The phenomenon of behavioral problems in school confronts each personally- or professionally-involved party (teacher, pupil, researcher, or psychologist) with the need to become aware of those elements in the individual identity, the role-behavior, and the institutionally-defined practice that contribute to the emergence and perpetuation of…

Basic principles and methods of ethnographic research are outlined for students who may wish to undertake this form of qualitative research. Ethnographic research is defined as a form of study based on observation of human action, discourse, and self-perception, and is suggested as an appropriate form of research when experimental research is…

This book describes the crucial role missionaries played in the acculturation and "Americanization" of the Cherokee Indians from 1789 to 1839. The book compares the methods, successes, and failures of the Moravians, Presbyterians, Congegrationalists, Baptists, and Methodists in their attempts to Christianize the Cherokees. Each…

Although the concept of "community" has been defined in many ways, it generally encompasses subgroups that provide emotional and common-interest ties as well as a sense of subjective wholeness. This paper provides a brief chronology on community within American life and the influence of ideals arising from this history. A look at…

Ethnographic studies of multicultural education in classrooms and schools are reviewed, emphasizing studies that have made self-conscious attempts to be culturally inclusive by modifying classroom organization, discourse patterns, or the curriculum. Studies of desegregation and ethnographies of urban schools are not included. The first part of the…

With the aim of tailoring future programming decisions to local conditions and concerns, an ethnographic study was commissioned to examine childrearing practices in a small middle income village in Hebei Province, China. The research was designed to learn about the concerns and goals of child care providers, and about the strategic thinking and…

This study examined the efforts of parents and children of Japanese extraction in the San Francisco Bay Area to preserve bilingualism. First, an ethnographic study of the children was carried out at home and school. Second, interviews with the bilingual children's mothers were conducted. Finally, in order to measure each child's bilingual verbal…

The relationship between indigenous peoples and nation-states has long been of academic interest, and is also an emerging topic in the international debate about human rights and development. Universities and museums play an important part in this debate as producers, managers, and communicators of knowledge about indigenous peoples. In these…

A curriculum evaluation approach has been proposed that can enhance educators' understanding of how curriculum designed to effect social and vocational change in market economy cultures interacts with students, schools, and society. This method combines elements of a social evaluation approach fashioned by M.W. Apple and L.E. Beyer (1985) with a…

Argues for the application of traditional anthropological ethnography in the study of formal education and for broadening the scope of such studies. Suggests an ecological framework that permits a multilevel application of ethnography in formal education. (Author/GC)

Nigerian anthropologist John Ogbu examines the academic failure of minority groups within the context of American society and draws comparisons to minority group education in five other cultures. (MKM)

Reviews current research on language and gender and discusses the implications of such work for gender-based research in second-language acquisition. The article notes that recent work in sociolinguistics, generally, and language and gender research, more specifically, has rejected categorical ideas of social identities in favor of more dynamic…

Suggests an evaluation framework for language teachers' inservice courses regarding the degree to which they offer participants the opportunity to become more open to "otherness." The article describes training courses in five European countries and examines how they typically bring participants into contact with natives of another…

Action research examined student and faculty responses to delivery-system changes in a university early childhood philosophy course and an assessment method. Results showed that, although students experienced performance pressure and personal discomfort, they appreciated individual attention, the trust evidenced by curriculum unit checks, and the…

Attempts a reevaluation of Emile Durkheim's contributions to the sociology of education. Considers Durkheim's influence on the pedagogical theories of John Dewey and vice-versa. Concludes with an examination of Durkheim's theories as they relate to the conflict between resistance and socialization. (MJP)