Guidelines for serving linguistically and culturally diverse young children

Demographic trends indicate that all early childhod educators must anticipate and plan for a more linguistically and culturally diverse student population. This article will serve as a guide for creating more effective early childhood programs serving linguistically and culturally diverse young children. The discussion includes demographic trends, second language acquisition research, historical trends in bilingual education, ESL and bilingual programs, controversies, assessment and ESL students, and program recommendations.     

The Early Development Index and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

The Early Development Index (EDI) is a teacher‐completed checklist, intended to be a population‐level tool to measure children's readiness for school and to alert communities to potential developmental problems in children. In response to the increasing popularity of the EDI, this paper provides a critical and timely evaluation and identifies the areas for improvement and modifications. The paper aims: (1) to identify the limitations of the EDI as a universal screening tool, particularly with regard to children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD); (2) to alert readers to the potential negative implications of the current EDI for communities and society, and (3) to recommend ways for improvement so that the EDI will become a valid and culturally appropriate screening tool for monitoring early development in CALD children. The ultimate aim is to help build an education system and a society that can respect cultural and individual differences.     

The validity of the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for culturally and linguistically diverse Head Start children

The Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) is a social-emotional assessment widely used by early childhood educational programs to inform early identification and intervention efforts. However, its construct validity is not well-established in independent samples of children from low-income backgrounds. We examined the construct validity of the teacher report of the DECA using a series of confirmatory factor analyses, exploratory factor analyses, and the Rasch partial credit model in a large sample of culturally and linguistically diverse Head Start children (N = 5,197). Findings provided some evidence for consistency in the factor structure of the three Protective Factors subscales (Initiative, Self-Control, and Attachment); however, the factor structure of the Behavioral Concerns subscale was not replicated in our sample and demonstrated poor fit to these data. Findings suggested that the 10 items of the published Behavioral Concerns subscale did not comprise a unidimensional construct, but rather, were better represented by two factors (externalizing and internalizing behavior). The use of the total Behavioral Concerns score as a screening tool to identify emotional and behavioral problems in diverse samples of preschool children from low-income backgrounds was not supported, especially for internalizing behavior. Implications for the consequential validity of the DECA for use as a screening tool in early childhood programs serving diverse populations of children and directions for future research are discussed.     

Transformative education for culturally diverse learners through narrative and ethnography

This article presents a study of the effects of creating a bridge between the narrative and ethnographic methods and writing processes as a means to more effectively educate teachers of culturally diverse learners. Ten teacher participants from a Masters of Education (M.Ed.) degree program in Bilingual Education at a university in the northwestern United States took a sequence of courses in which instructor-researchers taught them narrative and ethnographic pedagogy, theory, and methodology. Through qualitative methods, instructor-researchers analyzed teacher participants’ personal narratives and ethnographic case studies for generative themes. In discovering the commonalities of themes between these two methods of inquiry, the research reveals the value and transformative nature of building a bridge between narrative and ethnographic methods. The following overlapping generative themes were voiced by teacher participants: (1) awareness of self and others; (2) consciousness of educational issues and their implications; (3) transformative action and advocacy. These themes are substantiated with related literature and further elucidated upon in the paper.     

The logic of Hong Kong teachers: An exploratory study of their teaching culturally diverse students

This study aims to report how Hong Kong teachers handle a seemingly conventional, orderly schooling phenomenon—the teaching of the newly arrived children (NAC) migrated from mainland China. Semi‐structured interviews with ten teachers from nine primary schools were conducted. The principal findings are that the teachers are not prepared for the challenges of teaching NAC, that the traditional approaches adopted by many teachers are ineffective, that subtle transformation of the pupil population due to the everlasting influx of NAC has yet to be appreciated by the teachers, and that teachers' logic—their worldview, mindset and conceptualisation of forces at work in Hong Kong schooling—remains unchanged. This paper highlights the various issues of monoculturalisation. Implications are discussed.     

Successful components of school improvement in culturally diverse schools

Contemporary phenomena, including modernization, globalization, and migration, have altered the sociopolitical and cultural conditions of schooling. Schools are called upon to respond to such change through improvement efforts fostering intercultural education. To this end, this research examines school actors’ perceptions of the successful components of school improvement in culturally diverse schools. For the purposes of this research, we used the Cypriot education system as our case study to carry out observations and interviews with head teachers, teachers, immigrant and native students, and their parents. In identifying the inputs for the improvement of culturally diverse schools, as perceived by school actors, various components emerged, including listening to student voice, socioemotional and culturally responsive teaching, and increased parental involvement. Arguably, these contributing factors bear implications for school-based leadership, building successful professional communities, and enhancing intercultural competence in schools.     

语文教学的探究性学习指导

语文教学的灵魂是创造,探究性学习作为扭转传统教学方法的突破口,旨在让学生进入主动探索知识的过程,以便把创新精神和实践能力的培养和发展落到实处,为学生个性展示和才能发挥提供开发性时空。     

Preparing pre-service teachers for culturally diverse classrooms: a conceptual model

Society in the USA has become increasingly diverse, with schools across the nation serving student populations that are culturally and linguistically very different from the European-American majority of the past. It is imperative that pre-service teachers are effectively prepared for diverse learning environments. This article describes a conceptual framework that has been found to be invaluable towards achieving that end.     

