This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The eight titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effects of self-instructional and discrimination communication training on the development of confrontation skills in prepracticum counseling trainees, (2) cross-cultural…

Reports on a study by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) into various relationships in engineering that the United States has with countries that have comparable or superior levels of technology. Discusses competition, cooperation, information flow, symmetry, language and cultural barriers, research opportunities, and professional…

The characteristics, structure, and content of American English business negotiations are described. A course taught in the Harvard University Summer Program for Foreign Students, developed to eliminate the linguistic and cultural component of potential misunderstandings in cross-cultural negotiations, is outlined and illustrated with an example…

Summarized are the proceedings of a 1984 public hearing held in France by the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe to discuss the need for a legal instrument guaranteeing the defense and promotion of the heritage of the regional and minority languages of Europe. (RM)

The Cultural Exchange program in California is a model supplementary social science curriculum available to California teachers. Students start with their own ethnic heritage and then explore cultural diversity at the community, national, and international levels. Graphics, activities, and materials are designed for fourth- through eighth-grade…

From 1996-2001, the Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) has worked to support practitioners in increasing their understanding and awareness of the impact of culture and language on their interactions with children and families. This report presents four articles outlining some of the key…

A study explored communication patterns between Chinese international teaching assistants (ITAs) and faculty in a university mathematics department. Nine experienced faculty, selected because they had expressed opinions about ITAs' needs, and seven ITAs participated. The ITAs had all met the mathematics department's language proficiency test…

A study of social and cultural factors that affect the appropriateness of verbal expressions in different languages focuses on the comparative uses of three common expressions ("thank you, I'm sorry, excuse me" and their equivalents) in English and Chinese. First, the usage patterns of the three expressions are explained briefly, and the…

Outlines a comparative approach to the social dynamics (struggles, adaptations, and cross-border alliances) in regions' bisected borders. Argues that borderland studies provide an indispensable corrective to historical narratives that accept the territoriality to which all modern states lay claim. Discusses borderland culture in relation to space,…

Suggests that the international community has moved from being politically isolated to being more interrelated physically, socially, economically, and in the exchange of information. Argues that the United Nations and other world conferences have recognized this shift, and that teachers of Montessori values must also promote and utilize the new…

Reviews teaching for and about democracy in Australia, and identifies key concepts embedded in the notion of democracy (representation, leadership, decision making, public criticism). Draws on ethnographic data from settled and remote Aboriginal Australia to explore whether understandings and practices associated with these concepts are shared by…

Examined an e-mail pen pal project between a second-grade classroom in the United States and one in China. Found that the project engaged students in learning through social interaction that enabled them to learn about a culture other than their own. Also found that the project enhanced students' social, cognitive, and linguistic skills, and…

Examines several values of Native American clients that may influence the counseling process. Discusses counselor attitudes, behavior, and cultural sensitivity. Presents a story that dramatizes possible conflicts inherent in the situation of a young Native American male who migrates from the reservation to the city and goes to an "Indian…

Some practical strategies for building relationships and working with clients from different cultural backgrounds are outlined in this paper. Counselors are encouraged to build bridges with clients by exploring areas of common ground. Describes other intervention strategies and discusses training issues. (JBJ)

Discusses teacher burnout associated with problems in assessing culturally and linguistically diverse populations. These problems range from lack of understanding of the culture of a given child to knowingly diagnosing children with limited English proficiency. Teachers must adopt creative attitudes that accept all students as unique. (137…