Discusses and evaluates four different approaches used to study special educational needs: the Difference Model, the Developmental Model, the Ecological Model, and the Discursive Model. The need for adopting a multiple approach to the study of special educational needs is urged. (CR)

Discusses issues faced by Haitian students in the United States, examining Haiti's two distinct societies and describing the effect of Haitian culture on students of Haitian descent in U.S. public schools. Explains how children of Haitian descent must cope with U.S. education and discusses the bilingual challenge for such students. (SM)

To test the language experience hypothesis, the comprehension of high-, moderate-, and low-familiarity idioms was examined in 24 African-American and 24 European-American fifth graders. Results indicated a significant effect of group on idioms rated as low-familiarity. The influence of social and regional culture on idiom comprehension is…

Discusses how teachers can use magazines written for culturally and linguistically diverse groups to increase their own knowledge base and to use as a resource for multicultural-education lesson planning in order to provide students with an opportunity to learn about high achieving individuals who come from backgrounds similar to their own.…

Explores teaching as a cultural activity by focusing on U.S. and Japanese systems of teaching in the context of cultural beliefs about how students learn and the teacher's role in the learning process. Educational improvement could result from greater awareness of the cultural scripts used in teaching. (SLD)

Compares responses to a timed writing assignment by students from South Korea and from the United States. Finds that South Korean texts showed more similarities to than differences from the American texts, and suggests a more complex context situation than the commonly accepted high context/low context model of cultural differences can…

Discusses how American cultural values have impacted traditional Confucian values and traditional Korean perspectives on legislation, policy, and special-education systems for people with visual impairments. The need for continuation of the transformation to enhance the educational system for people with visual impairments is stressed. (CR)

Discusses cultural issues that demand attention in the classroom and in executive training sessions and suggests need for research that identifies sources of misunderstandings, such as hidden attitudes leading to wrong cultural assumptions. Relevant research concerning concept of stereotypes is reviewed, presence of stereotypes about Latin…

A survey of 392 American and 276 Japanese college students concerning academic dishonesty found both similarities and differences in attitudes and behaviors, and investigated behavior patterns, types of cheating, attitudes about and responses to own and others' cheating, and deterrents. Explanations for cross-cultural differences and implications…

Examines the economic, social/cultural, and educational barriers that low-income, working-class, Irish students experience in accessing higher education. Suggests that the dynamic role of the state, in creating and maintaining inequality, needs to be systematically addressed; resistance can be accomplished by targeting structures from state…

Surveys of 397 students and 82 faculty in four Hong Kong universities elicited opinions and beliefs about the role and value of foundational knowledge, teacher/student relationships, teaching processes, how faculty characterize Chinese learners, and attribution of responsibility for teaching effectiveness. Differences in Chinese and Western…

Suggests the ways in which teachers can structure their classrooms, provide a range of challenging activities, and develop their observational skills identify the intellectual strengths of their students, particularly through the use of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory as a framework for recognizing children's intellectual strengths.…

Reviews Corson's book on changes in educational strategies intended for immigrant girls, aboriginal peoples, urban poor, and language minority groups, and the way educators value student groups differently. Considers classroom suggestions for dealing with bias against nonstandard language use and the book's examination on differences in the…

Revisited two family-literacy projects with a participatory focus and including participants from marginalized groups. Found that practice based on research findings shows that Head Start can build rapport through an informal, nonthreatening environment in which staff help parents feel welcomed and comfortable so they share important sociocultural…

Considers the real authenticity of performance-based assessments, exploring their relationship to pedagogical practices that address ethnic and linguistic diversity. Describes an effort to transform English instruction and assessment in ways that draw on the cultural funds of knowledge of African-American students. (SLD)