Discusses J. R. Searle's theories about language, based on three works dating from 1969-95. Looks at the distinction made between constitutive rules and regulative rules of language use, his approach to analyzing speech acts, the view of language as a means of stating facts, and the role that our conception of science plays in Searle's theorizing.…

The context for learning, education, and arts has altered dramatically, as has the cultural environment for educators and those involved in artistic and creative activities. Several crucial developments have transformed the terrain of technology, education, art, and culture, profoundly affecting not only the social and political structure of…

Two or more types of suicide may be distinguished by a given culture. Gender differences in the cultural construction of suicide options are examined. Ethnographic and historical data from Native Americans of the Great Plains, Muslim societies in Southeast Asia, and tribal societies of the Amazon area are analyzed. (Author/EMK)

The role of gender and sociocultural factors in men's and women's suicidal behavior were studied. A retrospective case-note analysis compared sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of males and females admitted to a university hospital. Means and reasons for behavior are related to cultural factors, focusing particularly on the situation of…

This article uses a sociocultural framework to propose an expanded view of least restrictive environment. It focuses on the individual child in interaction with the social organization of specific activity settings rather than the physical location (regular or special education classroom), which can be either facilitating or restrictive in either…

Attempts to understand Vygotsky's perspective in relation to Marxist epistemology and critically examines the sociocultural interpretation of Vygotsky. Shows that the relativism of the sociocultural school not only takes Vygotsky's zone of proximal development out of its social and historical context, but downplays the zone of proximal development…

Describes an attempt to write and edit a series of stories, 'Science Web Reader,' which make good reading for pupils aged 11-13. Explores three aspects of story: the author identified as a person, the story as that person's thoughts, and the offering of a distinct point of view. (Author/MM)

The five chapters of this special issue provide insights into how Scandinavians understand evaluation practice. Although there is no "Scandinavian" perspective on evaluation, theory and practice in the Scandinavian countries unfold against sociocultural and intellectual influences that differ from those of the United States. (SLD)

Using a situated cognition framework, 24 vignettes of literacy practices were examined in 4 Canadian settings: community-based, workplace, family, and school-based literacy. Literacy researchers appear constrained by behaviorist, normative perspectives despite the shift toward humanist perspectives. (Contains 51 references.) (SK)

Surveys the main theoretical issue that a large class, more than small classes, makes salient: How much learning can take place in a class of 300, as opposed to a class of half a dozen learners. Discusses the effect of class size on learning and looks at class size as a sociocultural variable. (Author/VWL)

This article describes the history and continuing development of Vygotsky-inspired sociocultural theories (SCT) and their application in second and foreign language research. In particular, I emphasize the intellectual traditions out of which SCT emerged and the relation of SCT to other critical scholarship. The discussion includes long-standing…

This paper examines recent movements in the early childhood education literature that have began to relate sociocultural explanations for human development to the early childhood curriculum. The paper reports the findings from an investigation conducted to determine early childhood educators' conceptions of the curriculum and their understandings…

Relatively little research has examined factors that account for transitions between transtheoretical model (TTM) stages of change. The present study (N=787) used sociodemographic, TTM, and theory of planned behavior (TPB) variables, as well as theory-driven interventions to predict changes in stage. Longitudinal analyses revealed that…

Sport scientists have examined numerous factors influencing the acquisition and manifestation of high levels of performance. These factors can be divided into variables having a primary influence on expertise and variables that have a secondary influence through their interaction with other variables. Primary influences on expertise include…

This paper maintains that post Lave and Wenger VET has overlooked the relation between vocational curricula and workplace practice. The paper attributes this oversight to Kant's legacy in the "situated" tradition in VET and critics of that tradition. The paper argues that when Vygotsky's concept of mediation is allied to the recent work of Robert…