Anthropological methodology suggests there may be two difficulties with utilizing evaluations over and above the many outlined in several generations of evaluation utilization literature. The first - "going native" - arises when the evaluator has consciously adopted the value and belief system of those in the program he or she is…

A study investigated culturally shaped patterns of behavior and how receptive or resistant people in an educational setting are to different viewpoints held by members of other cultures. As background, an extensive literature review probed the definitions of "culture" and "ethnocentrism," the causes of ethnocentrism, and how…

Studying the characteristics of development extension agents can help in the understanding of the dynamics of development. These key personnel exhibit certain traits, not yet corroborated scientifically, as they attempt to induce drastic changes in the values, beliefs, production, and consumption patterns of developing nations in order to move…

The findings of a survey on freshmen attitudes in four areas: interest in cultural diversity, racism, ethnocentrism, and cross-cultural beliefs and values, are presented. The 81-item survey was given to 234 students at Virginia Commonwealth University. Results indicated: most freshmen express an interest in learning more about other cultures, and…

This case study of 215 high school students in Columbia Academy, an international school in Kobe, Japan, was conducted from 1980 to 1985 to examine the values students hold in relation to their demographic characteristics. The study, written by a faculty member of this school who also served on the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of…

Values are the evaluative and judgmental facet of a culture's "personal orientation system," helping its members determine what is right or wrong, good or bad, important or unimportant. However, the values which are of primary importance to citizens of a particular country may be of only secondary or tertiary importance to citizens of…

Foreign students make up an important, and growing, segment of higher education in the United States. Reasons why foreign students come to the United States to study include the following: (1) the United States offers a serious approach to higher education in which students receive appropriate training and generally are able to complete the…

Recent advertising research has suggested that to gain initial entry into and retain continual success with a targeted audience of consumers, it is wise to mirror the attitudes and desires of those consumers. This has proven effective in the United States, where companies such as Chevrolet, Levi Strauss, and Coca-Cola have successfully catered to…

The paper discusses the impact of a semester-abroad political science program on the attitudes and behavior of college students. Participants included 52 students in a 1977 Kent State University Geneva Semester Program. The hypothesis was that positive attitude changes on worldmindedness would: (1) occur among students participating in the study…