This paper revisits a successful short-course in academic literacy that was conducted for 50 "disadvantaged" students enrolled in the first year of an education degree at an Australian regional university (see Hirst, Henderson, Allan, Bode & Kocatepe, 2004). Based on a sociocultural approach to learning and drawing on a…

In two experiments we demonstrate a substantial cross-cultural difference in a mnemonic context effect, whereby a magnitude estimate of a simple stimulus such as a line or circle is biased toward the center of the distribution of previously seen instances of the same class. In support of the hypothesis that Asians are more likely than Americans to…

This column from the English Learners department outlines a framework for robust literacy instruction for English learners--instruction that addresses the cognitive challenges of acquiring literacy, accounts for English learners' special language needs and abilities, and includes their unique cultural experiences. The framework consists of four…

Historically, letter reading and writing have been pervasive across human societies, cultures, and communities (Barton & Hall, 2000). Like all literate activities, it derives its meaning and significance from how it is situated within cultural beliefs, values, and practices. Despite its prevalence, however, little is known about the meanings…

This study reflects a social constructivist theoretical framework in which the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a central element, as two teaching approaches, communicative language teaching (CLT) and explicit focus on form (FonF) are examined. Research questions include: Are CLT and explicit FonF conducive to reaching the ZPD? Is there a…

The overall intent is to clarify relationships between psychological constructivist, sociocultural, and emergent perspectives by grounding them in attempts to understand what might be happening in a variety of teaching and learning situations. The first part of the paper outlines an interpretive framework developed in the course of a…

The workbook is an English vocabulary development text focusing on words associated with traditions, customs, and background of holidays celebrated in the United States, and in some cases also in Canada and elsewhere. The special vocabulary is presented in seventeen readings, written in repetitive style so the student can learn the definitions of…

The French feudalistic economic and social system of 17th and 18th century Detroit is described. (DE)

This paper presents a model for turn-taking in conversation that is locally managed, party-administered, interactionally controlled, and sensitive to recipient design. Several general consequences of the model are explicated. (CK)

Suggests that patterns of abilities are the best cross-cultural evidence for the effects of environment and culture upon memory development. An object and place recall task was administered to 5- and 7-year-old American and Guatemalan children. (Author/SDH)

The child care statistics in this report concern children under the age of 15 years whose parents or guardians were employed in the labor force or attending school from September to November, 1987. Topics addressed include the ways in which these children were cared for while their parent were at work or in school; the complexity of these…

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare how Israeli-Arab and Eastern-Jewish adolescents view the role of the citizen. Both groups share a minority status within Israeli society, but have different socializing environments and different political and cultural status. The study population consisted of 118 Israeli-Arab and 279…

The unusually elaborate system of nicknaming in the Romanian village of Bigar, wih a population of 340, is influenced by the region's history. Every villager has a legal name consisting of a given or first name and a family name, both conforming to Romanian orthography. The villagers may also use the corresponding Czech forms in informal contexts…

Although women have made remarkable gains during the present century in terms of voting rights, education, and recreational and employment opportunities, the fact remains that their metamorphosis from "fair sex" to "full persons" is still an ongoing process. This paper examines certain historic educational and scientific…

A study compared salient variables of Canadian English from two concurrent sociodialectal surveys, one for Ottawa, Ontario and one for Vancouver, British Columbia. Using the Labovian model of phonological variation in association with sociological parameters and other linguistic variables within each specific area, the analysis investigated four…