Students do not need to be told that they are socially constituted so much as they need to experience, in concrete terms, what that means. In an era of identity politics, they need to experience the labels they choose (or the labels chosen for them) as no less problematic than they are inevitable. A means to this end is a classroom heuristic tried…

States that whenever people interact, they use labels to interpret the actions of others within a social context. Reviews data gathered in a previous study as to perceptions of labeling by a black student in a white school. Discusses the use of "raceless" labels. Concludes that discussion is necessary to fully implement the ideas of…

The paper discusses the unconventional expectations associated with the label "feminine" as it affects role referrents of professorship within higher education. For journal availability, see SO 505 800. (Author)

The relationship between the diagnostic label either emotionally disturbed (ED) or learning disabled (LD) assigned to a child and the type of behavior exhibited by that child was investigated with a group of advanced undergraduate students. (Author)

Because students rarely see themselves as irrational, hateful, or insecure, they tend to believe that stereotypes are not their problem. This article describes an exercise that helps students recognize their own racial biases and understand the influence of stereotypes on memory. Because stereotypes facilitate the processing and recall of…

Although attitudes toward people who have sought psychological counseling have been characterized as negative and stigmatizing, research suggests the public holds no prejudice toward the mentally ill. To examine whether the apparent decrease in negative attitudes toward people involved in psychological treatment is more superficial than real, two…

Analyzes articles in Education Index since 1950 to examine how education literature describes minority students. Contends that, despite increased concern for minorities in the literature, labels used to describe them may have done much to exacerbate problems. In explaining how to communicate with minority students, recommends using Bowen's…

Considers the issue of professional titles as it applies to women, composition studies, and how it applies to the author personally and professionally. Discusses many different approaches to answering the question "What should we call you?" Concludes that in an always evolving field there is no "right" title. (SC)

Schur's labeling theory as it applies to deviant behavior is critiqued. His labeling theory is shown to have relevance to labeling artistically talented students after some items in the theory are changed or expanded to accommodate more positive aspects of labeling the artistically talented in contrast to labeling delinquents. (Author/RM)

The paper discusses how to empower adult undergraduate students by removing the slightly negative term of nontraditional student, treating them as equals, and insisting that colleges and universities reframe their sense of services and activities to respect all ages and life circumstances. (SM)

The explanation of the anomalies that learning disabled students present depends on the discourse in which educators and researchers locate learning disabilities. The field of learning disabilities is a discipline in the midst of a paradigm shift in which the new discourses are incompatible with the field's basic tenets and assumptions.…

Students evaluated "a typical person,""a patient seeking counseling," or "a client seeking counseling.""A typical person" was evaluated positively and "patient seeking counseling" was evaluated negatively, regardless of whether the students had previously sought counseling. Students who had sought counseling evaluated "a client seeking counseling"…

To help preservice teachers gain an emotional understanding of the feelings of handicapped students who are separated from their classmates because of their individualized educational programs (IEPs), letters were sent to the class explaining that the three lowest scorers on the next exam would be given IEPs and placed in a separate section of the…

Narrates the experiences of one journalism teacher who was criticized by a Japanese student when another student used the word "Jap" in the classroom. Questions the role of instructors in assuring that all language in a classroom is "politically correct." (HB)

Two experiments involving 137 undergraduates tested the premise that the underlying stereotyping processes used by blacks and whites are similar. Findings suggest that the race of the perceiver may moderate the predictions of the complexity-extremity, assumed-characteristics, and expectancy-violation models. (SLD)