This study compared learning style preferences among gifted African-American (n=54), Mexican-American (n=61), and American-born Chinese (n=40) middle grade students attending Chicago, Illinois, public schools. Significant ethnic, gender, and grade differences were found. All three groups preferred studying in the afternoon and bright light and did…

Presents a 21-item questionnaire that teachers can use to discover their personal beliefs and biases about how individuals in different cultural, gender, racial, and religious groups learn best. Answers for each question are discussed, and brief descriptions of two research projects testing the impact of teaching to various learning styles are…

Asserts that social studies teacher educators must help their students question the nature of knowledge in the social studies curriculum. Discusses epistemological implications of the social studies curriculum. (CFR)

Four articles discuss library services to diverse user groups. Highlights include the Seattle Public Library's Human Diversity Training Program for library staff; cultural diversity at the University of Northern Colorado, including library collection development; information needs of physicists in special libraries; and library services to…

Describes the activities of One with One, a community-based organization (CBO) that was started to reduce prejudice through individual, bicultural partnerships between Americans and newcomers. Libraries' roles in aiding this effort are discussed, including summer youth programs, vocational training programs, and building ESL…

Compares visual processing of televised information by 85 Japanese and 111 U.S. kindergarten and grade 4 students. As predicted, Japanese children use a more visually oriented television processing strategy in understanding program content. U.S. children score higher on a comprehension test, perhaps because of cultural differences in testing…

Discusses the increasing educational opportunities for culturally and linguistically different preschool children and suggests that there is a growing need to ensure accurate identification of minority-language preschoolers with special needs. Offers strategies to improve the value of diagnostic information and presents issues to consider at each…

The sociocultural context of the lives of five Hispanic American and five Anglo learning-disabled adolescents was studied over a school year to determine everyday stressors and coping strategies. In addition to the typical concerns of adolescents, cultural conflicts and learning handicapped status are major sources of stress. (SLD)

Studies relationships between reported parental behavior and depressive tendencies, self-esteem, and ego development for 53 young women attending college in New Delhi (India) and 50 in New Haven (Connecticut). Results are discussed in terms of differing patterns of transmitting expectations to daughters in the two cultures. (SLD)

Discusses ongoing ethnographic research on interpersonal caring at an inner-city elementary school. Analyzes the perceptions of teachers, parents, teaching assistants, and students concerning how they describe what acting in the best interest of others means. Considers issues that may hinder the construction of shared meaning. (JB)

Explores the role of television in American culture. America may be more diverse than ever in race, ethnicity, and religion, but, because of mass media, there is less diversity in experience, perspectives, and expectation. Subcultures that once manifested existence locally now look to television for verification of their existence. (SLD)

Describes the Contemporary World Events and Cultures course of the University of Massachusetts Lowell College of Education, a graduate course designed to develop a multicultural mind set. Experiences of the first class of 20 teachers in a master's program confirm the success of the approach to cultural sensitivity. (SLD)

A teacher's interviews with 20 former English-as-a-Second-Language (ESOL) students illustrates ways in which they have adapted to life in the United States and how they have improved, or failed to improve, their English. The subjects' stories are material for the teacher's current classes. (SLD)

This article describes a preservice special education teacher education course at the University of Maryland which requires students to interact directly with parents of different social classes and cultural backgrounds. Three students recount their experiences and changed attitudes as a result of this requirement. (DB)

Described are the difficulties encountered in a bicultural educational context by Australian Aboriginals. Theoretical perspectives, the social context for mathematics communication, and the use of educational software are discussed. Suggestions for overcoming social difficulties in mathematics are provided. (CW)