Addresses the need for a more clearly articulated research agenda on equity issues by proposing a working definition of equity and a focal point for research. Suggests that the place that holds the most promise for addressing equity is a research agenda that emphasizes enabling the practice of teachers that draws more heavily on design-based and…

Presents an autobiographical account of the long-term learning experience with English in different linguistic and sociocultural contexts. The account indicates a close relationship between communication needs and learning strategies adopted in different sociocultural contexts. (Author/VWL)

Summarizes key findings from a previous review of reading research in which the author charted a paradigm shift in content area reading research from strategy validation studies in the 1980s to qualitative studies aimed at understanding sociocultural dimensions in teaching and learning. Comments on issues presenting themselves now, at the outset…

Learning in cyberspace requires participation, motivation, and self-direction; it can be a transformative experience. The context of online learning has an interactive dimension (situated cognition, reflective practice) and a structural dimension (the impact of sociocultural factors on learning). (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

Studied operationalization of sociocultural competence for classroom learners and explored the benefit to learners of explicit training in strategies for coping with social and cultural situations. Includes a taxonomy of sociocultural strategies, description of explicit strategy training developed for a Russian English-as-a-Foreign-Language…

Describes a lesson plan from Metro's environmental planning and transportation curriculum called 'Planning for a Livable Future'. Focuses on activities in which students speculate about necessary structure, imagine the cultural and environmental changes, and design and draw structures to meet the needs of the future population. (Author/KHR)

Explores the influences of the telecollaborative learning environment on the development of second language (L2) pragmatic competence in foreign language learning from a sociocultural perspective. Focuses on "microgenesis," or development of the T/V distinction in pronouns of address as a test case representative of broader L2 pragmatic…

Described is the need for the development of innovative continuous programs that reach minority students at an early age. The importance of mentors for minority students is stressed at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Reasons for the underrepresentation of minorities in the sciences and engineering are discussed. (KR)

Discusses what traditional science encompasses and what a science of values might encompass. Presents the shortcomings inherent in the traditional scientific approach by discussing phenomena that illustrate how values of individuals can be created and destroyed by certain kinds of experiences. Examines economic imperialism and changing means-ends…

Examines relationship between school size and achievement. Correlates size and achievement factors, controlling for correlated variables. Finds no relationship between enrollment and achievement levels. Links academic achievement to percentages of Title I and ethnic students. Suggests academic achievement related to socioeconomic factors and…

Examined attitudes of ambivalence and hostility toward children by drawing on a random sample of 600 couples in the early years of marriage. Based on a scale that measured perceived advantages and disadvantages of children, results showed that several alienation variables were associated with negative attitudes toward children, while several…

Investigated gender differences in the likelihood of remarriage after divorce in Japan and the United States. Compared the sex ratio of the currently divorced with the sex ratio of the currently married to suggest that Japanese women are disproportionately disadvantaged by divorce, relative to American White women of the same age. (TE)

Analyzes assumptions about individualism and conformity in American social commentary from the 1920s and 1970s. Suggests that individualism primarily involved self-expression and rebellion against society's restrictions in the 1920s, but had become a matter of self-absorption and quest for self-development by the 1970s. Contains 117 references.…

Examines some of the problems that make teaching about the intersection of race, class, and gender difficult. Focuses on why there exists a problem of convincing students that racism, sexism, and consideration of class continue to be powerful forces in creating the kind of lives people lead. (KO)

Reports on age differences in work commitment and work values among 4,567 American and 3,735 Japanese manufacturing employees. Indicates greater work commitment among older Japanese men, American men, and American women, compared to younger counterparts, and less emphasis on the importance of good pay among older Japanese men. Contains 49…