Indian in the Cupboard: A case study in perspective

The children's book, The Indian in the Cupboard, by British author Lynne Reid Banks, provides a case study which contrasts American Indian and non-Indian perspectives about stereotypes of Native Americans in children's literature, as reflected in the review literature. Exploration of the reasons why the book is becoming a classic in children's literature reinforce the need for teachers, librarians, and parents to find a role in: encouraging practitioners to understand what constitutes stereotypes of American Indians; educating potential teachers and librarians about cultural diversity; including works reflecting the voices of Native Americans in library collections for children; using caution when relying on book reviews; helping children learn critical thinking skills that enable them to recognize stereotyping; and providing and hearing the voices of Native Americans explaining why portrayals of Indian characters are often fantasized literary constructions.     

Introduction: Through our eyes and in our own words

The realities of Indian belief and existence have become so misunderstood and distorted at this point that when a real Indian stands up and speaks the truth at any given moment, he or she is not only unlikely to be believed, but will probably be contradicted and "corrected" by the citation of some non-Indian and totally inaccurate "expert." More, young Indians in universities are now being trained to see themselves and their cultures in terms prescribed by such experts rather than in the traditional terms of the tribal elders ?. In this way, the experts are perfecting a system of self-validation in which all semblance of honesty and accuracy is lost. This is not only a travesty of scholarship, but it is absolutely devastating to Indian societies. (Deloria, as cited in Rose, 1992, p. 404)     

Effects of Race and Communication Style on Indian Perceptions of Counselor Effectiveness

This article reports the results of a study in which 102 American Indian 11th and 12th grade high school students rated 7 dimensions of perceived counselor credibility and utility. Results indicated that Indian counselors were perceived as more effective than non-Indian counselors and that the non-directive, “facilitative” verbal response style was rated as less effective than either a directive or a cultural/experimental style.     

An Experiment with the Controlled Reader

Abstract

This study was an investigation of items on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) to ascertain if verbal responses to items missed indicated that the concept was familiar at the same level of abstraction as the word in the PPVT. One hundred 8-year-old children-25 black boys, 25 black girls, 25 white boys, and 25 white girls-were administered Form A of the PPVT. Eighty-eight children responded verbally to the pictures of the stimulus words missed. Data were analyzed by means of a two-way analysis of variance. A chi square test of significance was used to determine significance level of difference between items for each group. Judges analyzed verbal responses to determine if responses elicited were 1) at the same level of abstraction as the stimulus word, 2) considered to be synonymous to the stimulus word, and 3) indicated the student's understanding of the concept signified by the word. A total of 23 words were identified as being missed disproportionately by one group more than the other. Verbal responses indicated that the concept was familiar for 16 items and unfamiliar for three items. Of the remaining four items, there was indication of differences among the groups.     

A Preliminary Methodological Verbal Computer Content Analysis Study of Preschool Black Children

Abstract

The contentive verbal language of groups of three-, four-, and five-year-old black children was contrasted by utilizing the computerized General Inquirer System and the associated Harvard III Psychosociological Dictionary. Significant differences were found between groups in some contentive categories. Computerized verbal content analysis appears to be a fruitful method of testing and studying theoretical issues and in conducting empirical educational research.     

Verbal abuse during pregnancy increases frequency of newborn hearing screening referral: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

BackgroundVerbal abuse during pregnancy has a greater impact than physical and sexual violence on the incidence of postnatal depression and maternal abuse behavior towards their children. In addition, exposure of children (aged 12 months to adolescence) to verbal abuse from their parents exerts an adverse impact to the children’s auditory function. However, the effect of verbal abuse during pregnancy on fetal auditory function has not yet been thoroughly investigated.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to examine the relationship between intimate partner verbal abuse during pregnancy and newborn hearing screening (NHS) referral, which indicates immature or impaired auditory function.Participants and settingThe Japan Environment and Children’s Study is an ongoing nationwide population-based birth-cohort study designed to determine environmental factors during and after pregnancy that affect the development, health, or wellbeing of children. Pregnant women living in 15 areas of Japan were recruited between January 2011 and March 2014.MethodsMultiple imputation for missing data was performed, followed by multiple logistic regression using 16 confounding variables.ResultsOf 104,102 records in the dataset, 79,985 mother–infant pairs submitted complete data for questions related to verbal and physical abuse and the results of NHS. Of 79,985 pregnant women, 10,786 (13.5%) experienced verbal abuse and 978 (1.2%) experienced physical abuse. Of 79,985 newborns, 787 (0.98%) received a NHS referral. Verbal abuse was significantly associated with NHS referral (adjusted odds ratio: 1.44; 95% confidence interval: 1.05–1.98).ConclusionsVerbal abuse should be avoided during pregnancy to preserve the newborn’s auditory function.     

