This article considers effects of a mismatch between the cognitive styles of children from minority cultural groups and cognitive styles promoted in schools, leading to inappropriate interaction, assessment, instruction, or discipline. It suggests such students may be inappropriately identified as having a learning disability or emotional and/or…

Compared 28- to 53-month-olds' writing and drawing. Scores on a writing scale composed of graphic, "writing-like," and symbolic schemes improved with age. Recognition of drawings as drawings preceded recognition of writings as writings. Writing and drawing scores were substantially correlated, even with age partialed out, suggesting that…

This study examined the adult body shape preferences of 6- and 10-year-olds from the United States, Mainland China, and Turkey. Findings indicated that even the youngest children preferred thin, male and female figures and least preferred the very obese figures. Heavier female figures were chosen by Turkish children more than by other children.…

Discusses how child welfare law and practice have promoted the traditional "anonymous infant model." Describes the situation of informal kinship care widespread within the African American community and the potential of extended family members as a resource for at-risk children. Highlights positive developments in policy and practice…

Data from Jewish and Arab Israeli students and teachers illustrate how Arabs, educated in the Arab cultural context, "pass through" a western-oriented teacher education program, then return to teach in their own culture. Changes in Arab student teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge applications are traced as they make sense of knowledge…

Suggests the importance of new paradigms in research and practice on testing English language learners (ELLs) to effectively address the complexities of language and culture, identifying three key issues: test review, test development, and treatment of language as a source of measurement error. Research examples illustrate the importance and…

Tested a four-step model involving family background parental support and demandingness, educational aspirations, and academic achievement. Data came from Israeli eighth graders within two cultural settings: transition to modernity (Arabs) and Western (Jews). Family background directly and indirectly affected academic achievement among Arabs but…

Asserts that child care providers must collaborate with children's families in order to better understand their culture and their child, and to successfully deal with challenging behavior issues. Addresses: (1) culture definition; (2) culture and identity; (3) cultural differences; (4) seeing culture; (5) child care and school culture; (6) moving…

The authors describe the construction of the Career-Related Parent Support Scale and examine the validity of the scale scores within a sample of at-risk middle school adolescents. Four empirically distinct parent support factors were confirmed along A. Bandura's sources of self-efficacy information. Gender and ethnic differences in perceived…

This article presents a case study of a Vietnamese interpreter/health service worker working for a Head Start center. It describes the different role expectations of the various participants and the conflict that occurred because of these differences. Discussion examines the following cultural constructs: interpreter roles;…

Discusses the need to incorporate a sociocultural perspective into the design and reporting of inclusion research, thereby broadening the range of student and contextual variables considered and reported. A sociocultural framework and list of variables is proposed and applied to a sample of learning disabilities inclusion studies. (Author/CR)

Discusses teaching languages in Israeli schooling, exploring the difficulties that groups with different cultural origins encounter when they communicate in the same language. These obstacles make proficiency extremely important and place politics at the center of the problem of language teaching and learning. (SLD)

Explores attitudes and perceptions of 120 student teachers with regard to their ability to implement multicultural education in the student teaching classroom. Results suggest that confusion and ambiguity are present throughout the student teacher education experience. Factors that contribute to confusion about multicultural education are…

Discusses the use of Internet-based resources in international technology transfer. Topics include hearing about technology via conferences and newsgroups, how the Internet accommodates various languages, advantages of electronic mail, cultural differences and computer-mediated communication, and successful strategies for using Internet search…

Describes the model, strategies, materials, and outcomes of Project CRAFT (Culturally Responsive and Family-focused Training), a training program in which culturally diverse family/professional teams were trained, supported, and mentored to provide inservice training on cultural competencies to service providers working with young children with…