Data from nine representative U.S. population samples in the General Social Survey data file for 1974 through 1990 confirm systematic declines in verbal scores for cohorts born after World War II, with the trend beginning earlier. The importance of social change must be acknowledged in trend analysis. (SLD)

Examines implications for educational policy formation of Hong Kong's 1997 return to China. Discusses the economic interdependence of Hong Kong and China; the potential for educational policy to reconcile or heighten the contradictions among capitalism, socialism, and patriotism; and the crisis of cultural identity among Hong Kong youth. (SV)

Discussion of technical/vocational education in Portugal looks at the system's recent history, characteristics, and the influences of class stratification and industrial demand. Recommendations include reform in college/university admissions policy, universal exposure to technical/vocational education, specialized training for economic…

Key institutional, social, and psychological factors that may be visible or invisible barriers to women and ethnic minorities seeking academic careers are examined, drawing on recent literature. Recommendations for change at the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and graduate levels are offered. (MSE)

Discusses an interactive approach to teaching a year-long, holistic introductory course that integrates anthropology with sociology. The course incorporates a number of specific techniques for eliciting student participation and is premised on the philosophy that mental engagement is especially appropriate in sciences that deal with reflexive…

The San Francisco State University (California) experience with a federally funded community-outreach program suggests universities are well-suited for certain partnership roles (convener, planner, capacity-builder) but not for others. True university-community partnerships must be built on mutual respect, equal status, and give-and-take;…

Argues for a redefinition of terms and reconsideration of methodology in research on language attitudes, suggesting that mentalistic definitions of attitudes be replaced with social ones and experimentation using the matched-guise technique be replaced by discourse-analytic research. A qualitative study on Finnish college student attitudes toward…

Surveys television cartoons for preschoolers to analyze how they present the female gender. Finds that infant, shrew, eccentric, mother, frump, vamp, and twin role models dominate; argues that these stereotypes limit children's imagination of other possibilities. Notes that the repertoire of female characters seems to have become more…

Suggests that, to provide effective guidance in developing competent speakers of English, it is necessary to examine the factors affecting adult learners' oral communication, components underlying speaking proficiency, and specific skills or strategies used in communication. (Author/VWL)

Summarizes a wealth of recent information concerning the effects of electronic mass media on the socialization of young people. Argues that significant changes have occurred in both the pervasiveness of the effects of mass media and the nature of the relationship between that and other socializing factors.(MJP)

Analysis of data from the National Education Longitudinal Study supported the thesis that rural adolescents' disadvantages with regard to certain family and school resources and resulting low investments in education explain rural deficits in both educational attainment and standardized achievement. (Contains 67 references.) (Author/SV)

A study explored the perceptions of 13 female Korean professors in 3 Korean universities concerning the careers of Korean academic women. Analysis focused on the experience of Western-trained women in securing faculty positions in Korean universities, workload and responsibilities of women faculty, and impact of personal lives and social roles on…

Examined amount of variability of contact 5 ethnic groups (n=284) had with other groups at Oregon State University, and the relationship between contact and comfort. Results showed contact responses followed demographic composition of the student body. All groups reported comfort with each other, but statistical differences were noted. Comfort and…

Examines the dialogic nature of educational practices, by studying how local speech genres in two diverse communities influence teachers' descriptions of their practice and the children with whom they work. Argues that the meanings attached to the way students are viewed are generated within a community and have profound implications for the way…

Discusses how social trends changed father involvement and family life, and in turn affected children's and fathers' developmental trajectories. Examines how today's children will construct expectations about fathers' and mothers' roles. Maintains that a life-span approach considers the broader sociohistorical context in which fatherhood develops.…