To avoid the Anglo-Saxon culture mode, which dominates the current study of human communication in all contexts, the concept of communication competence can be examined from the perspective of Chinese culture. The conceptualization and empirical indicators used for the measurement of communication competence strongly reflect a Western cultural…

Teachers who lead classroom discussions of gay and lesbian issues are forced to confront their deepest feelings about sexuality and prejudice, a confrontation that many find uncomfortable for a number of reasons. They not only face the possibility that the discussion will turn negative but they also fear they will lose control of the situation. A…

Writing is an effective tool for investigating the problem of ethnic stereotyping, that is, grouping people from diverse cultures into broad unrepresentative categories. A first-year composition class addressed ethnic stereotyping using media critique. Class activities divided the process of deconstructing cultural stereotypes into three steps:…

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…

Much of today's multicultural education is ethnocentric and has little apparent concern for cross-cultural contacts, our best hope in ameliorating racism. Increasingly, multiculturalism exalts particular racial and ethnic pride at the expense of social cohesion of the American society as a whole. However, the notion of a "common American…

Public schools are facing the largest crisis in American educational history. More and more minority students are attending public schools, and traditional methods of instruction are failing to meet their needs. The back-to-basics and belt-tightening movements within public schooling are part of a last-ditch effort to support an elitist education…

Language learning is a form of cultural learning, and cultural learning embraces language learning. The goal of cultural learning is a continuing search for understanding that bridges cultures. Language can be a bridge, a system that constructs reality as it communicates about reality. Education in the U.S. has tended to define culture as American…

There are problems in using the traditional approaches of psychotherapy with various ethnic minority and national groups in the United States. Mental health practitioners, besides making errors in diagnosis, may also be handicapped in developing a therapeutic relationship with the patient. Numerous studies indicate that sociocultural factors tend…

This investigation examines factors influencing United States student perceptions of native and non-native United States teacher effectiveness. A questionnaire employing measures of ethnocentrism, intercultural communication apprehension, willingness to communicate, and motivation was completed by 204 native United States undergraduate students.…

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…

This study explores reverse discrimination as a cultural phenomenon that should be studied by anthropologists, and to which anthropology has inadvertently contributed. Discrimination by minority group members is taught and encouraged under the guise of ethnic pride and promotion of traditional beliefs. Ethnocentrism may be a cultural defense…

Two major efforts to redirect the school curriculum that are currently of special concern, not only to educators but to the general citizenry as well, are citizenship education and international or global education. Both deal with the development of competent and responsible citizens whose perspectives, knowledge, and skills will enable them to…

Social problems such as prejudice, discrimination, and societal unfairness are examined from the perspective of their association with language. Research in the psychology of language is reviewed with regard to these issues and with particular reference to the situation in Quebec. The first question addressed is the role that attitudes play both…

After three decades of diverse and intense immigration accompanied by a range of well intentioned initiatives by the Australian government to meet the needs of immigrants, there remain unsolved problems. An Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs evaluation (1982) found major achievements in establishing intensive programs of English…

The development of social science terminology about ethnicity in the United States is traced from colonial times to the present, and conflict among ethnic groups is examined in relation to contemporary problems in the suburbs of New York. Early in U.S. history, immigrating ethnic groups were thought to contribute to the melting pot character of…