This study was designed to investigate if the Batería Woodcock-Muñoz: Pruebas de Habilidad Cognitiva- Revisada is a valid cross-cultural tool to measure the cognitive ability students of three Spanish-speaking groups from two different Spanish-speaking countries. One group is represented by culturally diverse bilingual Spanish dominant students in Tucson, Arizona since there is an overrepresentation of bilingual students receiving special education services in all school districts in this area. The second group consists of monolingual Spanish-speakers from Costa Rica referred for special education. The third group constitutes monolingual Spanish speakers from Costa Rica performing at grade level.This research analyzed whether or not Memory for Sentences, a sub-test of Short Term Memory, Visual Integration and Picture Recognition sub-tests of Visual Processing in the Psycho-educational Batería Woodcock-Muñoz, is more difficult for the special education Spanish/bilingual population in Tucson than for the monolingual Spanish-speaking special education and grade level individuals in Costa Rica. Item p-value differences in each subtest were estimated and compared for all items for each subtest to detect if a major item difficulty order difference existed between Spanish-speaking groups that could be indicative of internal criteria of test bias. Results show that the item order of difficulty affects the tests' established cut off rules for both Costa Rican populations in the Memory for Sentences test, making it invalid for these populations; and that the Tucson sample group's performance is lower than that of both Costa Rican groups. In addition, both Visual Processing subtests are invalid for all groups compared since the item order of difficulty does not match the test item order, thus affecting the enforcement of the cut off rules and making these subtests invalid for these populations.Standardized assessments and intelligence trait are considered the results of mathematical and statistical expressions built on test developers' own cultural views and minds. They follow along the lines of the traditional reductionist assessment or scientific/medical models. As a result, it is concluded that bilingual populations will be at disadvantage because standardized assessment neither links assessment to familiar language, cultural relevant information, and experiences nor considers how the bilingual mind processes information.

The sociocultural model of eating disorders suggests that awareness of a thin physical ideal directly affects internalization of that ideal, which in turn, directly affects body dissatisfaction. The current study evaluated the general accuracy of the sociocultural model and examined the potential for ethnicity to protect against eating disorder symptomatology by moderating the relationships between awareness and internalization and between internalization and body dissatisfaction. Spanish (n = 100), Mexican American (n = 100), and Euro-American (n = 100) female participants completed various questionnaires measuring sociocultural attitudes towards appearance and body dissatisfaction. Analysis of covariance with tests of homogeneity of slope and path analysis using maximum likelihood with robust standard errors tested the two relationships by ethnic group. Results supported the sociocultural model: there was strong evidence for the mediational effect of internalization on the relationship between awareness and body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, ethnicity moderated the relationships such that both relationships were significantly stronger for Euro-American women than for Mexican American or Spanish women. Within the Mexican American group level of acculturation also moderated these relationships. Taken together, the results of this study highlight how ethnicity can protect against the development of eating disorder symptoms. Denouncing the thin ideal, minimizing appearance as an indicator of female value, and emphasizing personal traits other than appearance as determinants of worth are important in protecting against the development of body dissatisfaction and more severe eating pathology.

Research suggests that the eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia) represent a caricature of the sociocultural values placed on young women to achieve thinness and beauty ideals. Although eating disorders have long been thought to occur only in White, "Western" cultures, more recent research suggests that women from different cultural groups are presenting with unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviours. In South Africa's pluralistic cultural context, the effects ofcontinuous first-hand contact between cultures (acculturation) is an important area of research, especially in light ofthe hypothesised etiological role ofsociocultural factors in eating disorders. The present study aims to address the association between acculturation and disordered eating in a non-clinical sample of nursing students in Pietermaritzburg. Additionally, it aims to contribute to the development of a local acculturation instrument. The South African Acculturation Scale (SAAS) was developed based on the work of Berry (1976), Berry, Trimble and Olmedo (1986) and Berry (1997). The Individualism-Collectivism (INDCOL) scale (Hui, 1988) and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI, Garner & Olmsted, 1984) were included in the questionnaire profile A pilot study was undertaken on 28 students in the health arena, in order to assess the psychometric properties of the assessment instruments. The results of the pilot study yielded adequate reliability co-efficients for the SAAS, although the INDCOL scale yielded unexpectedly inconsistent results. The formal study adopted a cross-sectional design on a population of 155 nursing students. The sample consisted of37 Blacks, 33 Whites, 11 Indians and 7 Coloureds between 19 and 28 years of age. Additionally, the sample included 49 Blacks, 3 Whites, 11 Indians and 4 Coloureds greater than, or equal to 29 years ofage. The research findings suggest that both Black and White respondents display a propensity towards disordered eating. Black respondents scored higher on measures of the psychological correlates of eating disorders, and Whites scored higher on the attitudinal and behavioural measures of disordered eating. Partial support was obtained for the hypothesis that assimilation and individualist values are correlated to eating disorder pathology. The findings suggest that acculturating young women from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds present with a degree of risk for the development of eating disorders. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

