Contemporary theorists have explored the potential benefits of using literature in higher education foreign language programs to achieve a broader linguistic, cultural and aesthetic focus. Their insights have drawn attention to the current practice of college foreign literature. Three problems having serious implications for the pedagogical results have emerged. First, the potential benefits of foreign literature study are still unrecognized and the role of literature in college foreign language instruction remains unclear. Second, since there is still a bias against the integration of literary criticism into undergraduate curricula, students are not equipped with critical concepts and methods needed for higher levels of literary study. Third, because empirical research is lacking, many pedagogical issues and instructional ideas have remained undiscovered. The purpose of this study was to examine content and methods of current pedagogical practice in college foreign literature instruction, and the viability of teaching literary criticism at the undergraduate level. Using Spanish as a prototype, a survey based on questionnaires and follow-up interviews was conducted with Spanish language and literature instructors at the Five Colleges in Western Massachusetts. The investigation included: objectives for teaching literature; selection of curriculum; perspectives on literary criticism; relative study of literature and language, and literature and culture; and finally, the structure of literature courses within language programs. The data revealed that foreign literature teachers see the ideal curriculum as developing reading comprehension, content analysis, multicultural awareness, and critical thinking. Four pedagogical issues were identified: the gap between literature and language; the inadequacy of cultural study in literature; the difficulty of teaching criticism; and the structure of literature courses in foreign language programs. The majority supported the teaching of literary criticism as a goal of the college literature major's professional training. However, no concerted efforts have been directed toward this goal. The areas of difficulty that emerged were the following: students' limited linguistic level; theoretical and textual problems of criticism; and the deficiencies of course structures. Ideas, approaches and techniques were also explored.

The problem of this study was to determine if differences exist in the self-concept scores between Anglo children and Chicano children. A secondary problem was to determine the level of correlation between self concept scores and academic averages. The Martinek-Zaichkowsky Self Concept Scale for Children was used to determine self concept scores and grade point averages reported by the students' classroom teachers were used for the academic averages. The findings of the study warranted the following conclusions: (1) Anglo, first grade children have a significantly higher total self concept than do Chicano, first grade children. (2) Chicano, third grade children have a significantly higher total self concept than do Anglo, third grade children. (3) No significant differences exist between total self concept scores of Anglo, sixth grade children as compared to those of Chicano, sixth grade children. (4) No significant differences exist between total self concept scores of Anglo, first grade children as compared to those of Anglo, sixth grade children. (5) No significant differences exist between total self concept scores of Chicano, first grade children as compared to those of Chicano, sixth grade children. (6) Significant, positive correlations between total self concept and total academic average were found only at the first and sixth grade levels for Chicano children.

Raising scholastic achievement of diverse and struggling students as well as narrowing the academic achievement gap between students from mainstream and diverse backgrounds seems to be essentially dependent on educators’ personal knowledge, perspectives, and definitions regarding the terms multicultural education and equity pedagogy. Research studies confirm that addressing student’s culture, language, and social status with appreciation, inclusion, and sensitivity increases their academic successes. In classrooms, negative perceptions often maintained by educators about students perpetuate the false belief that diverse learners are unable to or struggle to grasp new learning. This ten-week qualitative study examined teachers’ perceptions as well as implementations of multicultural education and culturally responsive instructional practices as a means of addressing the literacy learning needs of diverse and struggling students in two primary classrooms in an urban Southeastern elementary school. Reading instruction observations provided insight into teachers’ self-descriptive beliefs and attitudes of multicultural education, how their perceptions of multicultural education differ from observed culturally responsive instructional practices, and how observed culturally responsive pedagogy align with multicultural education theories outlined by prominent researchers. All teachers and students come to school with personal backgrounds, languages, and attitudes concerning cultures and ethnicities. Their perceptions are formed by family members, prior experiences, and mainstream society. Frequently, teachers do not realize that personal and institutionalized perceptions, expectations, pedagogies, learning environments, curriculum and materials, grouping strategies, and assessment methods are at odds with learning needs of many students from diverse backgrounds. Findings of this study suggest that educators’ academic goals are often at odds with instructional policies and practices, as demonstrated by the persistent academic achievement gap. Tragically, many students perceive that learning struggles and failures are their fault. They may experience marginalization and develop feelings of inadequacy. Consequently, many students from diverse backgrounds express feelings of anger and frustration that may be exhibited by undesirable behavior. They may give up, drop out, abandon opportunities for citizenship participation and responsibility, or surrender to jobs in adulthood that are less than those they dreamt of. Finally, study findings suggest that teachers’ lack of cultural awareness, understanding of multicultural education, and knowledge of equity pedagogy prevent them from recognizing several negative personal perceptions and biases. As a result, they implement self-selected, school, and district policies and practices completely unaware that they are unintentionally posing learning obstructions and academic success limitations as well as fostering students’ frustrations. Demographics indicate that the predominantly Caucasian middle-class teaching population requires high levels of cultural awareness and extensive knowledge concerning multicultural education, equity pedagogy, and cultural awareness in order to address the literacy-learning needs of the increasingly diverse student population effectively.

