Examined the frequency and type of pragmatic devices used in oral New Zealand English, based on analysis of the Wellington Corpus of Spoken New Zealand English. It found "you know" and "eh" were both found more frequently in working-class than middle-class speech. Other age, gender, and class distinctions are discussed. (45…

Deals with the development of children's understanding of social class. Presents results of a study of English 6 to 11 year olds' answers to questions concerning wealth, poverty, and social class inequality. Determines that older children could benefit directly from teaching about social class inequality. Finds more indirect methods necessary…

Examines mistakes in following instructions in an electronics factory. Explores the significance of the mistakes and a range of explanations for why they occur. Offers an expansive definition of what it means to be a literate, skills-rich worker, and urges vigilance against the tendency in both schools and workplaces to label and mislabel. (SC)

Describes and analyzes some of the literacy events and practices taking place in selected multilingual early childhood classrooms in Cape Town, South Africa. Discusses the views and understanding teachers hold about reading and writing in early childhood, and the methods used for teaching children from different language and sociocultural…

Used the Parents as Teachers Inventory to examine the relation between socioeconomic status and attitudes of 80 mothers of 3- to 5-year-olds who had attended Head Start or a university nursery school regarding play and creativity. Found that mothers of children attending the university school had higher play and creativity scores than mothers of…

Used projective techniques employing photographs of houses representing families' different income levels to explore low- and middle-income 5- to 14-year-olds' character associations regarding economic class and corresponding friendship choices. Found that even at early ages, both realistic assessments and popular prejudices about wealth and…

Examines pressures on extant definitions of fatherhood from economic globalization. Maintains that men at both ends of the social scale have found it difficult fulfilling the traditional breadwinner role. Notes many in developed countries see the growing incidence of "fatherless families" as a major crisis. Concludes it is important to…

Investigated 40 working-class and 40 middle-class parents' beliefs about the meaning of schooling by conducting in-depth interviews. Results indicated that middle-class parents tended to value schooling more for the credentials schools offered, whereas working class parents tended to value schooling more for the learning opportunities (applied and…

This study examined whether aspects of pubertal maturation in girls vary across race and ethnicity. Findings highlighted the importance of including socioeconomic factors in exploration of menarcheal differences across race/ethnicity. Perceptions of pubertal timing did not vary across racial/ethnic groups. (SD)

Emphasizing the value of difference may protect affirmative action while reinforcing inequalities. While education shows great concern for multiple perspectives, it uses diversity to preserve affirmative action. Though research indicates diversity has educational value, its use of prevailing academic practices reinforces the status quo. The main…

Explores children's experiences as they are going through the secondary school choice process in two inner London primary schools. Reveals that there remains a strong pattern of class-related orientation to choice despite individual and family differences. Finds that the children's accounts demonstrate a distinction between making and getting a…

Used Academic Motivation Self-Rating Inventory to examine Greek student motives for school learning at end of primary school and how motives are differentiated during transition to secondary school. Found that academic motivation increased upon secondary-school entry and was not related to student's gender or socioeconomic status. Primary0school…

Analyzes the cultural participation of 8th graders and presents a model that includes a measure for habitus. Argues that traditional gender stereotypes play a role in the lack of cultural participation by males students. Indicates that female students use their cultural capital to succeed in school. (CAJ)

At the end of World War II, Greater Boston was one of the least diverse metropolitan areas in the United States. In 1950, the "minority" population of only one of its 154 towns and cities exceeded 5 percent and that was the city of Boston, at only 5.3 percent. In the second half of the century, the region rapidly became multiracial and…

This article examines the persistent gaps in academic achievement among different racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The magnitude of the gaps is documented and potential causes summarized. One of the causes, and potential solution, is social capital. Research documenting the strong correlations between social capital and academic…