Although the practical applications of language contribute to the development of language proficiency, United States schools have persevered in a formal language over a language-in-use emphasis in the language curriculum. A focus on gaining isolated language skills has led to a serious neglect of the social aspects of language. Public concern…

The role of Christian day schools in meeting changing educational and social needs is evaluated and educational trends since the 1960s are reviewed. Among the solutions proposed to remedy alleged educational ills of the 1960s (including that schools were simultaneously too liberal, racist, permissive, authoritarian, and irrelevant) were free…

On August 26, 1831, educators attending a meeting of the American Institute of Instruction confirmed the need for physical exercise in schools, but wanted to determine what type of exercise program would be invigorating, utilitarian, interesting, and provide moral development. Advocates of manual labor programs stressed that physical labor…

The new core curriculum at Moravian College, in Pennsylvania, utilizes an interdisciplinary approach, integrating topics of psychology into three of the seven core courses: "Microcosm/Macrocosm"; "Quantitative Problem Solving"; and the seminar "Gender, Ethnicity, and Race." The course "Microcosm/Macrocosm"…

A West German electronics corporation designed a workshop to provide managers with fast access to the American culture through the cues provided in American language. The aim was to promote more effective communication with American business partners through sensitization to American communication styles, their principal modes of expression, their…

This paper investigates the nature of ethnic prejudice and examines the treatment of four ethnic minorities in the United States--American Indians, blacks, Chinese Americans, and Mexican Americans. The hypothesis is that, despite inequality, ethnic minorities in the United States enjoy a better lot than ethnic minorities elsewhere. Two forms of…

Mexican and American children in grades 1 through 3 in urban schools were administered the McDaniel-Piers Young Children's Self Concept Scale to compare their self concept scores. Comparisons were made within three socioeconomic levels by grade level and sex for each item on the scale. In comparing the results, four generalizations were inferred:…

Equality of educational opportunity is a social goal in both the United States and Canada; yet, the nations differ considerably in their approaches and progress toward this objective. Canada appears to have achieved greater equality of condition vis-a-vis education than has the United States, judged by variation in expenditure per student among…

This study compared patterns in the requests of native Persian-speakers (n=50) and native speakers of American English (n=52) under the same social constraints. Students were undergraduate students in their native countries. Data were gathered by controlled elicitation (open questionnaire) and coded for degree of directness. Results show the…

This book consists of 17 essays concerning the history of the Anglican church and its missions in western Canada. Essays examine the social and political role of the Anglican church, its influence among Native and non-Native populations, its effects on educational development, and the status of women in the church. Chapters 6, 8, 9, and 14 are…

Cultural and linguistic information useful to teachers of native Arabic-speakers in English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education is offered. This includes background information on geographic, political, religious, and ethnic divisions, stereotypes commonly held by Arabs about Americans and American society, common stereotypes about…

A study investigated the perceptions of native English-speakers concerning the spoken grammatical and phonetic (accent) errors of non-native speakers. Speech samples were collected from three non-native speakers of English of varied linguistic backgrounds (German, Spanish, and Arabic) and one speaker of North American English. Each of the four…

This paper focuses on parents' attitudes about their children's maintenance of their native language (L1). It is part of an inter-nordic study of immigrant languages between generation one and generation two, that interviewed 276 parents of North American, Finnish, Turkish, and Vietnamese origin, residing in Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.…

The study investigated the issue of differential selection of foils (incorrect responses) with Black English structures by black and white examinees. Linguistic research revealed systematic differences between Black English and Standard American English. Grammatical and phonological features were important distinctions. Five categories of Black…

The development of local norms using the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities was part of a larger study, the purpose of which was to identify the percentage of Arizona school children having a handicap. The first step in this part of the project, which involved screening for communication disorders, was the selection of tests to identify…