Reporting on a pilot study of urban junior high students, this report examines the way young people acquire perceptions of their own and other nations and attempts to identify the sources of those ideas. This action research approach used a survey research instrument with a 20-item semantic differential form to measure students' knowledge of and…

This paper demonstrates with specific examples from various students' journals how subtly and, at the same time, pervasively ethnocentricity expresses itself, and offers suggestions on how to assess and combat ethnocentric beliefs through writing assignments and classroom exercises in an international business law course at Indiana University. The…

Inservice training programs on the needs of English as a second language (ESL) students may help writing lab staffs work more effectively. The training program could be a series of sessions devoted to six areas of concern: bridging the culture gap; profiling students' strengths and weaknesses; identifying error patterns on which to work in the…

Research findings from various countries on the role of schools in student development are reviewed, with an eye toward promoting a comparative model for research on the subject. First, research is discussed that indicates that schools have little or no effect relative to students' home background and individual qualities (the 1966 Coleman report…

This case study of 215 high school students in Columbia Academy, an international school in Kobe, Japan, was conducted from 1980 to 1985 to examine the values students hold in relation to their demographic characteristics. The study, written by a faculty member of this school who also served on the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of…

By the year 2000 there will be three Americas as the rich get richer, the poor become more destitute, and the self-sufficient become more complacent. By that date computer technology will dominate every facet of social and personal life. Asian Americans, because of their good placement as technicians, will be found in every segment of the…

The document examines the relationships between multi-ethnic and development education in Great Britain. Multi-ethnic education, initially with a national focus, has a global dimension, and development education, initially with a global focus, has a national and even local dimension. A common interest in human diversity and human inequalities…

From an individual's viewpoint, it is argued, culture establishes a meaningful context of social institutions, ecological practices, and personal rules of conduct which provide each group member with a blueprint for social existence. But, behavior is also conditioned by unconscious internalized patterns, which tend to be accepted by everyone as…

These evaluation activities are posttests on ethnicity, transnational linkages, and ethnocentric attitudes. The tests can be used to measure the content and skills that secondary students have acquired as a result of participating in the four units comprising the Ethnic Heritage Studies Curriculum. With a few minor modifications, the tests can…

The Australian Commissioner for Community Relations describes and criticizes the Australian traditional ethnocentrism and xenophobia, pointing out that Australia is and always has been a multicultural society. He emphasizes the need for wide changes in education and notes the potential of lifelong and adult community education. (MF)

Examines the historical fallacy, popular in western civilization from medieval to early modern times, that Muslim allies were somehow secretly Christian. These fallacies often served to explain Christian-Muslim diplomacy to the public at a time when Islam was portrayed as the enemy of Christianity. (MJP)

Argues that strong ethnocentrism exists in TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) in Western English-speaking countries, and that teacher educators in these countries neglect the special needs of international students. Specifies the major needs of this group and offers suggestions for meeting them, particularly in the areas of…

A case example involving a Native American family referred to a child welfare agency illustrates social work intervention strategies that encourage cultural competence, recognize power differences between cultures, promote understanding of role variations and belief systems, consider alternative approaches for helping clients with drug or alcohol…

Briefly discusses the adjustment process that non-native teachers go through when teaching Canadian native students. Notes some of the cultural differences between the two groups including concepts of time, conflict resolution, and respect. Concludes that the ever-changing nature of native culture requires teachers to be flexible. (MJP)

Reviews the historical development of multicultural education in Toronto (Ontario), and considers the relevance of different models. Argues that present educational policy continues to preserve an Anglo-Saxon hegemony. (FMW)