Controversial issues and their effect on students is the focus of this paper, which includes results of research on the influences of media and family. Discussions of controversial issues in an open classroom environment affects student attitudes by promoting: (1) less cynicism about government and politicians; (2) a belief that citizens have…

Intended for educators, politicians, and the corporate community, this book examines the facts and the serious implications of the complicated problem of illiteracy, placing it squarely within the context of America's history and current cultural environment, and recommending far-reaching, programmatic solutions rather than "quick fixes." The book…

A contrastive study of Japanese and American English sought to explore how speakers agree and disagree in the two languages. Japanese-speaking college students and American English-speaking teachers of English as a foreign language were informally questioned about food preferences, with their comments surreptitiously recorded for analysis. Results…

The Indiana Department of Education recently convened a task force to identify essential values and to determine how these values can be successfully infused into school curricula. Accordingly, in collaboration with the Indiana School Counselors Association (ISCA), the Department established a working committee to construct a developmentally…

This report presents a national profile of black college freshmen in 1989-90 and shows how these students have changed based on the past 19 surveys (1971-1989), using data on 16,000-20,000 black freshmen from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program. The study focuses on a wide variety of characteristics of black college freshmen: family…

This manual is designed to help instructors implement a caregivers' course covering the use of technological adaptations to increase independence of individuals with severe disabilities. The course includes 12 sections in 8 hours of instruction. Notes on implementation and content of each section are provided, as are sheets for overhead…

In these increasingly rootless and spiritually vacant times, high school students, living through the difficult years of adolescence, have much to gain from Catholic schools, including the opportunity to learn and identify with a venerable religious and moral tradition. This 10 chapter guide outlines the various aspects of teaching religion in…

Differences between American and Japanese society and culture that contribute to differences in the use of body language are examined. These include historical and social factors. Examples of the differences and of the misunderstandings that can result are analyzed and illustrated, using a system of classifying kinesic codes into categories…

National normative data for 1986 from the 21st annual survey of college freshmen are presented as part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program longitudinal study of American higher education. The 1986 norms were based on questionnaires completed by 204,491 freshmen entering 372 colleges and universities. Findings include: freshman…

Three key terms--social studies, values, and attitudes--are discussed in relation to a national assessment in social studies. Definitions of these terms will affect decisions about what and how to assess. Two major approaches define social studies as: (1) social sciences simplified and adapted for pedagogical purposes; or (2) that portion of the…

Common themes of human relationships that emerge when one examines legal ethics education and the visual arts are the foci of this paper which examines parallel developments in community attitudes and sociological and psychological forces during different historical periods. Comparisons of the ideological evolution of the fine arts and legal…

National concern over the serious decline and poor performance of United States students in mathematics and science is reflected in this paper which discusses and compares performances and behavioral characteristics of Japanese students with their United States counterparts and, in some instances, with students from Sweden, Australia, England,…

Nine units help junior high school students critically examine the influence of television on their lives. Topics covered are: the role of television in one's life, television's presentation of reality, commercials, program production, conflict on television, heroes and models, relationships, problems and solutions in television shows, and student…

Teaching a second language and culture means teaching culturally different patterns of perception, communication, and effect. When teachers of English as a second language develop sensitivity to what students bring to the classroom and understand the students' reasons for their actions, their teaching can aid and not hinder students' full…

A study was conducted in California to explore the extent of cheating, its relationship to personal and situational factors, and the actions of school personnel to promote academic honesty and responsibility. Questionnaires were completed by 1,037 sixth-graders, 2,265 secondary school students (mostly 11th-graders), and 109 school staff members.…