A comparison of Native American and white students’ cognitive strengths as measured by the Kaufman assessment battery for children

This study compared relative cognitive strengths of American Indian and White students, ages seven through twelve years. The sample group included 57 American Indian subjects and 60 White subjects attending schools within a single school district in southcentral Montana. These children had all been referred for assessment for possible placement in an enrichment program for students of high ability. All subjects were administered the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, and scores were analyzed through a one‐way Analysis of Variance. There were found to be no significant differences between the two group means on the Mental Processing Composite. However, Indian subjects scored significantly higher than White subjects in Simultaneous Processing, and White subjects scored significantly higher than Indian subjects in Sequential Processing. Indian subjects also achieved significantly higher scores in three of five Simultaneous Processing subtests. Possible interpretations of statistical differences and implications for educators are discussed.     

Federal policy in Native American education, 1925‐1985

The history of education for native American (Indian) children has been significantly affected by the shifting policies of Republican and Democratic administrations in Washington, DC. For more than a hundred years the resources allocated to educate Indian children have increased and diminished according to the political philosophies and whims of the political party in power. The resulting confusion of policy, best described as a quagmire, has been that Indian children have been victims of a federal neglect that has led to near cultural genocide. No authority maintains that Indian children have received the educational support, health services, and vocational training necessary for them to have a chance to become productive and contributing citizens in the general society. Today, American Indians are among the most poorly educated, least vocationally trained, and most unemployed of minority groups. This paper attempts to show the relationship between political philosophies and acts of federal administrations and their impact on education programs for Indians across the nation. The reader will be able to see a pattern of policy development based more on political needs rather than educational needs of Native Americans.     

Field Dependence-Field Independence in 5- to 10-Year-Old Children

Abstract

A final random sample of 160 Provo, Utah, elementary school children ages 5 to 10, was included in a balanced cell format to investigate the effects of school as reflective of socioeconomic level, age, sex, and intelligence on performance on the Children’s Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), a measure of Witkin’s field-dependence-independence hypothesis appropriate for use with young children. Results implied that (1) there may be differences on criterion performance according to relative social class; (2) age is the single best predictor of criterion performance, as significant differences proceeding from relative field-dependence to greater field-independence with increasing age were found; (3) there is a similar developmental pattern to increase in verbal intellectual power and increase in relative field-independence when all ages are considered together; (4) there were no significant similarities between field-dependence-independence and verbal intelligence within three of four specific ages investigated; (5) no sex differences in criterion performance were found.     

Student Attitudes Toward Child Behavior Problems

Abstract

This study investigated differences in verbal ability and school achievement of bilingual and monolingual children in grades 3,4, and 5. American children attending a Department of Defense school at Camp Zama, Japan, were classified as bilingual or monolingual based on information provided by parents. Children were also classified as being of high, middle, or low nonverbal ability in terms of the Nonverbal score of the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Tests. Dependent variables were the Lorge-Thorndike Verbal Score and the 15 scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. At grade 3, bilingual and monolingual children performed similarly. By grade 4, monolingual children performed noticeably better than bilingual children on verbal or language type tests, and in grade 5 the differences were even more substantial. On relatively nonverbal tests, bilingual and monolingual children continued to perform similarly.     

Child abuse and neglect in American Indian communities

Child abuse and neglect have recently been found to occur among American Indians at rates comparable to other American population groups. Little is known about the clinical spectrum of Indian maltreatment, the psychodynamics and effective treatment modalities. Cultural misunderstanding, modernization, poverty, situational stress, poor parenting skills because of early break-up of Indian families, alcoholism, unusual perceptions of children, handicapped children, and divorce constitute factors associated with maltreatment in cases cited. Old solutions of removing children from families were largely inappropriate and ineffective and are being replaced by local efforts to develop foster homes, supportive family services, and legal procedures to protect children. Communication between agencies involved and mistrust of outsiders plus a lack of trained personnel and available community resources continue to pose major barriers to effective treatment and prevention efforts. Recent federal policies and laws clearly place the responsibility for child welfare in the hands of Indian tribes and tribal courts. The non-Indian health professional has an important but limited role in providing technical expertise and in aiding development of community resources, taking care to support but not usurp the emerging leadership of Indian people.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

The verbal and nonverbal behaviors of sixth grade children tutoring third grade children were analyzed. Results showed that when the tutee was doing well there was a greater proportion of positively toned affective statements made by the tutor, and when the tutee was doing poorly there were more negatively toned affective statements. Similarly, the nonverbal behavior of tutors tended to reflect the performance of the tutee. The relationship between verbal and nonverbal behavior was examined.     

