Showcases international juvenile titles that present international perspectives for educators, librarians, and parents seeking materials with alternative cultural content and context. The 21 books listed are renditions of folktales and traditional stories. A directory of publishers and distributors is included. (SLD)

Discusses the role of story-telling in the political empowerment of the oppressed. Describes how the uncritical reliance on stories has led to the failure in the classroom to acknowledge the risks taken by various oppressed groups when they attempt to critically reflect and build coalitions. (JB)

Describes research among 8- through 13-year-old Hindu children of Punjabi and Gujarati origin in Coventry (England) between 1986 and 1989. Highlights areas of their experience in which their gender is decisive in relation to the role expectations enunciated by the children. Teachers must affirm the culture of their students. (JB)

Summarizes seven ERIC documents and three journal articles on student motivation, focusing on students in the intermediate grades and middle level education. A number of factors that influence student motivation, as well as strategies for improving student attitudes toward learning, are covered. (TJQ)

Contends that properly selected children's literature can help foster cultural awareness and self-concept. Suggests that using fiction about the experiences of Asian and Asian-American children can help students with issues of acculturation. Recommends six novels and other resources for implementing this strategy. (CFR)

Develops an attitude formation model for the occupational and educational goals of disadvantaged African-American students, and tests it for 175 African-American male and female twelfth graders in an urban school district in New Jersey. Discusses variance in student attitudes, sex differences, and the marginalization of African-American urban…

Two studies involving 801 middle school students examined the effects of changing educational environments on children's academic self-concepts and motivation. Overall, the findings suggest that changing emphases in the educational environment have complicated academic outcomes that depend on the individual resources that children bring to the…

Studied developmental differences in the search constraint heuristics used in scientific reasoning using 12 undergraduates, 20 community college students, 17 fifth to seventh graders (grade 6), and 15 third graders taught to use a programmable robot. Adults use domain-general skills that go beyond the logic of confirmation and disconfirmation.…

Describes a study conducted by the U.S. Navy that compared training effectiveness and user acceptance of live instruction and six different alternative instructional television (ITV) technologies that had differing levels of audio and video communication. The ITV laboratory configuration is explained, and instructor preferences and skills are…

Parental knowledge of child sexual abuse and interest in educating themselves and their children for primary prevention was studied, via interviews with 51 mothers and 50 fathers of preschool and day-care center children. There were significant differences by sex of parent for sources of preferred information, preferred educators, and types of…

Interviews with 536 Arizona families of special-needs infants and toddlers examined nature and type of services received; satisfaction with services; parental involvement in service delivery; and needs for additional services, financial help, information, and emotional support. Parents' greatest concern was access to information. Rural-urban…

This issue contains 12 articles that present library perspectives on information literacy. Topics discussed include critical thinking and bibliographic instruction (BI); learning style theory and reference desk interviews; teaching information retrieval to end users; library instruction for faculty; cognitive authority; question formulation…

Asked adults and children ages 7 to 15 to detect changes in an unaccompanied drumbeat. Found significant differences in performance as a function of age when drumbeats fluctuated. Found musical training more influential than age when drumbeat was constant. Discusses a multiprocess model for the perception of tempo. (NL)

Reports that 40 secondary level students enrolled in Craft Design Technology classes (CDT) at the Pen-y-Dre comprehensive school in Mid Glamorgan, Wales regarded them as high status, intellectually demanding, and having high employment value. Indicates that advanced-level technology courses attract a significant number of female students and are…

Investigates the religious beliefs, practices, and moral judgment of sixth-form students attending Protestant schools in Northern Ireland through three studies carried out-in 1968, 1978, and 1988. Finds girls significantly more religious than boys. Identifies a significant trend toward more orthodox beliefs, and simultaneous rejection of some…