This report describes the ethnographic phase of a 2-year study (consisting of ethnographic observation and a survey) on how perceptions of home and school climates and interaction between the two factors might affect school performance among students of different racial/ethnic groups, sex, and socioeconomic status. Ethnographic case studies of…

This literature review of patterns of interpersonal communication in children of the Pacific Islands is based on the assumption that the communicative conventions in these children's homes are very different from those that they encounter in their Euro-American classrooms. Reviewed are studies of communicative interaction in children's peer…

A study examined the influence of cultural values on classroom behaviors of adult Vietnamese refugees. More specifically, the study was designed to determine the effect of culturally acquired attitudes and personality traits on the refugees' classroom behaviors, the relationship between these behaviors and the cognitive learning styles favored by…

Information on causes and warning signs of child sexual abuse, examples of treatment, and prevention resources are presented in this guide which highlights cultural differences in American Indian communities that may influence the occurrence and prevention of child sexual abuse. The guide begins by stating that from the limited statistics…

This booklet, one of a series of booklets intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, traces the modernization of the ancient culture of Japan. Four major areas are covered: (1) "An Ancient Culture" covers the period from the first settling of Japan through the Heian period, the medieval ages,…

To show that the bottom line for successful operation of a multinational company is understanding the cultural background of its employees and adapting to cultural change, this paper cites studies indicating that attitudes, communication, interpersonal skills, and motivation may be more important than technical skills in ensuring success in…

This study explores a learning model which suggests that a concept is acquired first through manipulation of concrete objects followed by transformation of the concrete objects into semi-concrete representations, followed by internalization of the concept through abstract representations. Microcomputer simulations of manipulative activities were…

Both North American and Latin American business professionals were investigated in a study that focused on the perceived communication problems between the two groups. A number of major areas of interest were considered, including the following: (1) source of credibility (what dimensions of personality were seen as most desirable in the…

This module (part of a series of 24 modules) is on how stereotyped conceptions of minority children and their families may influence teachers' expectations and affect student achievement. The genesis of these materials is in the 10 "clusters of capabilities," outlined in the paper, "A Common Body of Practice for Teachers: The…

This study is a cross-cultural comparison of elementary classroom climates on a multi-method, multi-score inventory (The Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory). Subjects of the study were 438 children in grades 3-6 from two elementary schools in Taiwan and 512 children from the same grades in two Indiana classrooms. Utilizing multivariate…

This paper discusses the potential educational benefits of television programs developed specifically for rural preschool children. It is noted that educational inequalities exist between rural and urban communities: there are fewer preschools in rural areas, and the instructional content in the schools which do exist is often inappropriate for…

Seven papers are provided. Mary Rainey's paper, "Style Switching in a Head Start Class," considers speech styles used in the classroom. "Language Acquisition in the Deaf: Some Suggestions for Inclusion in the Field Manual," by Carol Pfuderer, suggests areas of psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic research relevant to the exploration of deaf…

A student's belief in the value of literacy is essential to effective teaching and successful learning, but can result only from a local culture whose aim is to produce literacy. The social identity and cultural norms of the young are registered in their use of language, and if literacy, as defined by others, calls the norms and identity into…

Based on the work of a 22-member research team in the San Diego Community College District, this booklet offers guidelines for developing cultural awareness and presents instruments for conducting an ethnic heritage search, i.e., a systematic examination of a culture to, for example, reveal reasons for customs or practices or clarify the modes of…

Richard Rodriguez's "Hunger of Memory," which describes his journey from a bilingual, socially disadvantaged child, the son of Mexican immigrant working class parents, to Doctor of English literature, university professor and author, is examined to provide a deeper understanding of what makes the assimilation process happen, what it…