In presenting a historical overview of trends in vocabulary research, this paper emphasizes the importance of word knowledge as a critical component in reading comprehension. It describes research examining current psychological and pedagogical models as they relate to vocabulary knowledge, and explores vocabulary research in the area of specific…

Sojourners, people who stay for a period of time in countries of which they are not natives, sometimes may encounter communication situations for which they are not prepared. A program seems necessary whereby people living in nonfamiliar cultures can learn to interpret cultural idiosyncrasies inherent in communication patterns and to function as…

This document highlights points made in papers presented in the two scheduled sessions devoted to issues in mathematics education affecting minority students at the 1980 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) conference. The first meeting was part of the official NCTM conference program. The second meeting was sponsored by the National…

Three weeks of programing on a major television network during probable children's viewing times was subjected to content analysis to determine the number and types of reading and writing activities performed by television characters and newscasters. The purposes of this analysis were to discover whether television treats reading and writing as…

The paper analyzes research regarding the effects of sociocultural factors and the incidence of mental illness, particularly infantile autism and childhood schizophrenia. Among those topics reviewed are general sociocultural changes and vital statistics, perceptual and cognitive potential of the neonate, the importance of family networks for…

Recent studies of Mexican American youth in the Southwest show that they possess high aspirations for education and employment; like their Anglo counterparts, they want to finish high school and obtain academic or technical training that will provide a job with adequate salary and security. In contrast to these high aspirations, the 1977 census…

Using as a point of departure anthropologist Clifford Geertz's study of culture with special emphasis on political change, the paper develops a theoretical framework for studying the relationship between culture and political change. A major objective of this anthropological approach to the study of political culture is to help political…

Because of their cultural experiences, gifted Asian and Pacific-American children may demonstrate high ability and task commitment but need support for creativity--the third characteristic of productive, gifted individuals. Instructional approaches that reduce external evaluation, encourage risk taking, and provide opportunities for divergent…

Reviews research on the relationship of cultural background to academic achievement. Concludes that the most successful approaches to minority education recognize and use cultural background in the activity settings in which the learning process takes place. (FMW)

Noting that one of the biggest challenges in the United States today is the increasing number of infants and toddlers younger than age 3 who are cared for by someone other than their parents during work hours, this issue of NCEDL Spotlights announces the publication of a book examining out-of-home care for infants and toddlers. The book is an…

This research synthesis reviews the negative effects of teacher stress, focusing on teachers in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific. It describes teaching techniques for reducing these detrimental effects and discusses the relevance of such techniques within the cultures of the Pacific region. Section 1 describes what stress is. Section 2 examines the…

This paper reviews issues surrounding Hispanic students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Research indicates that Hispanic deaf and hard of hearing students generally have lower academic success than their deaf or hearing peers. In addition, they are more likely to drop out of school or be tracked into vocational programs and less likely to attend…

Labor force issues do not take place in a vacuum. Most individuals base labor force decisions on a multitude of cultural and social factors, such as the environment in which they were reared, family obligations and responsibilities, divorce or the death of a spouse, or because of governmental policies. Sections in this document on demographics,…

Very little research has examined drug and alcohol use among rural Mexican-Americans, and the few existing studies have yielded mixed results. Some authors have suggested that substance use by Mexican-American youth is similar to that of Anglo youth, but at least one study has shown that Mexican-American females use drugs at a higher rate than do…

The public science lecture, popular from the 1750s until the 1850s when a social revolution produced a class bound society, has played an important part in the genesis of modern scientific British education. Reasons include factors such as motivation and teaching methods which made audiences very receptive. (RM)