This paper speculates on difficulties in making American formal education an active force for conscious cultural change rather than a passive force for unconscious cultural stasis. Two questions central to discussing any educational system which purports to be a conscious force for cultural change are posed: Can a society conscious of its own…

The similarities and differences in value systems between Americans and Vietnamese are investigated in this study. A national sample of 1,427 Americans was given Rockeach's (1969) value survey. The scale was then translated into Vietnamese and given to a randomly selected group of 349 Vietnamese living in South Vietnam shortly before the fall of…

Conducted in-depth interviews with early childhood teachers in Sweden, Russia, and United States as to their society's influence on early childhood education. Found differences in responses related to the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of the societal system. Findings deepen understanding about multidimensional relationships between early…

Contends that differences in child development and cultural backgrounds affect the way children represent their world through art. Describes an exhibit of children's art from Thailand and Australia. Discusses differences in content, media, and style and concludes that both cultures could benefit from adopting aspects of the other. (CFR)

This book brings together many of the outstanding scholars in the field of comparative and international education to provide new perspectives on the dynamic interplay of global, national, and local forces as they shape the functioning and outcomes of education systems in specific contexts. Various chapters in the book call for a rethinking of the…

This document presents the proceedings of the first international conference sponsored by the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD) and the British Association for Counselling (BAC). The document contains a foreword by Robert Nejedlo; a preface by Edwin Herr and John McFadden; an overview of the language of counseling in the…

Two studies used multidimensional scaling to uncover viewers' spontaneous, largely implicit interpretations of Dallas (American) and Coronation Street (British), two soap operas in a genre of social realism that explicitly aims to parallel or directly contribute to the symbolic world of the viewer. The results bear upon the discipline of social…

There has been increased critical interest in the child as a rich and varied site of cultural inscription. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines have turned their attention to the child in order to interrogate how it comes to represent, and often codify, the prevailing ideologies of a given culture or historical period. Noting that narratives…

Due to many of the stresses and societal challenges that African American parents face, parents who have children with antisocial behaviors need guidance and support to assist them with their children in the areas of parenting, academics, and social support. This study proposed a program that focuses on the parents and caregivers as vital persons…

The initiation and development of public education in the Philippine Islands is unique in modern educational history. Probably only among a people with an enthusiastic belief in the significance of education, under the benevolent guidance of a nation with an equally enthusiastic confidence in its possibilities, could the educational experiment…

In these two separate studies of self-esteem, Study One showed that Finnish adolescents valued popularity more than academic and athletic success when compared to American students. Study Two revealed that students with low self-esteem embraced traditional sex roles more prominently than students with high self-esteem. (RJM)

American schools, especially their physical education and sport programs, provide some of the most hostile social geographies in all of society for gay youth. With the aim of transforming schools toward more democratic and sexuality sensitive institutions, this paper reviews the literature on sexuality and education. In the review, three themes,…

For a cross-cultural comparison of curriculum and career decisions made by high school students in vocational programs in Taiwan and the United States, a random sample of high school students enrolled in vocational education in Taiwan and in 10 selected states in the United States were mailed a self-administered questionnaire. Responses were…

This is a partially annotated bibliography of books, journal articles, and other materials on refugees and refugee issues from an international perspective and from the perspective of several countries around the world. The materials cover a range of topics including general theories on refugees; the refugee experience before 1960 and the…

Culture is the main subject of this student material for a quarter or one-semester course on a comparative study of Mexico and the United States. The ongoing processes of continuity and change in culture and their relationship are emphasized. The first chapter is devoted to the concept of culture, the total way of life of a people from language…