The New Jersey Education Consortium (NJEC) conducted a series of training workshops designed to (1) help teachers exhibit behavior in the classroom that communicates respect for differences among students and (2) describe some key areas of cultural dissonance between teacher and learning and demonstrate specific behavior to lessen the dissonance.…

This seminar paper explores the relationship between technology and society, based on the position that man has not developed a social system that gives adequate guidance to technology. The hypothesis is that if technology has no priority, then it has no purpose. Talcott Parsons' concepts of functional imperatives and pattern variables are…

A survey of 113 medical schools examined whether sociocultural issues in the treatment of minority group patients were considered in their curricula. Inclusion of factors such as different value systems, attitudes, early experiences, and economic and ethnic backgrounds and their influence upon the delivery of health care services to minority…

Presents findings on public attitudes toward educational policies pursued by the Reagan Administration from the 1987 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll. It is a 13-page report with statistical data and an explanation of how the research was conducted. (MD)

Europe and America share a host of similar rural problems but not a common approach to solving them. Social and political differences make it unlikely that we can easily adopt European programs, but observing the similarities can help us understand the global nature of rural development issues. (JHZ)

This paper summarizes the main results of a meta-evaluation of innovative education programs in Dutch education. Attention is focused on contextual influences, while a case is made for prudent and feasible ways of "rational reconstruction" and for an acitve evaluation policy aimed at overcoming contextual constraints. (LMO)

Demonstrates how nonnative varieties of English are distinct from interlanguages or approximate systems of "established" varieties of English. Two strategies are examined: (1) the generalization of rules found in the established varieties of English and (2) the transfer into English of linguistic features from learners' other languages.…

It is time to free urban education from the standards of rural, agrarian America. Urban education must reflect modern family structures, utilize school buildings to a fuller extent, reflect more autonomy for schools in individual communities, and expand bilingual programs. In short, schools should become the new "settlement houses" for urban…

Known as Middletown since Robert and Helen Lynd studied it in 1924, Muncie, like every other U.S. community studied during that period, turned out to be obsessed with the idea of social class. Recently researchers have found in Muncie some tendency toward the disappearance of a preoccupation with social class. (RM)

These reflections emerging from the Food and Agriculture Organization's long involvement in communication for development focus on lack of physical communication infrastructures accommodating development work; human dimension; more systematic media use; use of educational radio and portable video recorders; political considerations; and need for…

Exclusion, hatred, and injustice have caused much pain in U.S. society. Teacher educators are faced with a formidable challenge as they strive to present equality of opportunity through education. In order to meet the needs of a diverse student population, teachers must be able to recognize, understand, and celebrate differences. Incorporating the…

Anglo-Nigerian Pidgin (ANP), the principal lingua franca of intercultural communication in multiethnic Nigeria, has no recognition as an official language but has penetrated the print and electronic media, especially in southern Nigeria. A survey in six urban centers in southern Nigeria, part of a larger study, investigated the status,…

This introduction to sociolinguistics is presented in four parts. The first part gives an overview of this branch of language study, its scope and principles of inquiry, and its basic and key concepts. This portion is written for individuals with no prior knowledge or expertise in the subject. Topics covered in this section include: the nature of…

This book examines the cultural universal of leisure time and recreation from a multicultural perspective. The text is written for juveniles and includes many color photographs. Chapters include: (1) "People At Play"; (2) "The Americas"; (3) "Africa"; (4) "Europe and the Middle East"; (5) "Asia"; and (6) "Australia and the South Pacific." The…

The influences of culture and political status on the schooling experiences and educational attainment of African Americans are explored. The influences of culture and political status on educational research regarding African Americans are also discussed. Traditional learning environments, including public schools, have emphasized the cultural…