Assumptions underlying teaching for transformation and cultural relevance include (1) how is spirituality defined; (2) transformative learning involves cognitive, affective and symbolic/spiritual aspects; (3) transformative learning must attend to sociocultural dimensions (personal, cultural, structural, political, sacred); and (4) instructors…

The Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory was completed by 59 Hong Kong open university tutors who had completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Results were compared with student evaluations of teaching, indicating that Renqing (social favors), face, harmony, and leadership predicted teaching effectiveness. Facets derived from Chinese…

Reasons for low participation of African-American subjects in research include social injustice, education, economics, and cultural differences. Case study of 80 African-American participants in a language comprehension study yielded strategies for effective recruitment: invite individuals as participants, not subjects; include families; use a…

Discusses the socio-cultural nature of education and examines how researchers have defined culture and how instructional designers have treated culture within the design process. Considers systemic versus systematic design and examines how culture has been addressed in existing ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation)…

Discussion of international collaboration focuses on two case studies, one of a graduate course and one a professional continuing education course, which examined participants' perceptions and use of technology. Data suggest that technology compatibility with cultural and work style preferences and technology infrastructure are more important than…

Presents a model of collaboration between psychologists and the African American church, discussing the connection between African psychology and religion, examining barriers to and strategies for collaboration between psychologists and the African American church, and describing the collaborative model called the African American Counseling Team.…

Reviews literature on (1) cultural validity of career assessment instruments with racial and ethnic minorities; (2) extent to which culture-specific variables influence career assessment; and (3) construction and validation of culture-specific measures. Finds more research on cultural validity than specificity and notes the need for more study of…

Factors influencing retention of African Americans in adult basic education include connection of learning and lived experiences, relevance, recognition of the value they place on education, and inclusion of polyrhythmic realities. The latter are learners' lived experiences within sociocultural, political, and historical contexts. (SK)

Examined the influence of systematic discussion of culturally salient content in family therapy on the engagement of African American adolescent males. Evaluation of videotaped psychotherapy sessions found that discussions of developmentally and culturally relevant content themes (anger/rage, alienation, respect, and journey to manhood) positively…

Paula Underwood's "Learning Stories" braid together body, mind, and spirit to enable understanding that does not easily unravel. They tell of relationships among individual and community learning that parallel other ancient and contemporary ideas about learning in caring communities. Underwood's tradition considers learning sacred; everyone's…

Intelligence cannot be fully or even meaningfully understood outside its cultural context. Work that seeks to study intelligence acontextually risks the imposition of an investigator's view of the world on the rest of the world. Moreover, work on intelligence within a single culture may fail to do justice to the range of skills and knowledge that…

Black men are vital and important members of American society, especially in their communities. Black families suffer a great loss when Black men are unable to thrive. Throughout modern American history, Black men have struggled to gain their footing and fulfill their destinies as strong, caring and productive members of society and their…

This community-based participatory research (CBPR) project utilized a mixed-methods survey design to identify urban (Tulsa, OK) American Indian (AI) strengths and needs. Six hundred fifty AIs (550 adults and 100 youth) were surveyed regarding their attitudes and beliefs about their community. These results were used in conjunction with other…

Cross-cultural validity of teacher immediacy scales is a constant concern in instructional communication research. The present study examines the validity of two existing teacher immediacy scales: the Revised Nonverbal Immediacy Measure (RNIM) and the Chinese Teacher Immediacy Scale (CTIS) in U.S., Chinese, German, and Japanese cultures. Results…

An estimated 5.2 to 7.8 million children with significant chronic health problems attend school every day in the United States requiring interventions in the school setting. A majority of these students will be from ethnic minority or low-income groups within two decades. Providing culturally competent interventions in schools is critical to…