This book explores the construction of the idea of the child as a product of adult needs and school as a place where children may be confined until they are considered socially useful. Drawing parallels with folk singer Bob Dylan's song, "It's All Right, Ma, I'm Only Bleeding," the book argues that the United States' educational system practices a…

This paper presents some preliminary findings from an opinion survey on the nature and depth of language and cultural studies to be included in school curricula as required by the Navajo Tribe's Language and Culture Mandate (1984). A 10-question survey was sent to 20 elementary and secondary schools in the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and Arizona.…

This study examined the effects of race on the experiences and outcomes of first-year students at York University (Ontario). Data were collected through a survey of 1,093 students at their time of entry in September 1992 and a survey of 1,129 students conducted in February-March of 1993. The study found that students' socioeconomic backgrounds…

This report, which is an outgrowth of the Further Education Development Agency's (FEDA's) Learning Outcomes study, explores ways of identifying, recording, and valuing adult learners' goals and achievements in learning opportunities that are not designed to lead to qualifications. The following topics are discussed in the report's six chapters:…

Although self-directed learning (SDL) has been promoted by businesses as being needed by managers, traditional business schools have not promoted this type of learning. In addition, some adult learners are not ready for SDL, and some subjects (such as accounting) are not suitable for SDL. The concept of self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) can…

A survey of rural New York residents examined community opinions about various traditional and nontraditional school performance criteria that could be used in a local "school report card." Completed surveys were received from 1,821 residents of 29 of the 245 small and rural school districts that participate in the New York Rural Schools…

This final report provides findings of a qualitative study of characteristics of Latina high school students with learning disabilities in the context of use of single sex environments to encourage school continuance for this population. Specifically, the study examined whether there are measurable differences in classroom behaviors, school…

The Western paradigm of education regards schools as the essential institutionalized cultural settings in which formal learning can take place and as the only socially valid settings in which learners can get a formal education. Knowledge is commodified and may be exchanged for currency in the form of jobs or licenses. Learning that occurs outside…

A case study examined the nature of parent involvement in five Mexican-origin, migrant families with children who were highly successful students. The families had their home base in different regions of Texas. Each had a child recognized as an exemplary migrant high school graduate, and together the families had more than 40 academically…

Since 1984 the Navajo Nation has mandated instruction in Navajo language and culture in K-12 schools within its boundaries. In 1998-99, a survey and follow-up interviews with 48 individuals in 20 Navajo communities examined community attitudes and beliefs about the value of Navajo language and culture studies and the extent to which the schools…

This paper focuses on contextual issues arising during an ethnographic study of mathematics instruction for Aboriginal children in New South Wales, Australia. Conversational interviews with Aboriginal children in grades 5-6, Aboriginal parents, and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers and staff identified context as 1 of 17 core categories of…

The seven speeches in these proceedings were presented at the 1998 American Association for Higher Education conference on assessment. "Blueprints" sets out the architecture of the conference with four "strands," each focusing on one level of information. The first is assessment of pedagogies in the classroom, on campus, and…

This study used reflexive photography to examine the perceptions of college freshmen at the University of Southern Indiana. A random sample of 10 first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen completed an initial interview and background questionnaire and were given a 27-exposure disposable camera to take pictures that would illustrate their…

The main purpose in preparing this bulletin is to assemble so far as practicable and publish in brief form such official statistics as are available on illiteracy in the various countries of the world, to tell where those data may be found, and if possible, to give a general estimate of world-wide illiteracy. Incidental to this purpose, it…

Classroom observation and student group interviews in two French and two English elementary schools suggest that student understanding of such educational values as authority, thought, the nature of student control over learning, and educational goals and how to achieve them are related to national culture and affect student motivation. Contains…