Responding to questionnaires, 983 Canadian high school and university students revealed the following reasons why their peers are unemployed: (1) work values; (2) business/government job creation; (3) educational system; (4) luck/contacts; (5) immigrants/women taking jobs; and (6) work experience/interview skills. These explanations are shaped by…

Reviews three volumes which provide considerable material on the cultural, economic, psychological, and social factors which affect Black and White women and their families: "Common Differences: Conflicts in Black and White Feminist Perspectives" (Joseph and Lewis); "The Black Woman Cross-Culturally" (Steady); and…

This study used a Vygotskian perspective to compare child rearing values and beliefs of parents, especially in regard to self-directed activities of children, in the United States, Russia, and Estonia. Participating were 60 families, evenly divided by society and social class (middle or working class), each with a child between 28 and 45 months…

Differential language development and preparation for school among young children of different racial and social groups has been asserted for decades. A study focused on mother-child interaction in two common activities: reading children's books and telling narratives about both shared and unshared experiences. A socially diverse group of 46…

The present study was a cross-sectional examination of the causes of adolescent participation in risky behaviors, using a diverse sample of adolescents from a Midwestern state. This research compared the relative effects of a traditional explanation of deviant behavior, differential association theory, with a modern derivative, nonsocial…

To combat the HIV epidemic, health service providers and public health professionals must use the best possible science and proven program models to reach and influence HIV-positive individuals and others at high risk of becoming infected. The large number and complexity of approaches that are necessary to institute and maintain HIV prevention…

Examined autonomy and individuation levels within financial, residential, romantic, and family formation domains among 17- to 27-year-olds in a community-based longitudinal study. Found that subgroup differences related to family socioeconomic status, parental divorce, gender, or race were not generally attributable to educational enrollment. Both…

Used qualitative and quantitative methods to examine how 40 Japanese mothers from working-class and middle-class backgrounds supported their child's transition to first grade. Found that mothers reported higher self-efficacy if they had one child, if their child was a boy, and if they had memories of being more frequently rejected by their own…

Reports the results of a reanalysis of data from a major longitudinal database on school effectiveness. Finds the existence of differential effectiveness for prior measures of mathematics and reading achievement. Also finds marked differences in schools' rank positions and discusses the implications for the assessment of Britain's National…

Contends that social studies teachers must encourage young citizens to appreciate that diversity is one of the nation's strengths. Maintains that quality literature has an important role to play in achieving this goal. Provides a bibliographic essay on 19 trade books divided into 3 age-group categories. (CFR)

Focuses on ways that the present colonial or postcolonial status of societies in Tonga influences the relationship between traditional and Western forms of schooling. The impact of having been a former colonized people incorporated into a colonizing nation is most apparent in the study of Hawaiian preschool education. (SLD)

Describes factors creating information gaps between different sectors of Nigerian society. These include illiteracy; ineffective government policy; inadequate funds, staff, and information resources; lack of coordination; and inefficient publishing. A National Commission on Information is proposed, and its function and organization are described.…

Describes socioeconomic status and ethnic differences in school readiness and the educational practices needed to boost early achievement in less ready students. Emphasizes access to literacy experiences, better teacher preparation and support, and integration of special services in high-quality classroom instruction. Asserts that teacher quality…

Research literature suggests that adults from working-class minority backgrounds demonstrate authoritarian and coercive tendencies in their choices of disciplinary strategies when compared with adults from middle-class, "white", "Anglo", or "North American" backgrounds. However, in a recent study in New York City,…

When and where did we learn to stop caring about rodent feces in a child's classroom? This essay is a lamentation, delivered as opening remarks at a gathering of educators concerned about access to a rich and relevant curriculum for all children. The reality of public education in the growing portion of the United States that is not wealthy, is of…