This paper focuses on the relationship between minority languages/cultures and educational achievement in mixed industrial societies, highlighting, in particular, the role of language and discourse strategies in the reproduction of educational inequality. Three major factors underlying accounts of inequalities in social and educational…

Ethnography, a qualitative, small-scale, indepth approach to research developed within the discipline of anthropology, is here explored as a potential strategy in the investigation of issues related to educational governance and policy-making. The first section of the paper defines the term ethnography and discusses characteristics of the…

Recognizing a need for an objective, multidisciplinary and comprehensive look at the field of bilingual education, the Office of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Center for Applied Linguistics cooperated in a state-of-the-art study of the field. State-of-the-art papers were commissioned in four general areas concerning bilingual education:…

This collection of writings in and about the Kenai language is intended for students at the intermediate or advanced level. The volume is divided into five sections: (1) narratives about Dena'ina life; (2) traditional stories or "sukdu"; (3) prayers and songs; (4) literacy and grammar exercises; and (5) place names. The narratives,…

The research reported assesses the impact of a program on the change of ethnic attitudes of students. The Anthropology Curriculum Project's "Race, Caste and Prejudice," designed to enhance intergroup attitudes and behavior, is a supplementary secondary school unit of study, text and handbook, dealing with race, caste and prejudice from a…

An announced aim of the research group for the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics (ACCLAIM) is to gather landscape information related to mathematics teaching and learning in rural Appalachian high schools. Does context (i.e., rural and Appalachian) have meaningful impacts upon the math…

Background: After the failure of several important methods comparison studies in the 1960s, the influence of interaction analysis stimulated interest in foreign language classroom processes. More careful observational studies gradually revealed which process variables were of interest. Also, there has been much research on teacher talk, with a…

A study investigated the characteristics and behaviors of college students learning a third language. Four groups of students with backgrounds in Slavic second languages and enrolled in a variety of Slavic and non-Slavic third languages courses were studied using ethnographic techniques, including open-ended questionnaires, focus groups, classroom…

As common as the accomplishments of students who have been home schooled is public speculation about the quality and value of at-home education. This sociological study, focusing on home schooling as a social movement, provides an account of a novel education movement and provides analysis of the relationship between cultural context and a social…

Presents a personal reflection on an ethnographic study of teaching and learning practices in Irish traditional music. Describes the aims and methods of the study and some of the culture of Ireland. Concludes with a rumination on the nature of truth, applicability, consistency and the role of the ethnographic researcher. (MJP)

Profiles the career and contributions of music educator, Satis Coleman. Coleman had a profound effect on music education from the 1920s through the 1940s. She combined experiential learning with ethnomusical resources to create multicultural education and interdisciplinary instruction before either of these terms were known. (MJP)

Describes, analyzes, and interprets the cultural values communicated by a Navajo art teacher in a K-12 boarding school in New Mexico. Much of the Navajo world view is expressed through content, instruction, and demonstration. This view emphasizes spirituality, harmonious living, and the process of seeing and drawing as a way of honoring and…

Summarizes a project that investigated Australian Adnyamathanha and Canadian Sechelt peoples' attitudes toward those aspects of their culture that western society considers art. Discusses the differences between indigenous societies' conception of spiritual representation and westerners' conception of art. Suggests ways for art educators to…

Maintains that sociology must reconceptualize the meaning of multiethnic societies and regions and also advance theories about how such social organizations came into being and transform themselves through conflicting and peaceful processes. Briefly reviews traditional approaches and outlines new areas of study. (MJP)

Compares and contrasts the recent years of ethnic conflict in Somali and Fiji. The widely divergent reactions of both populations dispels the belief that ethnic pluralism is both a necessary and sufficient condition for violent conflict in a society. Provides succinct portraits of both societies and their cultures. (MJP)