This study examined the effects of non-traditional instructional methods on student learning in an engineering course at the University of Texas at El Paso. The summer 1993 material selection course enrolled 33 students, the majority of whom were Hispanic Americans. Instead of the traditional lecture method, the course employed student project…

This literature review examines the effect of teacher expectations on minority students, and especially on Mexican-American students. The review focuses on four areas: (1) teachers' attitudes and expectations toward Mexican-American children; (2) teachers' attitudes and expectations toward minority children; (3) teachers' performance expectations…

This study examined the attitudes of fifth and sixth grade students from Chicago (Illinois) toward classroom climate in an effort to better understand factors that would encourage greater self-concept, higher achievement, and student and teacher behaviors. The study population included 185 fifth and sixth grade students attending the Philip…

This study was conducted to ascertain whether future teachers, particularly students of color. can be identified at the 7th and 8th grade levels, and to determine whether their interest or noninterest in teaching is related to how they feel and think about school. Participants were 7th and 8th grade students (N=646) from eight California schools.…

This study examines alumni's perceptions of differential treatment on the basis of race/ethnicity by faculty, students, and staff/administrators in five behavioral science disciplines at eight independent California State University campuses. Reports of personal experiences by 2,078 alumni in four ethnic groups (Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and…

Two kinds of evaluation measures assessed the effectiveness of the 1981-82 Washington State University High School Equivalency Program (WSU-HEP). Discrepancy evaluation measures outlined in the WSU program proposal were employed by the staff in documenting the degree to which the program met its stated goals which were clustered around four…

Hispanic women still face educational and employment handicaps rooted in racial and sex-related discrimination. Because Hispanic women are the product of two cultures (the traditional Mexican American culture inside the home and the dominant American culture outside the home), they sometimes face a struggle. Although research indicates that…

Attitudes of eighth graders toward vocational education were measured, and the relationship of these attitudes to high school educational program preference (vocational, general, or college preparatory) was determined. The study was also designed to ascertain differences on the basis of disadvantagement, race, and sex. Subjects were 306 students…

A study explored factors contributing to the high attrition rate of Latino students in Hillsborough County (Florida) schools. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 54 teachers; 52 high-achieving, 39 at-risk, and 6 dropout Latino middle and high school students; and 14 parents. Findings indicate that factors important to academic success…

A study examined English-dominant and Spanish-dominant students' perceptions of opportunities to communicate in science and mathematics classrooms. A survey was administered to 207 Mexican American secondary students who attended a summer enrichment program in mathematics and science at a university on the Texas-Mexico border. The students were…

This study was guided by two objectives: (1) to ascertain if college students differentiate among job-related values (i.e., those which depend on the particular place of employment); and (2) to investigate sex and ethnicity differences on the values. The participants were 80 male and 178 female undergraduate students at 14 universities or…

Differentiating and ranking (D/R) mechanisms (norm-referenced testing, grouping, competition, busing differences) within the school isolate the culturally foreign and define them as inferior to the culturally dominant. The D/R factors constitute a vehicle by which the school commits symbolic violence. (Author/CM)

The implicit scripts of adolescents experiencing peer pressure to engage in misconduct were examined for 198 high school students interviewed about 6 scenarios in which one adolescent asks another to misbehave. Differences based on sex, community (urban, suburban, and ethnic composition), and learning status (learning disabled or nondisabled) are…

Describes a study that investigated the effects of three levels of personalization--individualized, group, and nonpersonalized--on the achievement of seventh-grade Hispanic students on printed mathematics word problems. Previous research is reviewed, criterion measures are described, and student attitudes are discussed. (30 references) (LRW)

Studied characteristics distinguishing successful and failing Hispanic innercity high school students, using 24 high dropout-risk and 24 low dropout-risk Hispanic tenth graders (22 males and 26 females). When compared to high-risk counterparts, low-risk students were more satisfied with their school and maintained social groups predominantly free…