Reports the contraceptive and gender role attitudes of 60 working class African-American youth in Atlanta (Georgia). Most were close to both parents and received parental support, but only half received adequate contraceptive information from parents. Cultural contributions to attitudes about sexuality and pregnancy are discussed. (SLD)

Examines the pattern of career choice among 23 female and 17 male Korean-American college students in California, and analyzes how this pattern reflects their immigrant parents' cultural model of success and subsequent educational strategies. Explores the model as a family and community force, and considers its costs. (SLD)

This study examined the cognitive development of students enrolled in three levels of freshman chemistry courses and focused on changes in spatial ability over time. Results indicate that performance on general Piagetian-type tasks, including spatial visualization, can be refined through educational intervention. Concludes that students appear…

Collectivism, stressing family members' interdependence, is common to Latino cultures. In contrast, schools foster independence and individual achievement. To help teachers understand assumptions underlying these different values, the authors developed the "Bridging Cultures Project" as a research-based professional-development program.…

Investigates group differences in the relationship between stress-coping variables and substance use with urban middle school students. African-American adolescents had the lowest rate of substance use, Hispanics were intermediate, and Whites had the highest rate. The strength of predictive relationships for stress-coping variables was lower for…

Using Halpern's 1997 psychosocial model of cognitive development, this article evaluates and extends the literature demonstrating that gender differences on standardized tests of quantitative reasoning may reflect underlying differences in cognitive processing that may be explained in part by socialization patterns inherent in American culture.…

Examined effects of early parental employment on children, using data from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Found that more work hours were associated with slightly lower cognitive development through age 9 and lower academic achievement before age 7, but not with behavior problems, compliance, or self-esteem. Early parental employment was…

Seven women college chancellors and presidents describe their most significant leadership challenges. Topics discussed include risk-taking, communicating shared values and vision rather than individual power, double standards, women's long-range perspective, coping with large-scale change, discrepancies between the expectations of men and women…

Explores gender differences in the use of computer-mediated communication in a specific learning context by a small group of postgraduate distance learners and their tutors at the University of Sheffield. Uses content analysis of online dialog to investigate learning and socioemotional behavior. (Author/LRW)

Student knowledge about environmental issues related to energy and pollution was analyzed in a national probability sample of high school seniors. Parental level of education, quantity of high school science courses, and gender were all significantly related to students' knowledge levels. Bias in favor of males remained even when the number of…

Surveys of rural and urban secondary teachers examined teacher stress and burnout. Urban teachers experienced significantly more stress from poor working conditions and staff relations. In both types of schools, student misbehavior and time pressures caused the highest stress. Working conditions and time pressures predicted burnout for rural…

Interviews in 12 Scottish schools examined how teachers and staff perceived and responded to the culture and behavior of Traveller children--both Gypsies and occupational migrants. The findings raise issues about "difference" versus deviance and the extent to which schools can accommodate cultural diversity when it challenges norms of…

Contrasts two models of instruction: building on ideas in shared endeavors; and transmit-and-test formats. Discusses how these contrasting formats may relate to interactional patterns observed in toddlers and caregivers in a Mayan and a middle-class European-American community; and elementary school children in Japan and the United States. (SR)

Investigated Canadian university and community college faculty's responses to increased diversity of clients of child-care centers and graduates' perceived level of preparation. Found that faculty believed that the majority of their students were not well prepared to work with diverse populations. Graduates working at child-care centers did not…

Argues a need for in-depth consideration of principles and practices to prepare teachers for classrooms they will face in the future. Notes problems created by the disparity between increasing student diversity and their overwhelmingly white, female English/language arts teachers. Provides an overview of the issues involved and practical ideas for…