Test fairness or bias may be defined in many different ways, and the existence of possible bias is difficult to demonstrate. Sociolinguistic analysis may be used to check for fairness or bias in test directions, test content specifications, or test items. Four sociolinguistic principles are held to be relevant for this task: (1) pragmatics--that…

Defining Native studies programs in Canada and the U.S., this essay presents: (1) Rationale for Native Studies (recognition on the part of the majority of cultural differences; the emergence of an affirmative Native identity; and declining enrollments in colleges); (2) Structural Organization Alternatives (as part of an existing department; as an…

Changes in marriage and the family from 1950-74 in five nonsocialist countries were explored. The countries selected for the study were Japan, the Netherlands, West Germany, Sweden, and the United States. Most of the data were derived from the United Nations'"Demographic Yearbook," although various original sources from the particular…

Foreign language teachers have long recognized that the teaching of culture is an integral part of their teaching objectives. Cultural content can change rapidly within the target society, and the difficulties encountered in gathering and up-dating relevant materials are compounded by the elusiveness of the term "culture." Cultural understanding…

The purpose of this communication learning aid is to help Americans become more effective in understanding and communicating with people of another culture. This publication discusses some differences encountered in Hong Kong in such things as food, laws, customs, religion, language, dress and basic attitudes. The first section describes the…

The effects of a graduate multicultural education course on 27 elementary and secondary teachers were studied. The subjects represented Chicano and Anglo ethnic groups. Teaching experience ranged from student teaching to eight years' experience. To help the subjects identify their own attitudes, questionnaires on ethnic and sex role identification…

This teaching guide presents learning activities for grades K-3 on multicultural education. The objective is to promote cultural awareness and understanding by developing acceptance of the students' own heritage and the heritage of others. Approaches include interdisciplinary, disciplinary, and cross-cultural. The cross-cultural approach…

A skills training approach provides a conceptual framework from which human services can be provided for the personal and emotional needs of Indian people without the subtle, culturally erosive effect of traditional psychotherapy. Some 30 tribal groups and agencies participated in a cultural adaptation of an assertive coping-skills training…

This study delineates the interaction of language and culture as it relates to foreign language instruction and describes appropriate teaching strategies for the implementation of culture in the foreign language classroom. The study is based on the thesis that language and culture are not separable; the teaching of culture is properly a part of…

To aid high school classroom teachers as they develop and implement programs on global issues, the guide outlines basic elements of an ideal global education program. Major themes are: valuing diversity; understanding the world as an interdependent system; developing effective working relationships with others; and understanding prevailing world…

Results are presented, in the form of an annual report, of the standardized test performance of elementary and secondary school students in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Rockville, Maryland. This year, as in the past, the report includes an update of the historical record of countywide test results on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills…

Each of the stories in this booklet describe, from a personal viewpoint, the respective contributions of various ethnic groups living in Hawaii. Taken into consideration are the cultural, political, industrial, and economic contributions that each of the groups has made to Hawaiian society. (EB)

Educationally, economically, or psychologically disadvantaged women suffer from even more social and economic injustices than do other women. Although a woman's ability to provide for herself rises with her educational level, approximately half of all American women lack a high school diploma. Family relationships, religious tradition, school…

Successful boarding home parents seem to have two qualities in common: they express their affection for their student openly and often, and they respect their student's desire to be treated as a mature person. Many cultural differences exist between the Indian and Eskimo students, coming from villages without high schools, and the boarding home…

THE STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF CULTURAL TRAINING, MEDIATOR ORIENTATION, AND TASK CHARACTERISTICS UPON HETEROCULTURAL NEGOTIATION. INDIAN AND AMERICAN SUBJECTS NEGOTIATED CHILD REARING ISSUES UNDER THREE AMERICAN TRAINING CONDITIONS (CULTURE ASSIMILATOR VERSUS TRADITIONAL VERSUS IRRELEVANT TRAINING), THREE MEDIATOR CONDITIONS (HIGH VERSUS…