Criticism has been directed at a growing body of literature broadly referred to as ethnoscience, ethnosemantics, folk science, ethnographic semantics, and cognitive anthropology. Criticisms concern methodological and analytic aspects of ethnoscientific procedure, and the directions of ethnosemantic research from a theoretical point of view. The…

A study was conducted to describe factors influencing the acquisition of facilitating and inhibiting reading strategies by adult beginning readers (ABRs) in order to generate potential guidelines for instruction. Using an adapted form of the Goodman and Burke taxonomy of oral reading miscues as initial framework, the investigators described ABRs'…

This document highlights points made in papers presented in the two scheduled sessions devoted to issues in mathematics education affecting minority students at the 1980 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) conference. The first meeting was part of the official NCTM conference program. The second meeting was sponsored by the National…

Ethnography as a classroom observation method addresses itself to the situations, events, patterns, and contexts that exist in a classroom at a given time. A priori categorical observation and evaluation systems measure what the system is designed to "see," and may fail to record anomolies and salient events that affect teaching and learning in…

This special journal issue contains the proceedings of the Workshop Exploring Qualitative/Quantitative Research Methodologies in Education, held July 21-23, 1976, in Monterey, California. An introductory overview comments on the epistemological nature of the quantitative and the qualitative approaches to educational research and compares several…

This is a summary and synthesis of five ethnographic studies of desegregated schools over a period of about two years. It seeks to determine whether the desegregation process in the public schools has resulted in integration. (Desegregation and integration are seen as distinct phenomena, with integration defined as the attaining of, and respect…

An attempt is made, in this paper, to develop a model that would apply ethnographic research techniques to public school research and systems. The model presented consists of three developmental phases. In the first phase two basic approaches to field design, either of which can be used are described: the emergent categories approach, in which the…

This guide is designed to give teachers and students an understanding of the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF). The HRAF Files are a collection of primary source materials on selected cultures representing all major areas of the world. In general, information on man's behavior, customs, and social institutions may be found in the Files. The guide…

Reviews research on the relationship of cultural background to academic achievement. Concludes that the most successful approaches to minority education recognize and use cultural background in the activity settings in which the learning process takes place. (FMW)

Observations of two preschool settings--one Black and one white--suggests that structures of time and space are implicit forms through which adult values are transmitted to children. White teachers structured an environment that maximized individual choice and action; Black teachers structured time and space to reinforce collectivism, authority,…

Describes use of folklore (telling tales, stories, etc.) by school administrators in five rural Alaskan communities as a tool for communicating complex cultural issues. Suggests occupational phenomena as well as cross-cultural ideas are communicated and such communication is important in recruiting and retaining school administrators in such…

A two-year ethnographic study of dialogic literary circles in Spain explored the learning experience of adults who participated in them. In a dialogic society, educational projects providing real opportunities for transformation and overcoming inequalities usually had a dialogic orientation and promoted instrumental learning as well as critical…

This ethnographic case study examines the language socialization experiences of Hari, a Punjabi-speaking English language learner integrated into a mainstream kindergarten classroom in an urban area of British Columbia, Canada. The book begins by discussing theory and literature (e.g., mainstream second language acquisition research, language as…

This essay presents an ethnographer's thoughts on the failure of educational reform following a 4-month observation of a school superintendent and her staff. The educational reform involved implementation of Sizer's model--the Coalition for Essential Schools--in a small, progressive, wealthy school district. The district consisted of a K-12 school…

This paper illustrates the rivalry and dichotomy between science and teacher education programs by describing and contrasting the nature of the two cultures. The two cultures are portrayed through a series of three contrasts: (1) "Weeding Out" vs. nurturing; (2) meritocratic vs. democratic; and (3) masculine vs. feminine. Two studies…