Discusses three cultural categories studied by Margaret Mead: pre-figurative (slow-changing); cofigurative (moderately changing); and post-figurative (rapidly changing). Schools must help our young persons recognize different ways of life throughout the world. We can no longer assume that our own practices, beliefs, and standards are superior to…

Outlines 12 differences between American and Chinese culture. The different connotations of five lexical items are discussed. Social behavior discussed includes 1) response to a compliment or offer; 2) greetings; and 3) sending gifts. The Chinese and American forms of expressing time and location, and of confirming the premise of a question are…

Describes difficulties experienced by librarians in trying to communicate with students for whom English is not the native language. The discussion covers strategies to improve communication, including the use of analogy, universal humor, hands on experience, and integrated programs involving English as a second language and library personnel. (10…

Reports on a study of picture books by and about Asian Americans that identified Asian groups in the literature; determined the literature's authenticity; determined literary and visual quality; and identified ethnicity of authors and illustrators and whether ethnicity affected authenticity or quality. A list of the books sampled is appended. (28…

This article reports on a project responding to the need for culturally relevant alternatives to existing assessment practices in the identification of giftedness among rural Mexican Americans in the southwestern United States. Students identified using multidimensional and holistic procedures showed similar cognitive and performance profiles to…

A study that included observations and interviews in street and school settings throughout California and in selected cities nationwide documented the changing nature of gang identity within the broader context of street style and adolescent expression. Suggests that targeting student behavior, as opposed to style of clothing, would be more…

Archival data were used to explore intake judgments made by 45 counselors about 344 African American and white clients seen at a counseling center during a 2-year period. Counselor gender was significantly associated with ratings of client severity of current condition. Neither ethnicity nor counselor experience was predictive of intake judgments.…

Provides suggestions for incorporating multicultural diversity issues into the graduate library science curriculum. Topics discussed include questions of context; demographic shifts; creating curricular activities, including guest lecturers and encouraging behavioral as well as cognitive changes; and student responses, including student…

Explores the differences between mainline feminism and Native feminism, the sparsity of information on Native women in history, the recent increase in the publication of female Canadian Native authors, the form of contemporary myths and legends, and the wisdom of elders as a source for writing. Includes excerpts from poetry and other literature.…

Reports on a study of 305 African American and 338 white middle school students to determine whether self-beliefs underlying self-esteem are different across ethnic and gender boundaries. Finds that academic self-beliefs, as opposed to nonacademic self-beliefs were not strong predictors of self-esteem among any of the groups. (ACM)

This paper describes activities, content, and basic conceptions used in a multicultural education course designed for preservice teachers at Montana State University in a homogeneous region, discussing such specific needs as basic awareness of and positive attitudes about diversity in general. (SM)

Describes how a fifth-grade teacher intervened to bridge the language and cultural social divisions in her classroom. By experiencing a key math lesson entirely in Spanish, native English speakers quickly began to understand what it is like to not be able to understand. Teachers reported a profound effect of this experiment on the classroom. (ET)

Cultural differences between 182 Korean and 93 American fifth- and sixth-grade students' homework styles were investigated, noting parents' awareness of homework style and the resulting effects on homework achievement and attitudes. Surveys indicated different patterns of homework style preferences. In both cultures, parent awareness related to…

An analysis of 50 textbooks used in the elementary schools of the former Belgian Congo reveals an overt attempt to propagate colonial ideology. Fundamental themes included the legitimacy of the colonization, denigration of the indigenous culture, and establishment of colonial authority. Three books, however, resisted this indoctrination and one…

Offers a profile of drug use and attitudes among junior high school-aged youth (n=1,004) from 3 types of midwestern communities. Describes experience with and attitudes toward drug use for this population as a whole, as well as variations between and among groups by gender, age, grade level, ethnicity, and community size. (JPS)