Discusses the consequences of "language shift through erosion" on the basis of an analysis of the gradual disappearance of Dutch as a native language in French Flanders. Sketches the theoretical language-in-contact framework, breaking down the chronological evolution into diglossic, bilingual and (almost) monolingual phases. (37…

Focuses on teachers' group identity, seen as a process of co-construction of their group voices within the context of large-group dialogs. Findings identified three types of dialogs: conversation; discussion after a presentation; and interactional dynamics. Findings also indicated four types of teachers' voices: pragmatic; multiculturalist;…

Addresses the social psychological paradox of learning a language, which in one interethnic situation represents the "ingroup" language, while in another interethnic context, it represents the "outgroup" language, a situation characterizing the language-learning experience of most Puerto Rican return migrants (PRRMs). (25…

Analysis of national longitudinal survey data on 918 adolescent males and their parents shows that violent delinquency is a product of learning definitions favorable to violence; such learning is determined by association with aggressive peers, socioeconomic status, parenting practices, and prior violent delinquency. Emphasizes joint contributions…

Explored contributions of complex sociodramatic play (CSP) in early childhood to self-regulation development for impulsive and nonimpulsive preschoolers. Found that Time 1 CSP positively correlated with, and solitary dramatic play negatively correlated with, self-regulation during Time 2 clean-up periods. The CSP/self-regulation relationship was…

A study examined family influences on reading motivation in Latino children. Surveys and interviews with 18 Latino students in an urban southwestern elementary school and their parents indicated that as domestic workload increased, the value children placed on reading decreased. The more time families spent together and on religious literacy…

The first of two linked articles discusses leadership and associated concepts. Outlines and illustrates a mapping typology built around five knowledge domains (conceptual, critical, humanist, evaluative, and instrumental) and seven factors (purpose, focus, context, method, audience, communication, and impact). (Contains 9 notes and 93 references.)…

Surveyed fourth-, seventh-, and tenth-graders in Japan and the United States regarding evaluations of peer group exclusion of atypical peers. Found that with increasing age, children demonstrated sensitivity to context (reason the peer was different) and believed that the excluded child should not change to be accepted. Girls were less willing to…

This study examined cultural differences and similarities in socialization during free play and a waiting task among Japanese mothers and their preschoolers temporarily residing in the United States and U.S. mothers and their preschoolers. Findings suggest an emphasis on autonomy among U.S. dyads and an emphasis on relatedness among Japanese…

This article discusses the concept of world knowledge and its relevance to intervention processes. Roles of linguistic and physical context in interpretation and levels of speaker experience are discussed. Levels of involvement are related to communication goals, and these principles are extended to applications in the teaching of language skills.…

This article focuses on development, elaboration, and measurement of word repertoire from world knowledge, as well as factors affecting the word-learning process and vocabulary assessment and remediation methods such as definition and association tasks. Several alternatives for vocabulary expansion based on world knowledge principles are also…

The following five reasons for failure to use learning strategies are discussed: poor cognitive monitoring, primitive routines that yield a product, a meager knowledge base, attributions and classroom goals that do not support strategy use, and minimal transfer. A theory of settings must be considered to address these issues. (TJH)

Examines differences in secondary students' vocabulary learning from original and revised contextual information. Finds that the revised passages generated significantly higher scores for both ability groups on the definition and importance measures but not on the indication of knowledge measure. (MG)

Confirmatory factor analysis of data from a representative household sample of 1,243 black adolescents and white adolescents shows that the hypothesized model of drinking motives of Cox and Klinger (1988) provides an excellent fit to the data, with a four-factor pattern that is invariant across gender, race, and age. (SLD)

The nine chapters of this theme issue show how, in diverse cultural settings, cooperative learning methods enhance learning and reduce frictions among learners. A second goal of these papers is to indicate how cooperative learning fits or doesn't fit in several societies. (SLD)