Reviews the making of the documentary, "Talk to Me: Americans in Conversation," and expands on some of the major themes. Filmmaker Andrea Simon interviewed people from all walks of life in an attempt to ascertain the defining characteristics of the nation. Includes a national listing of related events. (MJP)

Interviews with 32 Mexican-descent college students examined teacher actions in high school that had impacted students' academic success. Positive and negative teacher actions were described in the areas of cultural understanding, stereotypes, expectations of students, and exclusion from or inclusion in classroom activities. Recommendations for…

Stresses carefully planned preservice and inservice education for faculty to overcome negative past experiences and training and assume new leadership roles within community colleges. Describes characteristics of faculty alienation, including powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, self-estrangement, and outlines redefined roles…

A qualitative study examined the experiences of 10 mostly inexperienced, female teachers working in two isolated Native communities in northern Ontario. Findings focus on teachers' uncertainties about appropriate pedagogical goals, the relationship of teachers to First Nations communities, living in the North, cross-cultural and multicultural…

Traces the development of, and responses to, the sex/race analogy as a rhetorical strategy of the Women's Liberation Movement (WLM). Although originally conceived as a legitimating strategy, the analogy had serious flaws, especially for women of color. Nonetheless, the analogy remains popular, albeit, in a somewhat restructured form. (MJP)

The primary objective of a pilot study was to investigate the educational motivation of rural native Appalachian eighth grade females in terms of educational attitudes, educational decisions, and educational self-concept. Results from the study (sample size: 27) indicate strongly that female Appalachian adolescents, about to enter womanhood, do…

This study of school climate elicited from 12 American Indian ninth graders a sense of how they perceive their school. The inquiry does not examine the practices of teachers and administrators, but is concerned instead with statements made by the students themselves. A process of group questioning and continuous observation during group…

Multiple demands and pressures on teachers have increased instructor burnout, a state characterized by boredom, depression, envy, and physical and emotional fatigue. In response to the high incidence of burnout, teachers and professors may use a job diversification approach similar to one used in industry to combat boredom and monotony.…

A study was conducted to provide descriptive information about dropout rates by various subgroups, their reported reasons for dropping out, and some activities after leaving school. As part of the longitudinal study, High School and Beyond, the National Center for Education Statistics surveyed 30,000 sophomore and 28,000 senior high school…

The ongoing work life of four classes of elementary school children from relatively affluent families was examined for approximately 2 years by a participant observer/classroom teacher in an attempt to identify possible causes of student alienation, i.e., negative, unproductive or disruptive behaviors. Examples of such behaviors include hostility,…

The Utah Pupil/Teacher Self-Concept Program is designed to train teachers in the use of verbal behaviors that improve the self concept of students by replacing judgmental statements with positive descriptive messages. The program is based on a successful prototype used with elementary school teachers. Four individualized modules were developed to…

The paper describes the different types of cognitive, affective, and physical conditions that constitute a school's learning environment, and explains how the learning environment can create and aggravate deviant behavior in some students. One element of the American school structure is group instruction: groups of students are taught by a…

This study reports similarities and differences in perceptions of adolescent students toward selected conditions that characterize the curriculum of sampled alternative schools. Data were collected from students who were disconnected from alternative school environments and from students who were involved and productive in these settings. The…

This two-part learning module provides text and accompanying exercises to assist instructors in employing effective listening and communication techniques in response to students' programs and concerns. Part I describes the communication process between sender and receiver and discusses the process of active listening by which the instructor…

Black student alienation in liberal arts colleges is discussed. A study was conducted of eight four-year liberal arts colleges in the Midwest. Respondents included 267 black students, nearly 60% of all black students enrolled. A standard alienation scale measured feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, cultural estrangement,…