Describes focus groups held with 26 community college students to help develop survey questions for determining the social integration of nontraditional students. Indicates that three themes emerged: peer support, merging of social and academic integration in the classroom, and faculty facilitation of peer support groups. (19 citations) (BCY)

A kindergarten rodeo organized by teachers in Hector, Arkansas, rekindled family and community interest in the school and helped develop a sense of connectedness and inclusiveness toward Hispanic families new to this previously all-White, Protestant community. Contains 14 references. (TD)

This study evaluated a social skills training program with 18 deaf children (ages 9 to 13) in mainstream settings in three elementary schools in the Canary Islands. It found the intervention improved students' social problem solving skills and their assertive skills. However, no significant differences in social or academic integration as judged…

A review of 33 studies in which mainstreamed or included students with deafness were compared to another group found that hearing students were more socially mature than deaf included students, deaf students and their deaf classmates interacted more, and deaf students were somewhat accepted by hearing classmates. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Concern about the high dropout rate among Mexican American high school students promoted a study to investigate how acculturation and social support influence academic achievement. Students who were highly integrated and strongly bicultural tended to have higher academic achievement. Females tended to have high GPAs; males were slightly more…

Domains of cultural orientation such as language, social affiliation, and cultural pride, were examined in Chinese American college students (N=353) to see how they related to self-esteem. Cultural orientation significantly predicted self-esteem differences. Cultural predictors of self-esteem varied by gender; self-esteem was mainly related to…

Korean, Chinese, and Japanese high school students (N=274) responded to a questionnaire concerning their coping strategies about immigrating to the United States. Communication difficulties were the most common problem for the three immigrant groups. The specific means each group used to cope with immigration are discussed along with how…

We need, says the author, to stop pretending that class doesn't exist and begin to critically consider it as rigorously as we do race and gender. Because social class can play a significant role in explaining the college experiences of women and students of color from working-class backgrounds, it must play a significant role in defining…

The present study, through the use of focus groups, identified the academic activities and support services perceived by engineering students as having a positive impact on their academic performance. The results suggest three primary factors: (a) individual effort and involvement, (b) peer interaction, and (c) faculty contact. Differences in…

Increasing anxieties about the growing Latina/o population in the United States have fueled virulent xenophobia toward immigrants. This essay proposes the need to forge strategic political alliances by constructing this population as a bloc, a nexus of diverse groups that differ at the level of national origin, race, residential status, class,…

Intergroup attitudes were assessed in European American 1st-grade (M=6.99 years, SD=0.32) and 4th-grade (M=10.01 years, SD=0.36) children (N=138) attending ethnically homogeneous schools to test hypotheses about racial biases and interracial friendships. An Ambiguous Situations Task and an Intergroup Contact Assessment were administered to all…

The number of female prisoners continues to grow in the United States, yet most examinations of how to increase reintegration and reduce recidivation focus on the needs of the predominantly male prisoner population. As a result, prison education programs and post-release environments often leave women unprepared and facing special risks. This…

This study explored how an awareness of psychological acculturation can help faculty to understand rural/Appalachian students' classroom experiences. By using a thematic analysis technique, selections from student journals were identified that captured the perspective of being a rural/Appalachian student adjusting to the new cultural system of a…

The state of ESL in Canada has been a looming, mishandled entity. Canadians espouse the benefits of diversity and have politically correct policies concerning racism and equity for the linguistically disadvantaged, but in reality something has gone terribly wrong. This article outlines specific myths and delusions that plague educational…

This brief article describes the Sixth Annual World Congress and Exposition on Disabilities (WCD), held December 1-3, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For three days, hundreds of people visited more than 150 exhibits, attended more than 80 work sessions on a wide range of special needs issues and were…