The objectives of this study were (1) to examine the nature and extent of cultural diversity in Japan; (2) to ascertain the meaning of multicultural education in both the North American and Japanese contexts; and (3) to make judgements concerning the relevance of multicultural education to Japanese education. / It was determined that Japanese society is indeed a culturally diverse one, that the cultural minorities are relatively small in numbers and that the Japanese government has traditionally followed a policy of the cultural assimilation of minorities. / Using conceptual analysis to investigate the meanings of multicultural education, the study found that the concept as developed in North America includes such elements as intercultural education, multiethnic education, minority education, human rights education, anti-racist education, democratic education, political education, education for social justice and peace education. These supporting meanings were found to have both distinctiveness yet also overlapping value associations. / The study reached the conclusion that a qualified concept of multicultural education has relevance to Japanese society, but that the degree of relevance depends upon the extent to which the government follows policies that strengthen or moderate traditional cultural values, recognizes and supports the development of minority cultural communities and encourages openness in its immigration and refugee policies.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-174).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-174). Also available in print.

No description available.

No description available.

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie proefskrif oor 'n Fundamenteel-agogiese besinning oor die eise van kulturaliteit in 'n multikulturele samelewing beklemtoon kulturaliteit as een van die antropiese grondvorme en die eise dienaangaande om kulturaliteit te realiseer. Die mens is as unieke synde in sy gerelasioneerdheid tot sy medesyndes, sy geofisiese omgewing en die transendentale in-en-aan-die-wereld teenwoordig. As sodanig is hy in gerelasioneerdheid tot die horn omringende besig om 'n leefwereld te stig. Hy doen dit in die tyd en in historiese verbondenheid en in medesynsbetrokkenheid met sy medemens. Sy leefwereldstigting realiseer hy kragtens sy synsfundamentalium van kulturaliteit. Onderliggend aan sy kulturaliteitvergestaltende leefwereldstigting le 'n bepaalde normeen waardesisteem. Hierdie norme en waardes dien as riglyne vir sy Ieefwereldstigtende Dasein. Kulturaliteitvergestalting is ook nie 'n individuele aangeleentheid nie. Die mens stig sy leefwereld saam met medesyndes as gemeenskap-in-struktuur volgens gemeenskaplike norme en waardes. As gemeenskap-in-struktuur organiseer die mens homself as kollektiewe synde in samelewingsinstellings, waaronder die gesin, skool, kerk en staat. Hierdie (en ander) samelewingsinstellings speel 'n funksie-spesifieke rol as moveerder van kulturaliteitvergestalting, wat impliseer dat elke samelewingsinstelling die norme- en waardesisteem van die gemeenskap waarin hy ageer 6f handhaaf 6f bevraagteken en selfs nihileer. Kulturaliteitvergestalting as aangeleentheid wat in die tyd plaasvind, beteken die huidige, post-moderne tegnokratiese era, is die vergestaltingstyd van kulturaliteitvergestalting. 'n Verkenning van die post-moderne era toon dat kulturaliteitvergestalting blootgestel word aan die bedreiginge van die tyd, waaronder die geofiese aftakeling/vernietiging van die aarde as primere vergestaltingsbodem van kulturaliteit, asook antropies-eksistensiele bedreiginge wat die outentieke, waardige menswees as Dasein en Sosein as partikuliere, genormeerde syn erodeer. Hierdie bedreiginge van kulturaliteit figureer as omgewingskending en -vemietiging asook die dehumaniseringstendense van die tegnokratiese tirannie op veral sosio-politieke en sosio-ekonomiese terreine. Om die mens kulturaliteitvergestaltend deur genormeerde leefwereldstigting as kultuurskepping sy Dasein te laat vergestalt, kan verskeie eise as moontlikheidsvoorwaarde gestel word. Die eise geld vir die mens as individu en mens-ingemeenskap en hou verband met die erkenning