As the authors, a Midwestern American educational administration professor and a Middle Eastern Iraqi doctoral candidate, have continued to interact over the past 3 years, both have come to appreciate the importance of increasing their tolerance for ambiguity--ambiguities in examining cultural, linguistic, and religious customs and complexities in…

In this article, the author talks about the growing pattern of migration experiences for professional people and the impact these have on the well-being of the family as a whole and individual family members who reside outside their home countries for prescribed periods of time. It is easy to argue that the experiences of such families are far…

In this essay, Joe Robert Gonzalez describes the process of his own growth as a Mexican American from Brownsville, Texas, who attended Villanova University. Coming from a majority-minority town, Gonzalez identifies the importance of safe spaces for Mexican American youth, many of whom doubt their own potential to thrive within university settings.…

Bullying. Death. Disabilities. Peer acceptance. Cultural differences. Adoption. Sibling rivalry... These are some of the unfortunate realities and personal challenges that children experience and must deal with on a daily basis. Library media specialists are frequently asked to suggest books teachers can use to give children insight into…

Outlines the crisis-engendering tensions and the main stages of youth identity formation through the history of Israel. Details the historical, political, and psychological origins of identity crises among Israeli youth and the coping styles they have developed. (RDN)

Jennifer James cites our society's unwillingness to take care of children, the multiracial nature of student populations, and parents' increased demands on schools as primary issues. School leaders must be skilled at communicating the school's value system to parents, while showing empathy and negotiating an acceptable agreement. Vision is the key…

This paper provides a critical analysis of African American adolescents who achieve academically and explores the coping strategies these individuals employ to achieve academic success. It is hypothesized that African American adolescents achieve because they possess intrinsic values such as persistence and patience, or perhaps they are socialized…

Considers American Indian victimization in terms of the theoretical bases of structural determinants, interactional determinants, and culture contact and labeling. Discusses Robert K. Merton's adaptations to stress and urges their extension. Traces the author's life journey in trying to understand the nature of coercion by the dominant culture as…

Reported at a symposium generally concerned with values and adolescents are discussions of (1) socialization issues and the impact of values on adolescents, and (2) dimensions of Asian youths' confrontation with the problem of modernization. In the first study (by Jan de Witt), the conceptual shift in socialization research to a focus on…

Conceptions of learning and preferred learning approaches have been suggested to vary cross-culturally. The extent to which learning is "student-centred" or "teacher-centred" also appears subject to cultural variation. This has led some to conclude that particular cultures exhibit learning preferences more suited to distance…

Considers the extended African-American family, beginning with a historical perspective of the nuclear family and other family arrangements. The importance of the group rather than the individual for African-American culture is explored. Analyses of the function of the extended family indicate its role in adaptation and survival. (SLD)

Protective factors, needed for personal resilience, vary from culture to culture. Resilience in Native Americans is examined via an interview with a Native American social worker who quit her job over an ethical conflict. The interplay of self-concept, family, and culture in young people's development of protective factors is examined.…

This commentary on the Council for Exceptional Children-Council on Education of the Deaf's (CEC-CED's) Joint Knowledge and Skills Statement, which sets forth qualifications needed by those who teach deaf and hard of hearing students, discusses key issues impacting the education of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing: cultural flexibility,…

This article discusses three issues concerning the field of psychology: modern psychology and its definition of mental health; Japanese ideology and its definition of mental health; and applicability of Western methods of psychotherapy to other cultures. There are at least two different definitions of good mental health and most psychotherapies in…

The evolving role of work in society and the factors driving emerging trends in work were examined to assist career development practitioners in helping individuals deal with life-role balance. Donald Super's life-space theory was presented as a framework for adult career development and used as a backdrop for discussing how adults can crystallize…