New Zealand's early childhood curriculum, "Te Whariki", has two learning outcomes, dispositions and working theories. While a sociocultural perspective of dispositions has received significant attention in research and teaching, "working theories" as a concept has remained somewhat nebulous. This paper describes ways teachers…

This narrative interview study of a Spanish learner documents and explains apparent contradictions in a student's story when reporting on why she continues to take Spanish even when she does not like it or perform well in foreign language courses. A dialectical approach to human activity based on sociocultural theory is used to make sense of her…

This paper reports on an investigation of semiotic mechanisms mediating collaborative activity during pair/group work interaction at the computer. The study is informed by sociocultural theory. The participants were university students of L2 Spanish performing three tasks in two modes of implementation: computer vs. paper-based. The questions…

Every wave of immigration to the United States has brought significant changes to the country and to its institutions. Unlike earlier waves that were drawn primarily from Europe, the majority of today's newcomers originate from developing nations, causing the United States population to be more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, language,…

This study investigates EFL learners' dialogues in synchronous task-based computer-mediated communication (CMC). The focus is on whether learners engage each other in text-based dialogues regarding the language use in pursuit of the task goal in the CMC context and how their mutual engagement impacts their language learning. Sixteen Chinese…

Two Portuguese children of immigrants were observed over a period of two years within the complex sociolinguistic context of the Luxembourgish multilingual school-system. The data allow the analysis of their relations with the languages they learn at school: Luxembourgish, German, French and Portuguese. The observations focus on the two pupils…

This study investigated literacy values and practices among Latino families with preschool-age children. Results are part of a larger study that looked at the efficacy of a pediatric-based early literacy promotion program called Reach Out and Read (ROR). Participants included families participating in a ROR program in which…

The present qualitative research study addressed the overall research question of college students' pretention dynamics in the context of a university setting. Thirty-five Mac users were interviewed on a university campus that exclusively supports PC machines. Mac users shared four self-admitted pretensions related to using Macintosh computers.…

Reporting on research into two major employers recruiting to the financial services industry, this article draws on data collected from interns, recruitment professionals and graduate employees in their first year of employment. It poses a number of strategy- and outcome-related questions in an attempt to determine whether recruitment advisers are…

This article traces the trajectory of one particular scene in the work of three media students writing and filmmaking. The analysis scrutinizes the role of semiotic tools, such as synopsis and storyboard, in students' filmmaking practice. Moreover, the use of interactional data combined with textual data allows for a rich recording of the…

The purpose of this paper is to explore how university students can develop knowledge in small task-based groups while acquiring hands-on computer skills. Inspired by the sociocultural perspective, this study presents a theoretical framework on co-construction of knowledge and on computer-supported collaborative learning. The participants were…

The failure of much curriculum innovation has been attributed to the neglect by innovators of teachers' perceptions. The purpose of this study was to investigate inservice science teachers views of integrating Science, Technology and Society (STS) issues into the science curriculum and identify the factors that influence their decisions concerning…

In this review, the extant literature concerning anxiety psychopathology in African American adults is summarized to develop a testable, explanatory framework with implications for future research. The model was designed to account for purported lower rates of anxiety disorders in African Americans compared to European Americans, along with other…

In this paper the authors draw on a larger project related to diasporic identification in order to explore the concept of transcultural literacy. They argue that transcultural literacy grows out of border-crossing dynamics that extend beyond the binaries of "us" and "them" as these are lived within and between nations. In this…

Noel Pearson and Marcia Langton have both used the terms "co-dependency" and "rescuing" as part of their challenge to the rights-based focus informing Indigenous policies in Australia since the 1960s. Their premise is that the liberal/Left welfare-based agenda, for decades, has largely overlooked Indigenous responsibility. At…