Defines and discusses "multicultural literacy." Maintains that multicultural literacy for teachers would permit a growing culturally diverse student population to fulfill the purpose of education within the context of each student's special linguistic and cultural gifts. (EL)

Ways international students, including both foreign students and American students who have lived overseas, can contribute to the enrichment of K-12 social studies courses are described. The success of these activities depends on advance planning, careful selection of international students, and adequate preparation of the class and the…

Theories explaining differences in IQ performances between races in terms of (a) genetics and (b) the role of the environment are both criticized. It is argued that the Cultural Distance Approach, which stresses the role of a subculture's distance from the major culture on which IQ questions are based, has the greatest explanatory power. (RDN)

Examines class and ethnic differences in narrative style. Reviews recent research and outlines the basic differences between White middle-class narrative and the styles of various cultural groups. Explicates some of the uses of narrative in educational research and deals specifically with the educational implications of narrative differences. (CMG)

Examines some of the differences between Americans and Japanese and shows how these differences influence perception and communication. Focuses on the bow and handshake, politeness, thoughtfulness, formality, social relationships, specificity and exaggeration, language, holidays, and possibilities for communication. (EL)

This longitudinal study examined the education of language minority students in five school districts nationwide. Qualitative data included interviews, school visits, surveys, and source documents. Quantitative data included information from registration centers, language minority student databases, student information systems databases, testing…

In the western literature, mathematics achievement and its related student self-concept are important education outcomes reciprocally linked and mutually reinforcing. The reciprocal relation model is examined in this study to assess its generalization in a cross-cultural setting. Hong Kong is the site of choice because of its exposure to…

This study, written in both English and Spanish, examined the decision-making process of Hispanic families living in the United States who have a child with a hearing loss. Twenty-nine families in four different geographical areas shared their experiences in learning about their child's disability, searching for appropriate interventions, and…

This study examined interest in and attitudes toward learning English among first-year nursing students at the Japanese Red Cross Junior College of Akita who participated in the Summer English Homestay Program at Monash University, Australia. The study was intended to learn about students' past and present activities related to English and to…

Concerned with social contexts and culture as they apply to parenting, this volume, the fourth of five on parenting, deals specifically with socially defined groups of parents and social conditions that promote variations in parenting. The volume consists of the following 15 chapters: (1) "Ethnic and Minority Parenting" (Cynthia Garcia…

This paper highlights certain cultural models that have been effective in swaying culturally inexperienced teachers to reflect upon their attitudes and biases toward culture and literacy. It presents the actual reflections of student teachers as they respond to learning about cultural models of learning and discourse that may differ from their…

This commentary examines the issue of youth participation in out-of-school time programs from two perspectives. It begins broadly with a youth-centered lens, by asking how children and youth spend their discretionary time and how time use patterns relate to outcomes. After painting a picture of the full out-of-school time landscape, this…

This unit is designed as a planning guide for a literature-based approach to teaching reading, writing, vocabulary, and reasoning. The subject of diversity is taught using Eric Carle's "Animals, Animals." Carle's illustrated anthology of poetry captures the similarities, the differences, and the wonder of animals. In this unit, the poetry…

The essays in this collection, presented as letters to teachers, reaffirm Paulo Freire's place as the most significant educator in the world during the last half of the 20th century. As North America experiences a rapid change to conditions approximating those of the Third World, Freire's pedagogy becomes more important, not only for his methods…

This book consists of articles and papers written over a 10-year period that examine issues, concepts, perspectives, and possibilities for educating citizens in a pluralistic democratic society. Part I (Chapters 1through 3), which includes an introductory essay written for this volume, describes the challenges and possibilities of educating…