an integrated environment. The teachers identified themselves as…

This study examined four male homosexual, sociocultural groups: normal-hearing homosexuals with normal-hearing parents, deaf homosexuals with normal-hearing parents, deaf homosexuals with hearing-impaired parents, and hard-of-hearing homosexuals with normal-hearing parents. Differences with regard to self-perception, identity, and attitudes were…

Two African American teachers teach English in the same inner-city high school. One teacher is successful--her students read, interact, and strive for success. The other teacher's students are frequently disruptive or are asleep. This book probes deep into the causes of classroom success and failure, as well as other issues that affect American…

The materials in this curriculum sample are written as an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) lesson for immigrants and refugees, designed to begin discussion of family violence. An introductory section outlines issues related to discussion of family violence in the classroom setting, including the importance of opening lines of communication and…

Little attention has been paid to students' specific literacy practices within Indian boarding schools. This paper examines the letter writing practices of students from the Genoa Industrial Indian School (GIS) in Genoa, Nebraska, from 1884-1934. The paper "reads" the letters as social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with…

This comprehensive guide to multicultural children's literature features over 1,000 critical and detailed book reviews for pre-school, elementary, and middle school students. The reviews in the guide cover a vast range of picture books, biographies, poetry, anthologies, folktales, and young adult novels, and include synopses, suggestions for…

A study with Latino high school students sought to provide a forum for student expression and to examine factors that tend to silence Latino student voices. It explored how students perceive their cultural and linguistic reality, their family history, and the home experiences within the educational system. It also looked at what students see as…

This paper discusses the development of a Cultural Anxiety Scale (CAS) for Chinese students studying in the United States. One hundred items were developed using the anxiety research literature, a survey of research on stress and anxiety among college students, and Chinese cross-cultural studies. Face, construct, and content validity analysis were…

In this era of rapid globalization of business opportunities, many managers face the need to communicate with foreign counterparts who do not speak English. The solution, in many cases, is to use an interpreter. Interpreters, however, may make mistakes, and irritation, embarrassment and even major problems may arise from errors in translation.…