Examined children's play in indoor and outdoor environments at a New Zealand child care center. Identified four dimensions of difference illuminating the relationship between outdoor and indoor playspaces and the play occurring there: physical versus constructive play, change and stability continuum, freedom and control dimension, and differences…

Provides a real-life scenario of one teacher who sought to cope with the technology of using computers to teach writing. Looks at some reasons why teachers feel they have failed and suggests several staff development strategies that may make the computer learning process less stressful and more successful for a teacher new to technology. (MG)

Integrates the results of a formalist discourse analysis of Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" with field observations of his programs in Latin America. Identifies some features of Freire's discursive construction of knowledge. Documents the practice of Freire's rehumanizing discourse within consciousness-raising programs in both…

This article focuses on the variety of cultural meanings students articulate when asked about their experiences within the special context of a multiethnic California high school. The article presents excerpts from verbatim accounts in which four Black students, part of a three-year study, describe their worlds in their own words. (IAH)

Correlates an ethnic group's preparedness to adapt in a foreign country with its success in establishing and maintaining a cultural enclave. Examines the effect of socioeconomic adaptation on the daily lives of "persistent peoples." Attempts to balance psycho-cultural and social-structural perspectives in the study of "middleman…

The relationship between language use and second culture acquisition is examined in this study of first generation Iranian immigrants and exiles in the United States. The use of both Farsi and English is found to be instrumental in the process by which American culture is incorporated within the Iranian worldview. (AF)

A major but neglected area of gender inequality in education involves social relationships among teachers and teacher-teacher interactions. This article discusses ways in which gender relations in school influence the lives of women teachers, focusing on staff common-room milieu, staffroom humor, "women's work," and perceptions of…

Describes an ethnographic study of an inservice graduate course designed to help teachers use computers to teach writing and other skills to the academically able. Claims the course significantly reduced teachers' computer anxiety and their writing apprehension. (RS)

Reviews a book that describes changes affecting rural America including the farm crisis, growing poverty, and in-migration of those who contribute little to the local economy. Addresses implications for rural service delivery and government policy. (LP)

Elderly Mexican Americans (n=25) participated in ethnographic interviews about folk healing and its influence on health care behaviors. Participants relied on modern medicine to treat serious injuries but still considered folk healing a viable alternative when modern health care was unsatisfactory or ineffective. (JBJ)

An ethnographic study of spontaneous conversations of elementary children and their accompanying adults during a zoo field trip was conducted. (LZ)

This microethnographic study developed career path profiles of nine Native American Indian women with doctoral degrees from the Pennsylvania State University's American Indian Leadership Program. The study analyzed their decisions to seek the doctorate, graduate school experiences that contributed to their success, and stages of career development…

This article discusses ethnographic research and its uses in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher preparation programs. It reviews various sociolinguistically orientated studies, as well as studies informed by a concern for power, politics, and elements of poststructuralism. (32 references) (MDM)

Results from an ethnographic study of 19 secondary school science and social studies student teachers suggest that application of the concepts of initiation and rites of passage has the potential to improve teacher education. Student teaching, as traditionally organized, has not served a transformational function in participant lives. (SLD)

Four mothers of children (ages 10-18) with learning disabilities were interviewed over a 1-year period. Their comments about services provided by educational and mental health professionals indicated high levels of frustration and dissatisfaction. Parental expectations and perspectives differed from those of educators. (Author/JDD)