Defines test bias as a phenomenon in which test scores result in negative outcomes for certain groups, often lower socioeconomic groups and minorities. Discusses three manifestations of test bias including content, atmosphere, and use bias and presents recommendations for remedying bias problems in testing the culturally different. (JAC)

Sociolinguistic analysis of the ways children and teachers interact verbally may provide insight into why minority children often have difficulty in school. Examples of a classroom discussion cycle are listed and discussed. (DF)

Tested whether the Childhood Level of Living Scale contains cultural bias in its means of judging child neglect, using a sample of 431 rural and urban mothers varying in ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Results showed all groups expressed similar values, supporting the scoring system on the CLL. (JAC)

There is an unrecognized difference in the educational needs of mainland Puerto Ricans still influenced by island culture and those of second or third generation "Ricans." Most bilingual programs emphasize exclusively the island culture, ignoring realities of mainland Rican culture and life. Models and a pilot project are briefly examined.…

Israeli schools, designed by Westerners, incorporate curriculum and instructional methods suited to Western children, although Oriental Jews constitute 60 percent of the population. Considered "disadvantaged" by policy-making Western Jews, humiliated Orientals disavow their rich, ancient heritage. A new plan aims to eliminate…

Presents a thematic approach to French culture education which stresses active student participation and use of primary sources. (AM)

The purpose of this article is to discuss the inseparable relation between culture and language and the implementation of instructional strategies for teaching second language through culture to enhance students' linguistic comprehension. Language is not only the product of culture, but also is the symbol of culture (Gleason, 1961). Culture must…

West Philadelphia High School has had many different projects and organizations working inside of the school, including the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU). PSU, a youth-led organization, is committed to making changes in the school and communities of its members. When four PSU students from West Philadelphia High School joined a nonprofit…

This study examined the construct validity of the Motivation Orientation and Language Learning Strategy Scales: For Spanish as a Foreign Language (MOLLS). The MOLLS is a Likert-type scale, that has 20 items in 5 broad categories in the motivation orientation scale (MOS) and 18 items in 3 broad categories in the language learning strategies scale…

Beliefs and perceptions about diversity of a sample of 75 regular education teachers in Spain were investigated to (1) analyze and contrast their views in personal and professional contexts, and (2) ascertain if these beliefs vary according to teaching experience. The "Personal and Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scale" survey…

This Statistics in Brief describes the differences in the distributions of nonschool factors related to student achievement among 15-year-old students and their families in the United States and other countries at similar levels of economic development. The first objective was to describe how the United States differs from the other countries…

This study examined the relation between parenting practices and children's participation in and deciding on their after-school activities, as well as in mother-child interactions during a laboratory task involving planning. Participants were 180 mothers and their 7-year-old children (101 European American and 79 Latino American). During a…

In Arabian cultures, the psychosocial characteristics of psychopathological trends, including depression, anxiety, and hostility remain largely unknown. Scales measuring depression, anxiety, and hostility were administered to a voluntary sample of 989 Saudi Arabian men and 1,024 Saudi women coming from different social, economical, and educational…

This paper uses conversation analytic research on a particular practice of organization in talk--pre-sequences--to evaluate English as a Second Language (ESL) textbook dialogues and make recommendations for their improvement. Pre-sequences, such as pre-invitations (e.g., What are you doing on Friday night?) and their responses are used to show…