This study reviewed six history textbooks widely used in grades 7-12 across the U.S. Using a story-line analysis, the findings of this study suggest: (1) textbooks reinforce negative stereotypes of Latin Americans as lazy, passive, irresponsible, and, somewhat paradoxically, lustful, animalistic and violent; (2) the method of description employed…

This bibliography is the first part of an update of the "Western European Dissertations on the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Languages and Literatures: A Retrospective Index (1984)," which lists 6,050 dissertations from the early 19th century through 1980. Twenty universities on the Iberian Peninsula granted approximately half of the total…

The importance of using culturally authentic materials in foreign language instruction is discussed within the context of national calls for American students to understand other cultures. A brief report on a summer institute for Spanish teachers is presented. Participants studied the teaching of culture, some tenets of U.S. culture for awareness…

Findings from a study of the status of Hispanic Americans in South Minneapolis (Minnesota) are presented. Data are from interviews with 34 individuals identified as knowledgeable about the conditions of Latinos in Minneapolis, 4 focus group meetings with an additional 46 community residents, and information from published sources about the size…

The report describes an experiment for increasing retention of foreign language vocabulary by using multiple intelligence approaches and memory enhancement tools. The targeted population was approximately 100 seventh- and eighth-grade Latin students. Student difficulty with vocabulary retention had been ascribed to the teacher's emphasis on…

Identity formation is a process in which successive identifications with parents, siblings, peers, teachers, folk heroes, and cultural groups are synthesized into a coherent, consistent, and unique whole. This study reports the case of a 13 year old female, Jane, of mixed Latino and European American heritage who was admitted for long-term…

An approach based on sociolinguistic theory is reported that was devised to describe the way written language operates in the different domains that make up the everyday lives of a given group of people. The approach involves the practices that the people use to deal with written language, and the perceptions (uses, beliefs, attitudes) they have…

This text, intended for Peace Corps volunteers, aims to train them in the Spanish linguistic and communicative skills they will need to perform their specialized tasks effectively and expeditiously. The text contains two sections. The first is a series of units to be used by all students and is designed to teach basic grammatical structures and…

A guide for teachers developing a high school Latin curriculum provides a rationale, structure, and method for course planning at four difficulty levels. The approach is based on seven subject matter goals and specific instructional objectives for each, which are appended. The goals are: to help students (1) understand simple Latin syntax; (2)…

The status of women viewed against the background of the United Nations Decade for Women is examined with emphasis on the world context, the Latin American context, and the context of rural women in the region. It describes attempts at categorization of rural women in Latin America based on the main types of agricultural economy in the region and…

Prepared to support the efforts of a series of international conferences on the economic and social status of women, this report focuses on Latin American and Caribbean issues and reviews conference directives and goals. Calling attention to the difficulties relating to the evaluation of the status of women, the report mentions the political and…

Differences in the incidence and duration of unemployment among Hispanic men and between Hispanics and Anglos were analyzed statistically. The investigation found that Hispanics were far more likely to be unemployed one or more times in 1975 than were Anglos. Differential treatment played a significant role in the higher unemployment of Hispanics,…

The history and rationale for entry and exit tests devised to meet Pennsylvania's standards for certifying foreign language teachers are outlined and discussed. The involvement of the Educational Testing Service in developing and validating tests in a variety of subject areas is described, and the need for institutional rather than standardized…

Five studies on the situation of women in Latin America focus on (1) the integration of women in development, (2) the family as the immediate social framework of children and women, (3) some types of poor women in Latin America, (4) the educational situation of women, and (5) women in development and housework. An introductory section outlining…

A study was made of language attitudes of suburban middle class high school students with special reference to French, German, Spanish, and Latin. Of the 621 subjects chosen for the study, 82 had never had any foreign language learning experience. Two types of questionnaires were given, one to those who had studied foreign language and the other…