This article discusses issues related to introducing new information and communication technologies (ICT) into Latin American countries. Latin American countries are gaining world focus with political changes such as the death of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and the election of the first Latin American Pope. This region will host the World Cup,…

Children express the cultures they bring into the classrooms through musical play. When children are left to their own devices they dance, create songs, and play instruments. Campbell emphasizes how children are immersed in musical activity throughout the entirety of their day; they use music for self-expression, to interact with others, and to…

Background: Culture is a universal phenomenon, but most interest about culture during pregnancy has focused on medical care, neglecting psychological aspects of normative development. Objective: The purpose of this article was to examine normative gestational experiences using the framework of a broaden and build model of culture, positive…

Psychological science has identified positive classroom management and climate building strategies as a key element in developing and maintaining effective learning environments. In this article, we review the literature that has identified effective strategies that build classroom climates to maximize student learning and minimize disruption. In…

Parents have a major influence on young children's diets, food choices and habit formation. However, research concerning parental influence on children's diets is limited. Qualitative research informs quantitative research with a narrative of "what works" and is a valuable tool to inform intervention design and practice. This…

The present era of globalization, interdependence and multicultural societies has brought about both opportunities and crises in educational institutions. Especially schools and families seem to be unable to cope with such revolutionary changes. The crises also concern all fields involved in maintaining social welfare, including counselling and…

Never before have more children lived away from their home countries. Given the unique social, emotional, and academic needs of children who have migrated, school psychologists must be well prepared to meet these growing demands. Consequently, school psychology training programs must invest in the preparation of culturally competent future school…

The school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SW PBIS) program is managed by the Minnesota Department of Education and is implemented in hundreds of Minnesota schools. PBIS is an evidence-based model that attempts to develop a school-wide positive behavior culture. Based on previously documented outcomes, PBIS is a potential…

This issue of "FOCUS" describes a systematic review that was conducted to address a critically important research question about cultural competency by taking stock of the current literature and evidence. The review examined whether cultural competency interventions improve rehabilitation outcomes for ethnically and linguistically…

While research in youth mentoring is extensive in the U.S., little research has explored its effectiveness in New Zealand, despite its growth in the past 20 years. While arguments have been raised that overseas models may not fit all cultural contexts within New Zealand, there appears to be limited evidence supporting this contention. Further,…

A review of the literature related to culture and student behavior reveals a number of interesting observations that are not surprising. First, culture is a difficult construct to define and has been defined variably over the years. Second, schools are becoming increasingly diverse, and evidence-based behavior management practices have been…

Like other minority groups in North America, Muslim Americans have been largely ignored in the psychological literature. The overwhelming pressures faced by this group, including surveillance, hate crimes, and institutional discrimination, stimulate an urgent need for psychologists to better understand and ensure the well-being of this population.…

This article reviews issues and findings from 13 research studies relative to cross-racial supervision. The research in this area indicates that a strong working alliance between the supervisor and student is more likely to happen when supervisors are culturally responsive and competent. However, in order to better appreciate the nature and scope…

In this article, the authors discuss the Cultural Formulation Approach (CFA) proposed by Leong and his colleagues, and the strong and insightful applications of the approach offered by Leong, Arthur, Juntunen, Byars-Winston, and Flores. They think this model has phenomenal possibilities in providing a methodology for counselors to be able to…

The author of this article proposes a critical approach to sexuality as a pedagogical agenda. The author offers a brief appraisal of sexology as a developmental science, and of the academic notion of developing sex. First, the author locates sexuality education in terms of its conventional curricular organization, arguing that that sex…