Efforts to globalize higher education have resulted in study abroad climbing to an all-time high in the United States. Amidst this growth, emergent bodies of literature have uncovered problematic trends in study abroad that reproduce hierarchies of power and colonialism, perpetuate views of an exotic cultural "other," and privilege…

The development of college students' civic identity is understudied, but worthy of attention because of its salience to many students and higher education's commitment to fostering an engaged citizenry. Using 45,271 participants from the 2009 Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, this study uses structural equation modeling to explore…

This paper explores the identity and the social/political behaviour of Russians in post-Soviet Central Asia through a comparison with the Baltic countries via a "hot and cold ethnicity" paradigm. Central Asian Russians are more likely, ceteris paribus, to be found at the "cold" end of the spectrum of "ethnic…

This handbook presents a wide range of research on adults who have low literacy skills. It looks at the cognitive, affective, and motivational factors underlying adult literacy; adult literacy in different countries; and the educational approaches being taken to help improve adults' literacy skills. It includes not only adults enrolled in adult…

Transformative learning theory (TLT) describes the process of reframing discriminative worldviews with a more permeable and reflective epistemology. Although TLT has been around for more than 50 years, few studies empirically engage critical theoretical frameworks to move beyond personal learning to identify the impacts of transformation on…

Credit cards have swept through almost every social class and all ages in Hong Kong. This paper attempts to provide a preliminary analysis of the possible impact of credit cards on individuals and their families in Hong Kong. A literature review reveals that Hong Kong people, while enjoying the freedom and convenience of "plastic money,"…

A sample of 1123 young people in Hong Kong responded to a number of statements concerning family norms. Data suggest that with regard to relationships between husband and wife, and parents and children, views are more consonant with the norms of the Western conjugal family than the traditional Chinese family. (Author)

Analyzes assumptions about individualism and conformity in American social commentary from the 1920s and 1970s. Suggests that individualism primarily involved self-expression and rebellion against society's restrictions in the 1920s, but had become a matter of self-absorption and quest for self-development by the 1970s. Contains 117 references.…

Analyzes the major patterns of change within historical social and political systems and the cultural conditions which account for variations in the patterns. The purpose is to provide a theoretical framework for analyzing the relationship between ideas or culture and social structure. (KC)

This paper examines changes in social attitudes toward preschool institutional care in the Czech Republic over the last 50 years and discusses whether the present economic situation enables Czech families to decide which type of preschool care to choose for their children. The historic period is divided into two time periods for analysis: (1) the…

In order to determine West German rural youths' involvement in and availability to the mechanism of social change, surveys of youth aged 17-28 in towns of less than 5,000 people were made in 1955, 1968, and 1980. Between 1955 and 1980 the social structure of rural youth changed dramatically, especially in employment. In 1955, 55% of rural youth…

The first part of this publication contains detailed presentations on the subject of planning in education for Norway, The Netherlands, and the United States; a summary of the educational planning program for 18 OECD countries; a commentary on the substitution of teacher input by "other resources" input; and a description of the Educational Policy…

This article argues that the academic tradition of college faculty resembles a religion that, like many others, does not question its faith. The restructuring of many campus institutions is forcing higher education to reexamine how it does business, and like other religions being forced to adapt to change, the academy is resisting. (MSE)

A replication of the 1920 Lynd study of everday life in Middletown, a typical America community, is presented. Data reveal that while Middletown did experience rapid change between 1890 and 1920 as the Industrial Revolution swept through middle America, there has been a significantly slower rate of change since then. (Author/RM)

This report provides comparisons among the social indicator reports of seven countries including Canada, France, Great Britain, Japan, Norway, the United States, and West Germany. The purpose of social indicator research in each country is to provide a means for developing more adequate answers to the questions over present and emerging social…