This paper offers a qualitative analysis of decisions of 64 community-college students in seeking a transfer in Hong Kong. In weighing a number of educational options and then offers, with a similar level of desirability in some cases, in order to achieve their transfers, advantaged-class and disadvantaged-class respondents struggled with…

There exists a social and educational bias against "practical" activities, and a corresponding snobbery that values theoretical, mainly linguistic intelligence. These misconceptions derive from a misunderstanding of Aristotelian ideas regarding creativity and rationality. (GC)

Examines dropouts from U.S. high schools, with particular attention to gender, social class, and race/ethnicity. Considers dropping out as a critique of education and labor market conditions and looks at the portrayal of dropouts in the popular, social science, and teacher preparation literature. Examines a group of dropouts in New York City.(CMG)

Proposes that literacy must be judged against social background. Analyzes the racial and social differences in the interpretations of a story by a working-class Black student, a working-class White student, and an upper-class White student. (FMW)

Cites pronounced gender differences in high school course enrollment. Proposes a framework for looking at course "choice" and explores the way course choices are embedded in the social organization of gender and class categories both inside and outside the school. (Author/GC)

Argues that second language learning is a form of enculturation that involves learning the perspectives and identities that a culture allows and values. Proposes that a language teacher is actually changing the cultural identity of the student. (FMW)

Considers the need to include gender in any consideration of job training programs. Summarizes recent studies of girls' experiences in schools and calls for a reconsideration of job training programs which will take into account the needs and experiences of girls as well as boys of varying class and race backgrounds. (CMG)

Examines the struggle between dominant and minority groups in terms of the use of language. Traces the development of literacy as a means of social control in the United States and England. Argues that linking literacy with standard language creates an effective form of ideological hegemony. (FMW)

Defines literacy as the control of secondary uses of language. Differentiates between the natural process of language acquisition and the formal process of language learning. Discusses the social conflict involved for the minority group student in the formal classroom setting. (FMW)

Examines how, in the 1920s, policymakers and teachers in Buffalo (New York) designed and implemented a stratified curriculum as an outgrowth of the school district's character training program. They emphasized academics in higher- and middle-socioeconomic status elementary schools and character training in lower-status schools. (Author/BJV)

Several early and contemporary theories of the role of play and make-believe are discussed. Studies which have examined the antecedents of social class differences in the young child's play are also explored and their implications for later development and education are analyzed. (Author/AM)

The hidden curriculum in schools affects students' behavior. Observations from over 60 classrooms show differences in the way students from various academic tracks and socioeconomic backgrounds react to ambiguous situations. The analysis demonstrates that teachers and schools maintain the socioeconomic status quo rather than working for a more…

Reviews anthropological studies and demonstrates how the term "literate" has replaced the term "civilized" and how literacy is currently used to distinguish between different social groups in modern, technological societies. Discusses how teachers of English are actually teaching a set of oral and written social practices associated with the…

Describes research demonstrating how a group of urban Black elementary school students were denied full access to literacy based on teacher assessments of their attitudinal displays as inappropriate, although they demonstrated literacy skills in peer and nonschool contexts. Argues that admission to literacy not acquisition of literacy was the…

Examines class and ethnic differences in narrative style. Reviews recent research and outlines the basic differences between White middle-class narrative and the styles of various cultural groups. Explicates some of the uses of narrative in educational research and deals specifically with the educational implications of narrative differences. (CMG)