Reviews several ethnographic studies that focused on classroom processes which exclude or discriminate against minority group children. Discusses how an ethnographic approach, which considers the social context of learning, can provide more insight than have studies focusing on academic achievement and environmental determinants. (GC)

Examines paradigm shifts in the conceptualization of representational play, and implications for children's learning. Argues that children's play is culturally defined, valued, and interpreted and therefore, theories of play should be culturally specific. Advocates ethnographic research to avoid deficit models for non-Western children, and more…

Reports on an ethnographic study of laboratory sessions in the departments of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa, with specific focus on the comparison of the function of verbs in three first-year laboratory manuals. Several pedagogical implications are discussed. (JL)

Using a two-year ethnographic study, explores a subculture of gay and bisexual male students at a major university. Identifies areas of concern that student affairs administrators should consider in their efforts to improve the campus climate for these students. Describes the coming out process, visibility, and discrimination. (RJM)

Argues that the cultural complexity in English language classrooms across the world require ethnographies of nonverbal behavior and of curriculum project design and management beyond the classroom. (83 references) (Author/CK)

Examines why some Asian American students withdraw from or rebel against academic expectations. Reports on an ethnographic study of an Asian American student that gives particular attention to his family background and peer relationships. (TB)

Examines the construction of children's identities as writers through their positioning in the multiplicity of official and unofficial discourses available to them in the primary classroom. Uses ethnographic observation to focus on how identities are constructed in the process of text construction, and the intersections of ethnicity, gender, and…

Presents a new model to account for lecturing in a second language. The model is based on extensive ethnographic research conducted over the past 10 years at a university in Hong Kong, and in particular of an ethnographic case study of engineering students. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the reading status of a student ("at risk" for reading failure) in an ethnographic case study. Examines data collected over three months using a constant comparison method of analysis resulting in a narrative description of the classroom context. Shows reading-related, student, and teacher factors interacted to shape and…

Illustrates the interdependence between theory and method by showing how the methods underling even a relatively simple analysis of discourse are imbued with theoretical import. Focuses on two methodological decisions that are a standard part of the set of discourse analytic tools: what is context and what is the unit of analysis? (39 references)…

Investigates the genres, sign systems, and cueing systems of hypermedia literacy. Contends that increased knowledge of this complex literacy will help educators plan curriculum and evaluate student progress. Explains that the analysis is based on a microethnographic study that investigated hypermedia composition in a seventh-grade language arts…

An ethnographic study examined the language development and cultural and academic adjustment of a student in her first semester of a year-long program in Mexico. Data reveal that the most dramatic change in her proficiency came about as she learned the rules, both societal and academic, that allowed her to function within the culture and that…

The ethnographic study of four successful intermediate level resource teachers working with high risk urban children found similarities in their instruction of reading comprehension (e.g., using activities personally meaningful to the child) and changing students' miscue patterns. Significant differences also emerged as well as nonuse of some…

In Manteo, North Carolina, community involvement in planning and design phases of community revitalization led to recognition of the town's "sacred structure"--highly valued places essential to social processes, lifestyle, and sense of place. Identification and preservation of these places allowed community development without negative…

Presents an ethnographic account of how two elementary schools and three high schools in northern Israel handle the problems of immigrant students. Identifies two approaches--assimilationist and integrationist--and compares their educational philosophies, styles of management, interpersonal relationships, school community relationships, and staff…