This study explored the curricular differences between five public and five private schools in Hobart, Australia. The probable effects of such differences, educationally and socially, are discussed and also related to studies in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Alternatives are proposed to reduce the sociocultural schism.…

A content analysis of 21 elementary and secondary software programs reveals the nonneutrality of educational software. The software is heavily biased and exposes pupils to dominant explanations, values, beliefs, assumptions, and ideologies that are projected as objective and legitimate. Content-specific software is deeply enmeshed in cultural…

Extensive interviews with 30 working and nonworking mothers (Chicanas and Mexican immigrants) found that immigrants had a broader conceptualization of motherhood that encompassed employment outside the home, whereas Chicanas were more likely to seek an idealized middle-class "stay at home" motherhood and thus experienced more ambivalence…

A Mohawk farmer reflects on the value of farming in relation to maintaining political sovereignty, observing and valuing nature and its cycles, developing a sense of community and family responsibility, traditional religion, sharing, and appropriate family living. Views are given on natural pest control, intercropping, use of herbs, reviving…

Analyzes the content of 20 "Book Club Discussion Guides" from 13 different commercial publishers to understand the particular constructions of readers and reading embodied in these materials. Finds that the "curriculum" of these guides is not likely to foster a collective cultural or critical reflection on self or world--they…

Examines the complex relationship between the concept of diversity, and the concept of disability and argues for an overriding sociocultural framework for special education as a responsible way to link these concepts in practice. (Author)

Challenges confronting children, youth, and families in the current socioeconomic environment are examined, and the role of the university-assisted community school in addressing them is explored. Comprehensive, collaborative change strategies that support and strengthen families and nurture children and youth in addition to providing education…

Reviews grassroots initiatives in Brazil, arguing that despite differences in composition and aims, movements such as landless rural workers, indigenous groups, and the women's movement that have attempted to shift current socioeconomic order toward a new equilibrium, are best described as historic movements. Describes these movements in relation…

Describes how oral and written-discourse processes in a high school physics class are related to sociocultural practices in scientific communities. Finds that students' appropriation of scientific discourse was related to the framing activities of the teachers and the social practices established over time in the classroom. Contains 74 references.…

Investigates learner-centered and teacher-centered discourse in interactive exchanges between teachers and learners in the second-language (L2) classroom. The analysis of interaction shows that learner-centered discourse provides opportunities for negotiation of form, content, and classroom rules of behavior, which creates an environment favorable…

Describes a biological and cultural framework that examines species-specific and culture-specific characteristics for the development of human emotions with evidence from Korea, China, and the United States. Discusses how emotions fall into broad families and dimensions across cultures, with both commonalities and differences. Notes that…

Trends in occupational mobility for U.S. males, 1972-90, were analyzed using three occupational scales providing different indicators of occupational status and social stratification. Results indicate stable or increasing rigidity in U.S. occupational stratification, with a decline in education's importance, both as key to achieving high rank and…

Addresses the creation of the U.S. census, the various reasons for the census, and its role as a "reflecting pool" in society. Provides a timeline of the decennial censuses from 1790-2000 and primary documents of schedules used in different censuses for analysis. Aims to promote understanding of the census' place in society. (CMK)

Investigated teacher-student discourse from a sociocultural perspective to ascertain the nature of effective instruction for students with learning disabilities, examining one teacher's resource room instruction. Results highlight differential discourse patterns across academic domains and emphasize the importance of teacher self-reflection and…

Discusses problems in the classification of ethnic groups by language, focusing on the case of a marginal Chinese group from northeast Vietnam and the shifting of ethnic identity according to geographic location. Influences of colonialism and nationalist feeling in this dilemma are examined. (MSE)