A discussion of the types and uses of stories in second language instruction argues that the inclination to narrate is an omnipresent human phenomenon, whether attributed to nature or to culture. The story is a means of self-expression and communication that describes different forms of narrative, both literary and nonliterary. The uses and…

Suggests that the rural development policy for Australia proposed by Jonathan and Katrina Sher in a previous issue of this journal fails to differentiate between "rural" and "regional," resulting in policies aimed at regional areas and the marginalization of rural communities. Offers a distinction between rural, urban, and…

Commentaries from 10 researchers concerning "Alcohol Abuse in Urban Indian Adolescents and Women: A Longitudinal Study for Assessment and Risk Evaluation" (R. Dale Walker and others). Reviewers commend the project for adding to the sparse longitudinal research on Indian peoples, while also pointing out problems and issues specific to…

In November 1992, the Ford Foundation published a study entitled "State Higher Education Systems and College Completion," which argued that states that relied heavily on community colleges in their postsecondary educational system, such as California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, were not efficient in producing bachelor degree (BA)…

The question of whether single-sex schooling is preferable to coeducation for some or all students continues to be hotly debated. Much of the debate is philosophical and would be waged even if single-sex schooling were shown to be highly advantageous for one or more subpopulations. However, the actual research evidence, although suggestive that…

This essay examines the ways in which health, as a discipline, has been influenced by feminist scholarship in the field. It explains that feminist scientists in the field have recognized and sought to address gender bias in traditional approaches to health research, including the androcentric bias in defining priorities for medical research, the…

Despite their claim to the contrary, Walsh and Carballo in their report, "Transitional Bilingual Education in Massachusetts: A Preliminary Study of Its Effectiveness" (1986), did not demonstrate the superiority of bilingual education because their study was marred by a number of problems, here identified. (BJV)

Analyzes two recent controversies about censorship of arts: Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs and U.S. congressional limits on funding for National Endowment for the Arts. Maintains artistic freedom can be encouraged if all segments of society learn about arts. Recommends that aesthetic education deal with these controversial issues, the social…

This essay examines the ways in which anthropology, as a discipline, currently reflects ongoing scholarship on gender, race, ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation. It argues that feminist anthropology since the 1970s has become an important subdiscipline, primarily within cultural anthropology, but also with a growing impact on…

This essay examines the ways in which education, as a discipline, has been influenced by feminist scholarship in the field. It explains that foundational studies by feminist scholars have examined sexual differences in identity and ways of knowing, and have challenged the arrogation of feminine experience and viewpoints to generalizations of male…

Posits that educational controversies are, in the long run, necessary to the enlightenment of American culture. Traces some representative events in the history of educational controversy; suggests some ways for educators to achieve equal footing with those who critize them. (CSS)

This essay examines the ways in which sociology, as a discipline, has been influenced by feminist scholarship in the field, and three major contributions of feminist scholarship are presented: the introduction of women into sociological theory and research during the era of "sex role" analysis; the shift to analyzing gender as a basic axis of…

Examines how democratization of schooling is being shaped in Latin America and how dangerous delusions and exclusions affect the treatment of gender in this process. Focuses on initiatives and development policies of international aid agencies, their research projects, and international conferences. Suggests that democratization requires a larger…

Argues that the theoretical consensus on second language learning, which focuses on instruction in the target language, contradicts the main premises used by bilingual education advocates to gain respectability for bilingual education programs. The roles of translation, transfer, input, and interaction in the Eastman model of bilingual education,…

Maintains that, over the past two decades, postmodern theorists and critics fundamentally have challenged many of the basic tenets of aesthetics, education, and art criticism. Discusses how postmodernism questions long-held realist assumptions of nature, truth, beauty, and human nature. (CFR)