I have found that as a rule of thumb, when the majority of our learners in our science classrooms respond to expectation under examination conditions, the teacher's focus is on the minority who did not succeed. However, when only a minority of learners respond expectedly, then I feel teaching approaches have to be seriously questioned. My personal studies and readings in the education field, revealed a myriad of explanations and approaches surrounding the above problem. Literature has revealed that our greatest benefits can be achieved by successfully coping with the diversity of learners found in our science classrooms. There is no doubt that the problem is large, and thus a proper understanding of the problem is paramount to its resolution. This is where my study focuses, a case study that checks for gaps in science teachers' understanding of multicultural diversity in their classrooms and the impact of such understanding on classroom practice. Approaching the problem from an interpretive viewpoint within a social-constructive paradigm, the issue of multicultural diversity, especially in the field of science, is a "relatively" new concept in the South African context. Europeans and especially the Americans have at least forty years of experience in this field, their economy, low unemployment and advanced technology being a measure of their successes in multicultural science classrooms. At a theoretical level much of the American experiences do have direct relevance in our South African setting and is thus used throughout my study as a point of reference. The study used as its tools semi-structured interviews of 5 science teachers, (respondents), observations of a single lesson of each of the respondents and analysis of documents used in the observed lesson. The study was conducted in a middle to low socio-economic suburban secondary school of Kwazulu-Natal where science teachers' understandings of multicultural diversity was found to be somewhat traditional, simplistic and parochial. The study further revealed how a poor understanding of the issues of diversity amongst learners impacted on the teachers' abilities to successfully adapt the science curriculum and their teaching approaches to meet the needs of their diverse learners, and thus create equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Recommendations proposed in this study stem from the fact that though the respondents have some knowledge of the diversity in their science classrooms, their attempts to cope with the diversity based on currently available guidelines, viz. OBE, C2005 and the RNCS, still falls short of achieving equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Thus the study recommends serious attention to issues of multicultural science education with respect to language barriers and practice of appropriate teaching and learning methods. It also recommends appropriately designed training for both pre and in-service teachers and teacher educators. The study further recommends making science more meaningful by localising the Eurocentric curriculum and lastly, diversifying our teaching force to better reflect the increasingly diverse learner bodies. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

The purpose of this work is to explore the roles of education and language in the creation of Japanese cultural identity. Education means first "schooling," but it also expands to include all cultural learning. In the attempt to unravel the inter-relationships of abstract concepts such as education, culture, identity, language and Japan, our understandings are necessarily influenced by our own education. Attempts by the educated elite of one culture to understand other cultures constitutes an intellectual conflict of interest that questions academic conventions, such as objectivity. In this work, I interweave expository and narrative chapters in an attempt to create a new "methodology" or "approach" to the study of culture, which I call cultural hermeneutics. The autobiographical chapters present an ongoing self-reflection upon my developing understanding of Japan. I have studied and taught in Japan for many years, and my increasing familiarity with things Japanese has gradually moved me beyond the boundaries of previous identities, and into spaces that once separated me from Japanese culture, involving me in the formation of new hybrid cultural identities. After an introductory chapter, the dissertation is split into three parts. The first part deals with the challenges of cultural hermeneutics as a methodology. The second part examines how the languages of Japan and foreign language education in Japan influence the formation of Japanese cultural identities. The third part explores how ideological debates, such as those about education, nationalism and internationalization, play a role in forming cultural identities. I conclude that identities are constantly contested by voices from both within and without the "imagined communities" of cultures. This contest is in progress even before we come to study "Culture." Because change is inherent to living cultures, and because lived experience is so abundant and complex, the knowledge we inherit about cultures is always incomplete, and full of prejudice and misunderstandings. We can never arrive at final understandings of cultures, not even our own. Nevertheless, it is important to continue conversations about cultures because they can lead us to form deepened understandings, and because these conversations ultimately contribute to greater self-understanding.

How should we understand the lived experiences of students in an English language program at a community college? This study seeks to explore and discuss the experiences of international students as they discover and constitute cultural identities in places between languages and cultures. It suggests a link between the vibrancy of these lived experiences and an English language education program which understands the value of the lived curriculum. The text includes the narratives of three international students and the interpreting of those conversations by the researcher. Also participating in the study are the voices of teachers and the voices of writers of theory, with the researcher working in the middle, experiencing at the same time a discovering and constituting of his own cultural identity. Building on the work of postcolonial scholars of cultural theory and anthropology, the study suggests a different kind of inter-national classroom and community, one which has implications for teachers as inter-national educators. In doing so, the thesis attempts to respond to "calls for attention to international dimensions of curriculum study" (Pinar 1995) and suggests an approach to creating a different kind of theoretical and conceptual frame for language education. It is hoped that the research will open doors to new questions and avenues of study and will help in furthering our understanding of curriculum.

The purpose of this study is to explore the barriers and opportunities that government-assisted refugee (GAR) women experience in settlement. Using a narrative inquiry approach, I elicited the stories of fourteen GAR women of diverse origins who have lived in Metro Vancouver for one to six years. Discourse analysis of the narratives shared within focus groups and individual sessions reveals a hierarchy of exclusory dimensions (barriers) and transformative dimensions (opportunities) of their adaptation process. The analysis also identifies settlement services and programs perceived as helpful by the women in overcoming identified barriers. The findings demonstrate how GAR women are active in their own cross-cultural adaptation and how this process is facilitated by intercultural communication competence and engagement in receiving communication activities. These findings provide insights for government and immigrant serving agencies concerned with tracking settlement outcomes for this population.

