Applies the explanatory model of minority group school failure of J. U. Ogbu to 12 Mexican and Mexican American teenagers (5 males and 7 females) in special education in California. These students exhibit some characteristics of involuntary immigrants but share the educational ideologies of their voluntary immigrant parents. (SLD)

The self-report Educational Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) was constructed, and its construct validity was studied with 610 elementary school and secondary school teachers. The instrument assesses beliefs about five specific educational concepts. Further research will determine whether the 3-factor model still applies to a 20-item version of the EBQ.…

Studies attitudes of 120 African-American undergraduates toward academic interdependence and motivation in interdependent and independent learning contexts. Results indicate a prevalent cooperative academic attitude, with a positive impact on academic motivation in cooperative contexts. African-American students tend to be disposed more toward…

A study with 45 British undergraduate and graduate science students investigated the usefulness of a semistructured workshop interview to identify students' concept difficulties in chemistry, their understanding of the use of analog models, and other science education issues. Implications for use of the workshop interview technique are considered.…

A survey of 262 graduates of a comprehensive university indicate fairly strong support for general education and the associated objectives of such a program. Some differences emerged between alumni of different disciplines, genders, and periods of graduation. Implications for recruitment, public relations, and program planning are considered.…

Explores female and male students' attitudes toward school work in terms of application and achievement, using data from interviews with students, teachers, careers officers, and welfare officers in three semirural public schools in England. Results suggest a problem of "equalizing opportunities" for all young people, rather than…

Describes a study of the challenges to female university students at Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands in 1987 and 1988. Female students were critical of their studies, although most completed their degrees. The university teacher represents a gatekeeper to the academic community holding knowledge as a key resource. (JB)

Twenty-three building and central office public school administrators identified internal and external system sources that they thought had influenced them to believe that effected school policy changes were or were not needed. A very large majority attributed major curriculum change influence to internal system sources. (SLD)

A survey of 692 business-administration graduate students in four countries (Canada, Poland, Latvia, Philippines) indicates that students from different countries assign different rankings to the importance of business-administration courses in the curriculum, group courses into different thematic groups, and prefer different instructional…

A course at the University of Lethbridge (Alberta) uses student portfolios of social and cultural perspectives on disabilities to challenge rural preservice teachers' attitudes toward disabilities and the philosophy of inclusion. Elements of the portfolio are described. The particular value of this method for rural preservice teachers and the…

Braxton County, West Virginia, is a subculture in which the norms and values of local residents are oppositional to state and national objectives for public education. Describes the role of the locally born county superintendent as a cultural change agent, and his strategies for overcoming poor community support and limited financial resources to…

Reviews family responsibility, youth's obligations, and the flows of moral and material capital from child to parents as well as parents to children. Suggests that children's competence in assisting others and ability to make civic contributions affect family survival and children's developmental transitions, social behavior, and cognitive…

Survey of 74 Canadian universities suggests prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) is gaining legitimacy because of the government/industry agenda to prepare the workforce, growing emphasis on lifelong learning, changing demographics, and students' conviction that learning outside the classroom should be validated. Quality assurance and…

A study of four high-performing third-grade Spanish reading programs in Texas found six common features: explicit support for Spanish literacy and biliteracy; high expectations; skills-driven reading instruction beginning in kindergarten; shared understanding of program practices; alignment between Spanish and English programs; and explicit…

Whilst the economic agenda continues to dominate adult learning policy, evidence from national surveys indicates that vocational and other learning opportunities continue to be unevenly distributed according to social class. This article argues that the concept of social capital can usefully be employed to increase participation for adults who do…