Formal definitions are one example of "decontextualized" language use, in which reliance on background knowledge shared with the interlocutor is minimized, and use of conversational devices is avoided. Definitions of English nouns by 137 second- to fifth-grade children, about half of whom were non-native English speakers, were analyzed…

To assist state policy makers, six papers and five brief reactions discuss the elementary and secondary educational needs and expectations of six minority groups: blacks, Mexican Americans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, American Indians and Native Alaskans, and Asians and Pacific Islanders. An introductory summary notes that the educational needs usually…

Intended to promote mutual understanding and communication between Colombia and the United States, this lexicon shows how the two countries differ in their perceptions and evaluations of dominant themes and issues. The associative group analysis method was used in the study. One hundred American and 100 Colombian undergraduate students were…

Brief analyses are provided of presentations at a conference, held at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, which addressed questions and answers relating to research and education. Conference sessions explored the role of research in relation to educational practices with special focus on theory, research, issues, and application. Papers…

Research indicates Native American children view themselves more negatively than their Anglo counterparts and many self-concept enhancement techniques attempted with Indian pupils fail because they have been predicated on Anglo behavior patterns such as self-praise, teacher praise, popularity, and self-pride programs or competition, personal…

An examination was made of what determined women's opportunities to participate in the United States labor force from 1940 to 1978. Using a model drawn from ecological and competition theory, the data examined suggest that the expansion of the economy, the relative proportion of women in the population, female tertiary education, and governmental…

Perceived negative aspects of teaching in rural areas, including personal and professional isolation, multiple subject preparation, etc., provide barriers to effective recruitment and retention of quality teachers. The predicted shortage of teachers will likely have a significant impact on an already competitive market for high quality, rural…

A study examined student and teacher perceptions of consumer and homemaking tasks needed and taught in secondary home economics classes in order to determine if any significant differences existed among the perceptions of male students, female students, and teachers. Of the 12,242 surveys that were mailed to Louisiana high school graduates of…

Offering a variety of perspectives, the articles in this book are intended for those who teach reading and writing; those who make policy influencing what is taught, how, and to whom; and those individuals who would influence the influential. The 18 articles are grouped into four sections: "Literacy, Politics, and Policies"; "Forms of Literacy";…

Drawing from both research and practice, the articles in this collection address a number of issues related to the reading and writing connection. The 24 articles are grouped into five sections: "Reading, Writing, and Thinking"; "The Parts and the Whole"; "Reading for Writing"; "Contexts for Literacy"; and…

The report briefly outlines the population characteristics, public employment and political representation status of the Chaves, Curry, Eddy, Lea, and Roosevelt counties in southern New Mexico for a 10-year period. The three sections of each profile focus on the county government, largest city in that county, and school district encompassing that…

Because Japanese society has traditionally emphasized the group rather than the individual, less research has been done to understand how Japanese culture conceptualizes the individual and how that individual develops within the society. This paper focuses on the individual in Japanese society. Following an introduction (Section I), Section II…

This report summarizes findings of an evaluation of Head Start health services. Chapter one presents an overview of the background of the evaluation project. Chapter two highlights findings for the major evaluation questions. These questions focus specifically on children's health status prior to entry into Head Start, health services subsequently…

As part of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program effort, the conference explored the impact of high blood pressure (hypertension) on Native Americans. Participants, including health professionals, health service consumers, and volunteers providing health services to Native Americans, discussed these issues: traditional Native American…

Entrepreneurship courses commonly use various kinds of group work, cooperative learning, study circles and study teams. A major challenge of this pedagogy is the unbiased grading of group members based on the accountability of individual performances. This paper provides an approach to using student peer assessment to provide feedback on…