Suggests the lack of research concerning contexts of human development has caused environmental influences to be not well known or studied. Discusses primary and secondary developmental contexts. Proposes four properties of the ecological environment that foster human development. Details impact of third parties on a setting, interconnections…

Profiles current Russian research on political culture and values. Reports on a study of the spread of materialist and postmaterialist values among nearly 6,000 Russians between 1984 and 1993. Discusses the social and demographic variables that exert the greatest influence on the spread of values. (CFR)

Examines critical educational principles and practice necessary for implementing a community based teaching and learning model to bridge the gap between learning theory, practice, and community needs. The Gao School Museum, an educational innovation in West Africa that bridged the gap between community, school, and learners, illustrates these…

Ten state-of-the-art articles discuss current developments in educational media and technology. Topics examined include research, school restructuring, networking, information technology, telecommunications, and contemporary social issues. Five of the articles are also published as ERIC Digests. All of the articles contain references. (SLW)

The term "ethno-lingual relativity" is a perspective that is not limited by one's own cultural and linguistic experiences, but rather is open to the contrasting cultural and linguistic patterns of other peoples. This article explores the hypothesis that having such a perspective might facilitate second language acquisition. (19 references)…

Maintains that nations are examining the German "dual system" of vocational education as an ideal model. Asserts that German educators and policymakers are having doubts about the future perspective for this system. Discusses symptoms the dual system crisis and interprets its causes from a socio-historical point of view. (CFR)

A study investigated the extent to which college student commitment to promoting racial understanding is related to the characteristics of entering students and of the college environment. Variables examined include demographic characteristics, living arrangements, institutional characteristics, peer attitudes, faculty attitudes, cocurricular…

This paper discusses theoretical issues surrounding the creation of new departments at universities and presents a case study of how the Institute for Media and Communication at Oslo University (Norway) was created. It examines the effects of status, resource allocation, and power relations on the creation of university departments. (MDM)

Teachers must understand their personal biases, their own cultures, and the biases and cultures of their students to help students develop the sensitivities to function in a diverse world. Four articles examine multicultural education, ethnicity, racism, and the development of culturally relevant pedagogy for teachers, highlighting physical…

Summarizes the academic and nonacademic literature on the provision of child welfare services to Canadian Native people, focusing on the impact of the contemporary political climate on such policy from the 1960s to the present. Recent literature on the subject stresses the need to examine the root socioeconomic causes for the problems facing…

Examined sociocultural influences on mathematics achievement. First generation Chinese American and Caucasian American mother-father-daughter triads were audiotaped as the fifth- and sixth-grade girls solved a spatial puzzle. Chinese American triads were quieter, more respectful, more serious, and more orderly, whereas Caucasian American triads…

Discusses how teachers can guide young children to become aware of residential buildings in their hometowns in order to help understand cultural diversity in the global community. Maintains that, as children explore diverse forms of shelter, they begin to recognize cultural similarities. (CFR)

Reviews current issues concerning American Indian families and the education of Indian children. Highlights urbanization and its implications for American Indians' relationships with the public schools. Also discusses the need for culturally relevant school programs for American Indian students and their families and portrays several American…

A longitudinal study of family patterns of moral reasoning compared relationships between parent and offspring reasoning from early adolescence to adulthood. Consistent patterns were found. During adolescence, parental judgment correlated to offspring reasoning but more so for girls than boys; among young adults, fathers' judgment and education…

Asserts that little attention has been paid to the effects of a subgroup's status on its attitudes toward war and peace. Reports on a study of 151 college students on their patriotism and nationalism during the Gulf War. Finds minority students were more supportive of a peaceful solution to the crisis. (CFR)