Numerous reforms and initiatives have attempted to reduce the gulf between pure/theoretical and applied/instrumental knowledge and create parity of esteem for vocational studies. Changing terminology and tinkering with curriculum will not bring about the values transformation needed to overcome deep-seated prejudices underlying the negative…

Evidence is presented that in certain groups under threat there is a strong preference to evaluate the self against less fortunate others (downward evaluation) but also a desire for information about and contact with more fortunate others (upward contacts). Implications of these patterns in cancer patients are discussed. (SLD)

This study examined the sociometric status of 79 children with current or suspected (mostly mild) disabilities in a full-inclusion elementary school, using a positive and negative peer nomination technique for the school's 592 students. Full inclusion did not eliminate negative social perceptions of students with disabilities. (Author/SW)

Examines control mechanisms that superintendents used to shape and direct suburban high school principals' work. Includes four hierarchical controls (supervision, input, behavior, and output) and two nonhierarchical controls (section/socialization and environmental), along with school social status and district size. The control mechanisms were…

A Charleston (West Virginia) native recounts her sixth grade experiences when her elementary school was closed and the (mostly poor) children were sent to a larger middle-class school. Obvious class distinctions and instances of social discrimination led her to attend college and become a teacher. (SV)

The condition of nursing education and the profession in Turkey is closely related to women's rights and social status. The complexity of educational programs and heavy government involvement are obstacles to change. (SK)

Examined overlap between child depression and conduct disorder (D&CD) as function of peer social status in 1,464 nonreferred fourth graders. Found strong correlation between D&CD. Analyses revealed that associations between depression and rejected social status might be resulting from a subgroup of depressed children who also manifested symptoms…

A survey of 365 entrants to an Australian university's Open Foundation Course belied some assumptions about adults returning to education: they were not at the social margins of the community; their families were mostly supportive; only 3.3 percent had non-English-speaking backgrounds; and despite a low level of formal education, a large number…

In a comparison of men's and women's use of directives at a dance group meeting, little difference was found in the frequency with which they direct others, the targets of their directives, or the types of directives used. Directive usage cannot be adequately understood without considering the specific contexts in which the directives occur. (48…

Measures family environments, cognitive performance, and attitudes toward school among 700 11-year-old Australian children and their parents. Examines relationships between social categories, defined by ethnicity, gender, and social status. Finds differences in family environment and children's cognitive performance related more to ethnicity than…

The introduction of cash cropping in the Solomon Islands and Tonga has had negative effects on women, leading to deterioration in their status, decreased leisure time, fewer opportunities to earn cash, increased birth rate (to help with the increased workload), and more sharply defined sex roles. (SV)

Describes four diversity-related group activities for adolescents or adults, used in adventure- and experiential-education settings. Includes target group, group size, time and space requirements, activity level, props, instructions, and tips for post-activity group reflection and processing. The activities are concerned with social-justice…

The aim of this study was to investigate the toddler and preschool predictors of early peer social preference. Behavioral and social functioning were examined in a sample of children across the toddler and preschool years from parent and teacher observations. Kindergarten social behavior and peer social preference were assessed in the children's…

The literature on cultural consumption documents the displacement of highbrow snobbery by cultural omnivorism among high status groups. This article interrogates the status meanings of cultural omnivorism through a case study of reading in Russia. Post-socialist transformations have destabilized the status of social groups and the honorability of…

Substantial gaps in achievement of groups of individuals of varying social status are well documented, but there are no conclusive explanations for them. The author integrated psychological and educational perspectives to scrutinize the effects of 4 protective factors believed to promote academic resilience of students at risk because of low…