The impact of a field immersion program on pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward teaching in culturally diverse classrooms

Understanding of community, and a positive attitude toward cultural diversity are critical components in the preparation of teachers. This study sought to influence both, through on-site coursework and a long-term field placement at a culturally diverse urban elementary school. Participants were predominately single, white females from suburban communities. Questionnaire responses suggest that this immersion program improved the attitudes of these pre-service teachers. Findings support the idea that a targeted field placement, support from peers and teachers, and meaningful coursework facilitates the preparation of culturally responsive teachers—even for those with little or no prior experience in culturally diverse communities.     

Enhancing the written medium for culturally diverse learners via reciprocal interaction

A positive view of culturally diverse learners is advocated. The written medium can serve as an opportunity for self-expression and empowerment. A reciprocal interaction model that allows for student control and capitalizes on student interest is far more culturally responsive than current deficit models.     

Clinical utility of the Devereux Behavior Rating Scale—School Form among culturally diverse children

Two hundred sixty-seven children from three ethnic samples (95 Caucasians, 95 African Americans, and 77 Hispanics) were rated by their teachers on the Devereux Behavior Rating Scale-School Form (DSF). The data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate ANOVAs, discriminant analysis, and sensitivity and specificity analysis. Results indicate the DSF has utility in screening children for serious emotional disturbance in the present sample. The findings also suggest that the criterion-related validity of the DSF found for the general population can be generalized to Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic children. In addition, the cutoff score of 1 SD above the mean on the DSF Total scale was found to yield the highest true positive and negative hit rates for the total and Caucasian samples. The optimum cutoff scores were slightly lower for the African American and Hispanic samples. Usefulness and limitation of the DSF as a screening instrument with school children are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Collaborative teaching in a linguistically and culturally diverse higher education setting: a case study of a postgraduate accounting program

The Language for Professional Communication in Accounting project has changed teaching practice in a linguistically and culturally diverse postgraduate accounting program at Macquarie University in Australia. This paper reflects on the project’s interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to diversity in the classroom by tracing its growth and development and describing the way in which it is supporting the integration of professional communication skills and discipline‐specific content within the Master of Accounting program. In particular, the paper demonstrates that discipline specialists working in a continuous and collaborative relationship with English language specialists, to integrate and assess communication skills and enrich the curriculum, leads to better outcomes for students and staff. The paper contributes to a growing literature on approaches that integrate particular graduate attributes into programs with diverse student populations, rather than bolt‐on interventions by language specialists that have limited outcomes.     

Parental cultural models and resources for understanding mathematical achievement in culturally diverse school settings

This paper proposes that the theoretical concept of cultural models can offer useful insights into parental involvement in their child??s mathematical achievement and the resources they use to go about gaining information in culturally diverse learning settings. This examination takes place within a cultural-developmental framework and draws on the notion of cultural models to explicate parental understandings of their child??s mathematics achievement and what resources are used to make sense of this. Three parental resources are scrutinized: (a) the teacher, (b) examination test results, and (c) constructions of child development. The interviews with 22 parents revealed some ambiguity around the interpretation of these resources by the parent, which was often the result of incongruent cultural models held between the home and the school. The resources mentioned are often perceived as being unambiguous but show themselves instead to be highly interpretive because of the diversity of cultural models in existence in culturally diverse settings. Parents who are in minority or marginalized positions tend to have difficulties in interpreting cultural models held by school, thereby disempowering them to be parentally involved in the way the school would like.     

Counselling in the culturally diverse society: Some neglected variables in research

Cross-cultural research, especially in the area of counselling, has received considerable attention in the professional literature. Closer inspection of published research reveals that most often the variable of race is considered central. Some crucial cross-cultural variables have been ignored in favour of the racial factor. This paper discusses some of these conspicuous cultural factors which are relevant to the counselling process. In addition, some research-specific problems in the cultural arena of investigation are considered. The need of effective models for counselling in a culturally mosaic society such as Canada is stressed.Paper presented at the ninth IRTAC, Greece, April 1980.     

Preferences for parent education programs among low socioeconomic status,culturally diverse parents

This study examined parent preferences, behaviors, and beliefs toward school‐based parent education programs among 395 low income, culturally diverse parents. Parents of different socioeconomic levels reported similar preferences toward parent education events and perceptions of barriers to parent education programs. More differences were noted among parents regarding parenting beliefs and behaviors. Higher educational attainment was associated with more active involvement in parenting events and beliefs more consonant with the parenting programs likely to be offered at school (e.g., those with an Adlerian orientation). Few racial differences were noted after controlling for the differential effects of educational attainment. Implications for developing effective parenting programs are discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A three-tiered model for the assessment of culturally and linguistically different children

Recognizing that issues associated with the disproportionate representation in special education programs of culturally and linguistically different children will remain of vital concern to school psychologists and special educators in the decade ahead, a three-tiered response model is proposed. The intent of the model is to organize a variety of strategies along dimensions of the focus of implementation. Level one relates to the individual practitioner, level two to the educational process, and level three refers to a larger scaled systematic response to the issues. Effective practical suggestions are offered by the authors.     

Comprehension and content: planning literacy in low socioeconomic and culturally diverse schools

This article defines comprehension as a pragmatic social and intellectual practice. It reviews literature on current approaches to reading instruction for linguistically and culturally diverse and low socioeconomic students, noting the current policy emphasis on the teaching of comprehension as autonomous skills and strategies. The Four Resources model (Freebody and Luke 1990) is used to frame comprehension instruction with an emphasis on student cultural and community knowledge, and substantive intellectual and sociocultural content in elementary and middle school curricula. Illustrations are drawn from research underway on the teaching of literacy in low socioeconomic schools.