Proposes a framework for analyzing the relationships between social structure, patterns of artistic consumption and production, and the classification of artistic genres. Societies' artistic classification systems vary along four dimensions: differentiation, hierarchy, universality, and boundary strength. These are affected by social structure…

Program evaluations outside North America are described in five papers. A social intervention and evaluation program in Shanghai, differences between social science research in the United States and Ireland, program evaluation in Africa, an assessment of health promotion/disease prevention programs in Europe, and a cross-cultural perspective on…

Paper considers some of the problems facing the researcher interested in patterns of abilities as revealed by a discussion of the Lesser studues (1971), presentation of reanalyses of their data, and a critical review of the research. (Author/CB)

Presents a personalized account of cross-cultural communication and its problems through the experiences of an individual born in Korea, raised in Japan, and attending college in Canada. (RB)

Comments on a previous articles in this issue regarding suggestions for future research in the area of anger. Argues we have neglected to address the sociocultural context of anger and therefore need to conduct cross-cultural analyses. (KW)

This paper reviews how sociocultural theory conceptualizes teaching and learning, fundamental constructs of the theory and methodology, and basic guidelines for discourse analysis. It applies these concepts to three research areas: the social construction of disability, contingent instruction between adults and learners, and miscommunication…

Switzerland's multilingual and multicultural image as an exemplary model of successful cohabitation and conflict management gives a misleading static impression of harmonious intercultural relations. The highly complex Swiss society faces challenges from the coalition of cultural and linguistic entities that live beside, rather than with, one…

Examines the far-reaching cultural implications of a kind of writing not usually deemed culturally significant--school assignments. Studies 44 papers written in 1898 by senior class members of the Platteville Normal School in southwestern Wisconsin assigned to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Wisconsin's statehood. Examines the cultural…

This study relates parenting of 3-month-old children to children's self-recognition and self-regulation at 18 to 20 months. As hypothesized, observational data revealed differences in the sociocultural orientations of the 3 cultural samples' parenting styles and in toddlers' development of self-recognition and self-regulation. Children of…

Much research on reading and writing in schools continues to focus on individual cognitive skills. In contrast, investigations of literacy-learning in out-of-school settings have often taken a socio-cultural perspective, situating reading and writing in social relations and cultural institutions. The last 20 years have seen a proliferation of…

This paper examines universalism and particularism in the context of following traffic rules and cross-cultural communication in Taiwanese and U.S. adults. A universalist culture such as the United States emphasizes rules; the particularist culture of Taiwan emphasizes relationships. Universalists follow the rules no matter what; particularists…

As a multidisciplinary approach, Appalachian studies may provide insights for understanding the context of education in the region. Appalachia is marginal to the official centers of political, economic, and cultural power in the South just as the South is marginal to the core of official power in the United States. In both cases the result is…

Instructional materials for use in the U.S. Foreign Service Institute's Russian language training program are based on the diary of a fictional foreign service officer stationed in Moscow. The materials, written in both English and Russian, are organized as chapters in the diary. A quiz accompanies each chapter and focuses on the influence of…

The El Paso study was directed toward the identification and analysis of cultural and social factors, their variation and magnitude among Spanish-speaking families and their school age children. The premise was that cultural and social variations do exist within as well as between social groupings. A stratified selection technique was employed to…

The effects of ethnicity appear to occur along a historically determined continuum which reflects the social, legal, economic, and occupational conditions of the European countries from which American ethnic groups emigrated. (Author)