This paper reviews the concepts of acculturation and adaptation to provide a framework for understanding the highly variable relationship between acculturation and mental health in refugee populations. It begins with an extended definition and discussion of the concepts of acculturation and adaptation. The characteristics of acculturating groups…

This study explores cultural influences in the first three months of life by comparing the daily experiences of first generation Chinese-American and European-American infants whose parents were born in the United States. The study focused on 10 Chinese-American and 10 European-American families whose mothers were recruited during the third…

Designed for use with accompanying videotapes as single presentations or as a series for professionals or laypeople, or as supplementary modules in academic courses in psychology, marriage and family, health occupations, etc., these four learning modules focus on common phases of dying and grief as part of the normal cycle of living. The modules…

While little research has been done in the area of shyness and most of that has been descriptive, both theory and research suggest that investigation of expectancy of success and attributional style differences between shy and not-shy individuals is warranted. Very shy (N=49) or not-shy (N=48) female subjects, selected from an initial group of 698…

Geographic displacement as spiritual desolation is a theme that bonds Puerto Rican and Chicano literature. The movement of masses of people to the United States and within the United States itself has had and continues to have severe consequences for the Latino population in this country. Two novels, "Down These Mean Streets" by Piri…

The elimination of adult functional illiteracy has been declared a national priority. More than the ability to decipher a given text, functional literacy means the practical application of literacy skills to life in a particular society or group. But this in turn demands that the individual have enough prior knowledge of the surrounding culture…

A collection of papers resulting from a research project on the role of language in the life of a Puerto Rican community in New York City focuses on the discourse of English and Spanish speakers, especially conversational interaction, speech events, and narratives. The papers include: "Toward a Social Theory of Language Variability"…

A statistical profile of Cuban Americans was provided by the 1980 Census and by a comprehensive telephone survey. Major findings include the following: (1) In most Cuban American households, Spanish is the language most spoken, but 85 percent of the Cuban American surveyed felt that residents of the United States should use English in their public…

To identify and make available reading-related Bible references for reading teachers, a computerized text of the 1611 King James Bible was generated, using reading-related terms extracted from Bible concordances and student papers. Such words as "read," book,""word,""study," and "language" generated about 4,800 references. Thirteen annotated…

The spontaneous language behavior of 100 mother-child pairs was observed in an effort to link it with social class membership. Results indicated that some differences in verbalizations existed and furnished support for the socio-linguistic theories of Basil Bernstein. (Author/SDH)

As sociological approach to the study of contemporary American cities is presented in this book. Present day urban institutions are examined both independently and as they interrelate. The urban polity is described as a normative derivative of the national (or societal) polity. Urban government and politics are discussed. Similarly, urban economy…

The author spent four months as a participant observer in an urban, integrated, and innovative high school in order to explore the social world and the social realities of its students. (Author)