The purpose of this paper was to examine the role of social Funds of Identity (FoI), as expressed in significant others, in the promotion of language learning for a young refugee-background child. It is based on an ethnographic study that spanned across two years, shortly after the relocation of the child and her family in the U.S. The findings…

This paper explores, through the lens of childhood, the Chinese cultural dynamics that encourage harmonious human relationships at the price of individual development and yet support a deep appreciation of natural human experiences that allows room for the development of individuality. The purpose of such investigation is to reexamine our cultural…

Metaphors influence one's perceptions and thinking, from fairly inconsequential concepts, to some of the most basic matters. A root metaphor is one that is foundational to other beliefs and conceptions. In this article, the author explores what she believes has become the dominant root metaphor of today's gifted youth. Here, she illustrates some…

Based on studies of girls' loss of voice and self-confidence in early adolescence, the author introduces a poetics of research grounded in feminist epistemology to explore why this happens and how women can recover their "courage"--to speak one's mind by telling all one's heart. (SK)

Examines Simmel's principle of cultivation whereby the cultivated mind is constructed through ongoing transactions of people with their cultural environment, cultural forms currently overlooked. Cultural forms result from externalizations of former person-culture transactions. Argues that development is structured through person-culture…

Critiques studies of moral development and culture in light of key assumptions of cultural psychology with regard to culturally mediated contexts, the coherence and complexity of cultures, and agency in a culturally grounded self. Argues that the challenge remains to retain concern with agency and context sensitivity, while giving weight to the…

Clarifies a reconceptualization of constructs of individualism, collectivism, independence, and interdependence which represents a departure from traditional conceptualization and a move away from understanding these constructs in dichotomous, stereotypical, and unidimensional terms. Discusses implications of this perspective for stereotyping…

Explicates the theoretical position that independence and interdependence are inseparable dimensions of self-development in all cultures and that self-development occurs through social interactions shaped by cultural values. Individualism-collectivism classify two multidimensional cultural value systems that shape different routes and goals of…

Asserts that dichotomous cultural templates such as independence and interdependence do not accurately reflect the complexity of social life and often result in stereotypic characterizations of social orientations of individuals and cultures. Discusses viewpoints that promote use of dichotomous labels, espouse dualities for some cultural aspects,…

How do people whose identities appear so deeply connected to the land they love engage in environmentally harmful activities? This paper explores this question, presenting selected research on children's moral relationships with nature and examining the boundaries of the moral domain to more precisely delineate relations between moral constructs.…

A framework is presented for analyzing discourse during parent-child interaction about moral matters, using speech genres and registers. This analysis considers social, cultural, and historical influences on moral development and locates the origins of moral sensibilities and differences in moral functioning in the discourse parents and children…

Examined U-shaped development of graphic symbolization in children and in nonartist and artist adults. Found that drawing scores of adult artists did not differ from those of youngest children and artist adolescents, with a developmental sequence in acquisition of the ability to construct referential connections underlying visual metaphors.…

Discusses responsibility of developmental scientists to convey the complexity of development lest oversimplified popular accounts gain credibility. Presents a model of development elaborating on the role of experience in relation to constitutional, cultural, economic, and social factors contributing to children's development. Discusses importance…

Replicated and extended American research on overt and relational aggression with Italian children. Found that peer and teacher nominations for aggression and prosocial behavior were highly stable, although with very poor concordance between them. Peer nominations for overt and relational aggression were linked to peer rejection. Boys' scores were…

Noting the need for further development of transnational and intercultural childhood and youth research communities of discourse in response to an emerging unified Europe, this volume presents the topics raised at the international conference "Growing Up in Europe" held at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in 1994. Following two…