Beliefs are social in nature. and are widely shared within social groups, such as cultures. Shared beliefs reflect how people construct their social world and how they seek meaning and understanding of social realities. and they are context specific. General beliefs are context free and related to a wide spectrum of social behaviours across diverse contexts, actors, targets and periods. These general beliefs function like axioms in mathematics, thus they are basic premises that people endorse and on which they rely to guide their actions. A better understanding of beliefs can therefore be a useful instrument in managing a diverse workforce, such as the workforce found in South Africa. The objectives of this study were to investigate the replicability of the Social Axioms Survey (SAS) in the South African Police Service (SAPS), to examine the construct equivalence and item bias. and to assess the reliability. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population consisted of applicants (N=1535) who applied for jobs in the SAPS. The SAS instrument was administered. Descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, scale and item level analysis and estimation of reliability were used to analyse the results. An exploratory factor analysis utilising target rotation applied on all 60 items of the SAS revealed four interpretable factors (Factor 1 = Social Cynicism; Factor 2 = Reward for Application; Factor 4 = Fate Control; and Factor 5 = Spirituality Religiosity) congruent with the model of Leung et al. (2002). The third factor, namely Social Complexity did not replicate. Values of Tucker's phi higher than 0.90 were found for seven culture groups (Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Swati, Tsonga, Venda and Pedi). This provided a strong indication of the structural equivalence. Analyses of variance showed that item bias was not a major disturbance. Cronbach's alpha reported lower levels of reliability. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Pastoraat aan die Afrika-mens is a Masters' thesis, which explores the hypotheses and finds that an African life and worIdview must consciously be taken into account in pastoral care to Christians with an African life and worldview in order to improve effective care. The practical-theological model of Heitink is being used as research method. This entails the following: Hermeneutically 1. To show from Scripture as basis some perspectives on the research concepts 'pastoral care' and 'life and worldview'. Empirically 2. To describe the main aspects of an African life and worldview. 3. To determine the extent to which an African life and worldview still influence the thought and life of believers in Mamelodi. Strategically 4. To determine which aspects of an African life and worldview are relevant for pastoral care, 5. To formulate guidelines for pastoral care concerning Christians who are having an African life and worldview. Especially exegesis about Moses and Paul shows that life and worldview must be taken into consideration in pastoral care. The religion phenomenological approach to religious consciousness by the Dutch scholar Johan Herman Bavinck serves as basis to describe an African life and worldview in terms of totality, norm, higher powers, need of salvation and life between activity and passivity. The socio-cultural category of space is added. Empirical research among seven ecclesiastical congregations in Mamelodi points to the fact that an African life and worldview still has an effect on the Iives of Christians. Pastoraat aan die Afrika-mens give guidelines for pastoral care, after looking at some 'emic' en 'etic' contributions regarding African-ness in pastoral care. The departure of a psycho-sociocuItural hermeneutic approach to African life and worldview as well as a Word-based holistic approach to the pastoral conversation is promoted. / Thesis (Th.M. (Practical Theology))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003

This qualitative study explores the life history of four immigrants from diverse cultures, who have effectively navigated cultural differences and attained high-level leadership positions in Canada. The leaders’ life stories highlight key experiences that have influenced their identities, that is, the distinctive characteristics that are the source of their individual self definition and self-respect. The purpose of the study is to understand how social identity influences immigrants’ sense of personal agency and their capacity to shape individual potentialities into personal abilities. The study is situated in the leadership field within the multicultural Canadian context. It is grounded in my personal experiences as an Iranian-Canadian immigrant and guided by multidisciplinary literature on leadership, culture, identity, and motivation. Globalization, economic interdependence, and growing cross-national mobility have changed the face of the Canadian multicultural society. The clash of world-views, values, and life styles have become unavoidable, with arguably all Canadians experiencing the feeling of being “other” in their interactions with members of other cultures. Within the new Canadian mosaic, cultural consciousness is on the rise leading to increasing ethnic distinctiveness. It has become a factor distinguishing individuals by their differences as well as grouping them together by their similarities. Living in a multicultural environment as an immigrant has implications on issues of identity, but these implications have not yet been thoroughly explored. Much of existing cultural research is based on national orientation and contentious dualism (e.g., individualism and collectivism). But, cultures are dynamic and diverse. Understanding cultural constructs at the individual rather than the national level demonstrates the complexity and variability of individuals in the exercise of personal agency and the construction of identity. Through sharing and understanding the experience of four immigrants in leadership positions across diverse organizations, researchers may learn about immigrant challenges and ways these four individuals reconcile differences and conflicting cultural values. The resulting practical implication is (a) increased self and social awareness for immigrants with high potential for leadership, (b) enhanced multicultural knowledge for current organizational leaders, and (c) improved interpersonal relationships within a broad multicultural community.