Reports on the results of 2 studies that use a non-Kohlbergian approach to categorizing justifications for moral judgments by Australian subjects from 7 to 15 and from 7 to 21 years. These studies support the view that moral reasoning up to late adolescence is largely a product of socialization. (KO)

Examines the commitment of the Black community to the education of its women as a liberation tool and the resulting emergence of a new American intellectualism. Explores the Black woman's role as carrier of African American culture. Discusses the difference between intellect workers and intellectuals. (JS)

A content analysis of selected German translations of six Chinese primary school textbooks, used from 1963 to 1982, assessed the socializing functions of qualification, integration, and identification. Categories involved include professional, moral, cultural, family, school, associations, China as a unified nation, China's achievements, and…

A study of 683 first graders in Baltimore (Maryland) examined the effects of the amount of children's kindergarten experience on first-grade performance. It appears that kindergarten contributes more to cognitive improvement rather than socialization. (TJH)

A research project using a non-random sample of seven high schools within metropolitan Melbourne during 1985-86 aimed to establish whether prejudice and discrimination were affecting the occupational socialization of senior students. Three sources of discrimination were hypothesized: curriculum, interactions between non-English-speaking and…

Maintains that social science mistakenly has emphasized symmetry (social forces that correct disequilibrium and maintain balance) over asymmetry (antithetical forces that support and embody divergent thinking). Calls for a more open, intuitive, and creative approach to research and methodology. (MJP)

Brings together critical theory and sociohistorical and sociocultural theories to explore why current reform efforts have not significantly changed the nature of teaching and learning contexts, teacher-student relationships, and the knowledge forms and uses constructed in school settings. Current contexts of school learning restrict access to…

Describes politically driven, educational changes in Nicaragua, 1979-93, since education was used first to promote social change and later to restore elements of the previous status quo. Discusses the church-state relationship, curricula and textbooks, recent moves toward site-based management, funding of higher education, and the possibility of…

Reports on a study of the link between religiosity, gender, and subjectivity among 37 secondary female students in an all-girls' religious boarding school in Israel. Finds that the girls' experiences shaped a religious subjectivity that was subject to divine law and the male world. (CFR)

Contends that what a society does publicly to entertain itself reveals shared values. Maintains that public entertainment in Worcester (Massachusetts) prior to the War of 1812 was limited largely to Sundays, court days, and the Fourth of July. Describes changes in entertainment and social values after the War of 1812. (CFR)

Reports on a study of how naive theories, age, and education relate to higher order thinking among 54 adolescents and adults. Finds that, regardless of age and education, all subjects referred to naive theories to identify causes and create remedial strategies for social problems. (CFR)

Discusses underestimation of women's skills as an issue of concern for all women and for socioeconomically disadvantaged women in particular. Factors contributing to underestimation are gender-biased expectations, socialization, gender-biased definitions of skills, discrimination, and low self-esteem. Presents interventions to increase skills…

An exploratory study examined the origins of children's motivational patterns in the family by observing 10 helpless and 11 mastery-oriented third graders. Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that mothers of mastery children may socialize their children's achievement motivation. (SLD)

The articles in this special issue take a "uses and gratifications" approach that emphasizes that people make choices about the media they choose and that they differ in their interpretations of media content. The articles integrate this approach with developmental perspectives on adolescence. (SLD)

Examines how the practice of tracking affects students' social bonding with their school. Discovers that tracking creates a polarization between students. Higher level tracked students accept the schools demands as normative, while lower tracked students rebel and often drop out. Includes statistical tables on drop-out rates and other variables.…