The "discovery and conquest" of the Internet and its application to the teaching of foreign languages and cultures has created some very serious pedagogical problems. The interest in instructional technology appeared on the horizon at a moment when theorists of foreign language acquisition were promoting notions of proficiency-oriented…

This Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report documents the growing demand for learning around the world. A quantitative description of the functioning of education systems allows for international comparisons and the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to providing quality education. Chapter 1,…

Explains that the marginal position of Chinese in Mississippi, neither white nor black, played a vital role in the development of their identity. Discusses the social, economic, and cultural influences that produced a Chinese American community in the south markedly different from the one in California. (MJP)

Discusses how self concept and its adaptations to academic success and failure are related to each other and to "cultural therapy." Analyzes research with a German agricultural community undergoing industrialization, and Menominee Indians adapting to majority culture using the Instrumental Activities Inventory (IAI). Extends the analysis…

For centuries traditional university education has primarily focused on building foundational skills in particular disciplines via the transfer of knowledge from instructor to student. Today however, simply being able to reproduce knowledge is no longer adequate; students must also be able to apply their knowledge to changing, real world contexts.…

Ways in which culture in general and cultural change in particular affect approaches to and attitudes toward learning are examined, drawing on both published evidence and personal experience to support the position that changes in underlying technological and economic conditions create differing cultural behaviors, customs, values, beliefs,…

Using a contextual-developmental-functional approach, this book seeks to discover the functional links between family dynamics and socialization within varying sociocultural contexts to human development, and to integrate theory and application in large-scale interventions promoting human well-being and societal development in the Majority World.…

This awareness-raising module on women at midlife and older ages in cross-cultural perspective is intended for discussion groups, workshops, and college courses on women's lives in different societies. Based on empowerment workshops in Acapulco, Mexico, and the District of Columbia, in which women from a wide range of social classes and…

A review of literature, an update of a similar 1982 study, investigated attitudes and actions of United States high school and college students and within the business community concerning the need for language study and cross-cultural competence to promote competitiveness in international trade. Progress is seen as mixed: overall, achievements in…

This document explores the mission, goals, and underlying philosophy of the National Center for Science Teaching and Learning (NCSTL). The reform of the U.S. educational system, especially in the area of science education, will require a thorough examination of noncurricular, external factors affecting science education. In order to bring about…

Materials in this social studies curriculum guide are designed for use by Michigan intermediate grade teachers in conjunction with the publication "Essential Performance Objectives for Social Studies." Content is divided into three sections. (1) An introduction focuses on improving classroom dynamics; it includes a discussion of: social studies…

Picturing Peace is an ArtsBridge collaboration in which K-12 students learn to use digital cameras to communicate their feelings and ideas about peace. The photographs of three student cultures were analyzed. Both local and universal symbols of peace were found, such as nature, light, community, environment, peace signs, play, spiritual symbols,…

Students in two college freshman composition classes (one American and one English as a second language) at a southern university researched the theory of contrastive rhetoric by exchanging pen pal letters and by progressing through a sequence of five formal assignments with revisions. These assignments led the students to consider their own…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 13 titles deal with the following topics: (1) developmental differences in preschoolers' comprehension of WH-questions; (2) discourse analysis and early literacy in minority education; (3) effects of text structure on…

In this study of 99 countries, representing 2.3 billion women (92 percent of the world's female population), 20 indicators measure women's well-being in the following sectors: (1) health; (2) marriage and children; (3) education; (4) employment; and (5) social equality. Original data for each of the 20 indicators were converted mathematically to 5…