Student enrollment in higher education is becoming increasingly diverse. Despite this increase in diversity, students from traditionally marginalized groups such as students of color or from low-income families continue to be underrepresented. A lack of cultural understanding and the presence of biases and prejudices are considered a root cause of…

The objectives of this study were: (i) to compare the scores on the test between students who took a Chinese Traditional Culture course (including ancient fairy tales, traditional festivals, and ancient etiquette) and students who did not, (ii) to examine students' performance on the traditional culture after taking the Chinese Traditional Culture…

At Concordia Language Villages, language and culture are inextricably intertwined, as they are in life. Participants "live" and "do" language and culture 16 hours per day. The experiential, residential setting immerses the participants in the culture of the country or countries where the target language is spoken through food,…

Describes multitribal American Indian pow wows, their proliferation over the past 20 years, and typical dances featured. Examines the evolution of one pow wow that takes place during a three-day Appalachian festival in Tennessee. Discusses the role of Appalachian pow wows in bringing together scattered Native communities and educating whites about…

This illustrated children's book describes the American Indian powwow, an important element of contemporary Native American life in the United States and Canada. The main character of the book, Tess, is a Native American. She explains to her classmates at school about the origin and meaning of the powwow and also about the wars between the Indians…

Step-by-step instructions and diagrams for 11 traditional folk dances of the southern Appalachian mountain region appropriate for beginners are provided. The dances are grouped into five broad categories: (1) openers, which use a leader to pick up participants as the dance progresses; (2) mixers (Oh, Susannah, Texas Schottische, Gary Gordon's…

Presents a list of class activities for Black History Month to help students study African heritage. The activities listed, with appropriate grade levels, are storytelling, dances and games, crafts, posters, live-in history, movers and shapers, and a play. Each activity is explained in the pages that follow in this issue. (SM)

Presents guidelines for teaching students about African culture via dances and games and for developing related activities to expand student learning experiences. Student activity pages describe how to do the Ghana national dance and how to play Mankala, a popular African game. (SM)

The collection of nine papers provides information on the history and culture of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Written by college-bound Choctaw high school students, the papers present topics on the lives of two Choctaw chiefs, Apukshunnubbee and Mushulatubbee; traditional Choctaw ceremonies (wedding and funeral customs, and social…

The first in a series of Native American instructional materials, this booklet introduces elementary students to the culture and history of woodland, plains, desert, and coastal Indians. It presents an overview of philosophies common to most Native American cultures, differentiates the four Indian culture areas, and guides students in identifying…