Investigates Caldecott-award-winning books in an attempt to determine whether they attend to the pluralism and democracy that schools strive for. Finds that representations of people of color and females continue to reify cultural stereotypes. Discusses ways readers might become more sensitive to gender, class, and ethnic issues. (TB)

Examined the validity and reliability of scores on the Academic Self-Concept Scale (W. Reynolds and others, 1980) in groups of 291 European American and 396 African American college students. Results suggest important ethnic differences in the structure of academic self-concept regarding beliefs about ability and the relationship between effort…

A study investigated phonological skills of 8 African American English (AAE)-speaking 2-year-olds. They acquired and used the same phonemes and phonological processes as described in the literature for both AAE-speaking toddlers and toddlers speaking Standard American English. Results could not distinguish typical phonological development from…

Focuses on learners' language in interactions between nonnative speakers (NNSs). Investigated features of nonnative speakers' interaction with NNSs from different cultural backgrounds in a second language learning context. Explores what types of misleading expressions and questions are generated in NNS/NNS interactions. (Author/VWL)

Examined how stereotypes might become activated in testing situations, noting the effects of this activation on task performance. Data collected on college students suggested that explicitly and implicitly activated stereotypes were equally detrimental to student performance. Members of a traditional nonstigmatized group (white men) were affected…

Presents a project designed to break down barriers between immigrant and host-culture students using multiple forms of literacy. Focuses on Bosnian students who have recently immigrated to the United States via refugee camps and other nations. Demonstrates that encouraging results can occur when students and families are brought together in…

Provides examples from six studies to illustrate how the formative research element of the Sesame Workshop production model has been used to create effective educational media in the United States, South Africa, Egypt, and China. Shows how lessons learned from formative studies provide insights into the development of new research methodologies…

Asserts that cultural diversity and democracy will always be in conflict with each other, examining oppression in a democratic society; an oppressor's view of the world; a pervasive dualism in perspectives; the inadequacy of current efforts to overcome the conflict between the oppressors and the oppressed; traits of oppressors that must be…

Examines how couples organize transfers of assistance to aging parents and whether the flow of assistance is structured by family lineage. Findings indicate evidence of a tradeoff between types of assistance and a unilineal pattern of assistance. Couples were more responsive to the needs of the wife's parent(s). African American and Hispanic…

Argues that professional development for early childhood educators should address the challenge of diversity in order to produce an optimal child and truly realize a participatory democracy. Outlines four professional development opportunities that will help acknowledge diversity and create a realistic context from which teachers can teach. (SD)

Introduces the focus of articles that follow in the special issue, the education of minority or culturally diverse students with learning disabilities. Discusses the importance of examining the role of sociocultural variables in research on learning disabilities and what practitioners can do to incorporate sociocultural perspectives. Summaries of…

Shows how assessment models fail to evaluate adequately the performances of socially, ethnically, and culturally diverse students. Maintains that assessment criteria are unable to acknowledge the blurring of genres, controversies over the role of personal voice, and the privileging of linear forms of organization. Focuses on one African American…

Newly arrived Hispanic families have needs differing from established families. School staff should recognize that immigrant children may be highly motivated, families may be uncomfortable with English, and parent-school partnerships are unusual in Hispanic cultures. Schools should encourage parents to work with children in their native language,…

Observed Anglo- and Korean-American preschoolers during free play and experimental toy play. Found that Korean-Americans' play included everyday activity and family role themes, whereas Anglo-Americans' play enacted danger and fantastic themes. Anglo-Americans described their own actions and used directives, whereas Korean Americans described…

Interviewed two generations of Punjabi mothers living in Britain. Found that while second-generation Punjabis are changing some traditional mores (equal treatment of boys and girls, modified system of arranged marriage), they are also eager to transmit the core values (religion, mother tongue, familial spirit) of their culture and want their…