Patterns of instructional television use in elementary and secondary school classrooms in Japan indicate heavy use in elementary schools and diminished use in secondary schools. Factors that contribute to this phenomenon are discussed, including school environment, sociocultural patterns, educational philosophy, and teacher training. (MBR)

Discusses several conditions that hamper the application of distance education in Kenya and describes three distance education programs that have been planned and executed since 1980 to illustrate what is presently being achieved. Programs include an inservice course for primary school teachers, a foundation course for adult literacy, and a…

Three factors central to the development of modern attitudes toward childhood are awareness that children and adults differ, the definition of women's primary role as maternal, and the increasingly complex demands made on adults. The combined pressures of feminism and the accessibility of broadcast media are changing these factors significantly.…

Compares two Rockefeller Foundation efforts to further the advanced professional education of prospective faculty members of Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, and National University, Zaire. Emphasizes the contrasts between the two efforts and the diversity among developing nations. Notes the effects of the sociopolitical-cultural environment…

This article asserts that psychology has corrupted the teacher education process and that teacher education must emphasize the cultural and sociological aspects of schools. Suggestions for renewing schools as sites for pre- and in-service education and professional development are discussed. (DF)

Compares the performance of Black, Hispanic, and Anglo students on a story unscrambling task to determine if sociocultural differences in story schemata affect reading comprehension. Shows some effects suggesting that the three groups have somewhat different strategies for choosing initial and final sentences and for making narratives coherent.…

The purpose of this presentation is to encourage college teachers of writing, inside and outside Appalachia, to look at dialect-based errors in a more expansive way even as they help students to make better choices about standard usage. The discussion, which is presented within the context of a socio-cultural perspective on bias in perceptions of…

Monitoring the Future is an ongoing program of research intended to assess the changing lifestyles, values, and preferences of American youth. This publication, from the occasional paper series, describes a study that monitors drug use and potential explanatory factors among American secondary school students, college students, and young adults.…

This book is a collection of 25 essays that explore what communities will look like in the future. They include: "Introduction: Civilizing the City" (Peter F. Drucker); (1) "The Paradox and Promise of Community" (Margaret J. Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers); (2) "Economic Community and Social Investment" (Lester C. Thurow); (3) "The…

Individuals, organizations, and communities constantly engage in change. A theory of change and how one can become a change agent are presented in this guidebook. The text is based on a theory of change and resolution that has been tested over a period of 20 years. It offers effective strategies of change and tools for implementing these changes,…

This book examines the cultural universal of education from a multicultural perspective and a time dimension. The text is written for juveniles, and includes many color photographs. Chapters include: (1) "What is Education?"; (2) "The Americas"; (3) "Africa"; (4) "Europe and the Middle East"; (5) "Asia"; and (6) "Australia and the South Pacific."…

Family connections, traditional activities, educational goals, and fatalism are themes running throughout research and published observations about Appalachia. Information from 3 days of interviews with the author's grandmother, an 87-year-old Appalachian woman, is compared to these common research themes. The interviewee's experiences concerning…

This book examines the nature of persistent poverty in two impoverished towns in the coalfields of Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta and a contrasting social milieu in a prosperous but remote rural mill town in northern New England. Drawing on 350 in-depth interviews and census data, the book analyzes the dynamics of poverty, politics, and…

Black students are overrepresented in classes for the mentally retarded and underrepresented in classes for the physically handicapped and gifted. Assessment of Black students should involve parents and teachers, should be multifactored and early, should employ culturally aware examiners who assess students' strengths and weaknesses, and should be…

Assesses how discrimination and biculturalism have affected the Chicanos' ability to communicate bilingually in a monolingual society. Using a historical perspective, the sociocultural significance of Chicano bilingualism is discussed in terms of code switching, language dominance, and cultural values. (JAC)