Much of today's rural America will be the fastest growing part of the nation in the next half century. The spread of large cities and the creation of new ones, the addition of almost 30 million senior citizens, and immigration into rural areas are powerful forces contributing to the development of rural America. Rural areas are competitive in a…

Over the past 20 years, approaches to educational policy analysis have opened up to qualitative research methods and to sociocultural perspectives on schooling. This volume is a collection of studies that view educational policy from a variety of angles and at different levels of social life. It consists of 12 chapters: (1) "Are Pedagogical Ideals…

In Taiwan, traditional pedagogy and technique-oriented teaching methods have become too outdated to enable students to fight with a society full of complicated and confusing socio-cultural phenomena. An art education curriculum change is needed, and innovative art programs should be developed with careful consideration of the socio-cultural…

Demographic trends indicate that in the 21st century, second-language issues in early literacy development will remain a pressing concern. According to the 1990 U.S. census, over 6.3 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 spoke a language other than English at home (Crawford, 2001). This number has grown to over 9.7 million as estimated…

Argues for language tests based on a view of linguistic competence broad enough to recognize the importance of social-psychological factors in the use of language. Paper prepared for a conference on language testing at Idyllwild, California, November 7-8, 1968. (FWB)

Aspects of the French cultural attitude toward death are explored, with reference made to a survey of public opinion and a magazine article about recognition of the anniversary of Charles De Gaulle's death. Attitudes about privacy, ritual, and family behavior are highlighted. (MSE)

Three articles describe health programs in the People's Republic of China: (1) "Health Education in Schools" (Nicholas K. Iammarino); (2) "Health Care System and Nursing" (Veronica D. Feeg); and (3) "Family Planning Education" (Marian V. Hamburg). (CJ)

Research in sport sociology is discussed, especially those studies emphasizing the relationship between sports and class domination. The need for research that pays attention to the power relationships between men and women is pointed out. (PP)

Critiques traditional philosophical approaches to cognition and reality and compares them with contemporary notions derived from them. A position based on work of Crozier, Cazeneuve, and MacLuhan is argued for the key place of culture in explicating the universe of signs and in content and methodology of second language instruction. (AMH)

In an era of resource scarcity and diminished expectations, schools of education must make critical decisions about their degree programs in early childhood education. Reasons for de-emphasizing early childhood education should be balanced against its challenges and rewards. (FG)

A narrative account of what might occur the first day of a nuclear war is interspersed with facts about the nuclear arms race and about the destructive power of weapons already stockpiled in the United States and the Soviet Union. A plea is made for preserving civilization from such a catastrophe. (PP)

Investigated the extent of alcohol consumption among the educable mentally-retarded (EMR) as compared to their nonretarded peers, and identified social and demographic variables which relate to drinking behavior. Findings revealed that there was a more prevalent alcohol use among the nonretarded than the EMR students. (Author)

Analyzes the problems of multilingual societies, arguing that multilingualism will not hinder economic development and communication, provided that the requirements of the various regional sections and social strata are respected. Denounces foreign language dominance as an instrument of colonialism and advocates enrichment of local languages…

Discusses the possibilities for homeownership by female heads of household, taking into consideration recent demographic trends, income, sex discrimination, mortgage financing, and the continuing surge of housing costs and interest rates. Special federal housing programs are helping only a few women to purchase homes. (CT)

Describes a program that had as its goal the cultural integration of French-and-Spanish speaking Black populations in elementary and intermediate college language courses. Several activities of the project are discussed. The 15 teachers taught francophone and hispanophone cultural materials according to their respective textbook and classroom…