van sy menswaardigheid, sy norme en waardes op grond waarvan hy sy Dasein kulturaliteitvergestaltend realiseer, asook die bewaring en sinvolle benutting van die geofisiese gegewene as bestaansvoorwaarde vir alle lewe. Slegs dan leef hy voluit. / This thesis highlights culturality as an anthropic fundamentalium and the imperatives governing it in order to realise culturality. Man as unique being is immanent in his relatedness to his fellow human beings, his geophysical environment and the transcendental being in and at the world. As such, man is engaged in creating a life-world within time and historicity and in co-existential engagement with his fellow man. Man realises his life-world in terms of the fundamentalium of being pertaining to his culturality. Underlying his creation of a life-world reflecting his culturality, is a certain system of values/norms operating as guidelines for his Dasein created by his life-world. Shaping culturality is not an individual act. Man with his fellow man as society in structure creates his life-world in terms of common norms/values, organising himself as collective being in social institutions, including the family, school, church and state, which play a function-specific role to actuate the creation of culturality, implying that each one either maintains or questions or even utterly rejects norms/values of the society within which it operates. The creation of culturality as something temporal means that the present post-modem technocratic era serves as a temporal focus for it. Scrutiny of this era shows that the creation of culturality faces threats posed by this very era, among others the geophysical despoiling/destruction of earth as the primary locus for the creation of culturality as well as anthropic-existential threats eroding authentic human dignity as Dasein and Sosein as particular normed being. These threats are manifested as environmental violation and destruction as well as the tyrannic technocratic proclivity towards dehumanization, especially socio-politically and socio-economically. For man to realise his Dasein by normed creation of a life-world as the creation of culture, various imperatives may operate as conditions of potentiality for man individually and socially, relating to his human dignity, the norms/values by which he realises his Dasein through the creation of culturality as well as the conservation and meaningful utilization of the geophysical environment as condition of the geophysical environment as erudition for life. Only then does man fully exist. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Filosofie van die Opvoeding)

<p> Recent studies have focused on international students&rsquo; needs and experiences in counseling training and supervision, however, there is a lack of research regarding effective approaches for supervising international students. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether international counseling supervisees' perceptions regarding the degree to which multicultural discussion occurred in their university supervision moderates the relationship among supervision related variables, including acculturation, counselor self-efficacy, supervisory working alliance, and role ambiguity in supervision. The research questions were: (a) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between acculturation to the US and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US, (b) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between supervisory working alliance and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US, and (c) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between supervisory working alliance and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US. Three moderation analyses were utilized, using regression analysis, to answer each research question. The results from the analysis indicated no significant moderating affect of frequency of multicultural discussions among supervision related variables of interest. Interpretation of the results included possibility of a direct relationship among the variables, or other potential moderators as well as probability of false negative results (Type II Error).</p>