Multimodal meaning-making during play in two Northern Canadian Indigenous kindergarten classrooms

Abstract

This research explores young Indigenous children’s multimodal meaning-making to carry out social intentions in dramatic and construction/materials play settings. The participants are two teachers and 21 children from two Northern Canadian Indigenous communities. Underpinned by social semiotic theory, the research involves inductive analyses of six videos of children’s play. Our findings show a richness in Indigenous children’s meaning-making, as they used verbal and non-verbal modes to carry out 26 specific social intentions that we grouped into four broad social intention categories: Getting Along, Expressing Emotion/Interest, Satisfying Own Needs and Directing. The social intention carried out most frequently was showing interest in an activity. Participating children were more likely to use non-verbal modes, particularly in construction/materials play contexts. They also combined verbal and non-verbal modes to achieve their social intentions, but did not use verbal modes exclusively. When children used verbal modes to any great extent, it was primarily in a dramatic play context where the teacher took a role in children’s dramatic play. Our research indicates a need for greater attention by educators, curriculum developers and researchers to multimodal meaning-making in Indigenous children’s play, given the cultural importance of non-verbal communication and participating Indigenous children’s remarkable multimodal meaning-making during play.     

The Effects of Learner Characteristics on Performance in Programed Text and Conventional Text Formats

Abstract

The authors investigated the development of the ability of 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old bilingual children to perform a complex perceptual-motor task when they were given only Spanish or English verbal instructions. Results indicated that children perform better when given Spanish instruction. This was especially true of the 5-year-olds. Results also indicated that performance under both languages increased with age, and that a stable system of perceptual-motor connections was established by verbal instruction under the Spanish treatment at age 6 and under the English treatment at age 7.     

The Computer Paint Program

Abstract

The goal of this research was to explore the relationship between the use of a computer paint program to create visual images and the subsequent verbal expression of these illustrations. First- and fourth-grade children created visual stories using either traditional media or a computer paint program and subsequently word-processed a verbal representation of their stories. Analyses indicated that the paint program visuals illustrated greater creative strength and the accompanying written stories were richer in detail. Additionally, the creative process varied across the two groups in that the students who used the paint program engaged in more peer collaboration, were more likely to experiment with media effects, and made more revisions in both their visual and written products.     

Comparison of Hualapai school children to national norms on measures of receptive vocabulary and verbal ability

Performance differences on receptive vocabulary and general verbal reasoning ability of Hualapai Indians as compared to national norms were investigated. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised and the Verbal portion of the Cognitive Abilities Test, Form 4 were administered to 206 Hualapai Indian children ranging in age from 5 years, 3 months to 15 years, 7 months. Their performance was compared at each grade level to the national norms for these measures. Results indicated that Hualapai children score significantly lower on both measures of verbal ability when compared to national samples. Results provide a long-needed archival record of the English language proficiency of the Hualapai, and support the notion of homogeneity of English language facility across American Indian tribes. Contributing factors to Hualapai and other Native American populations' weaker performance on measures of verbal ability are discussed.     

Incidence,type and intensity of abuse in street children in India

ObjectiveThe aims of this cross-sectional survey were to examine the prevalence, type and intensity of abuse in street children in Jaipur city, India.MethodBased on purposive random sampling, 200 street children, inclusive of equal number of boys and girls, were selected from the streets of Jaipur city, India, and administered an in-depth interview schedule which included five areas of abuse, namely, “general abuse,” “health abuse,” “verbal abuse,” “physical abuse,” and “psychological abuse.” Data was interpreted using percentages, t-test and correlations.ResultsStreet children reported experiences of abuse in all the five areas under study. Larger numbers of children (61.8%) scored in the “moderate” category of abuse while 36.6% children indicated abuse in “severe” and “very severe” categories on the intensity of abuse. Highest mean scores were obtained on the “verbal” and “psychological” area of abuse. Gender differences were significant in health and overall abuse, indicating boys to be significantly more abused than girls. There were significant positive correlations of abuse with increasing “age” and “income” of street children; and the occurrence of “multi-type” maltreatment and neglect in street children was clearly present.ConclusionDifferent forms of abuse are prevalent in street children in India. This area of study needs attention both by the researchers and the social workers.Practice implicationschildren who are identified in severe and very severe categories of abuse should be worked with in a follow up study with the help of governmental and nongovernmental agencies working in the field for child welfare.     

Indian Child Welfare Act: ideas for implementation

The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 was passed to curb the excessive rate of placement of Indian children in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes. Congress concluded that these placements were abusive because of their contribution to the identity confusion of the Indian children who had been placed as well as the disruption of tribal culture. This article includes recommendations about implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act which are based on a survey of individuals involved in Indian child welfare as well as experiences of the author since completion of the survey in November of 1980. In general, the recommendations are: (1) Tribal and state agencies should make special efforts to coordinate services so that the unique difficulties faced by Indian families will be addressed; (2) Urban social service agencies should assign all Indian child welfare cases to one worker or a group of workers and cooperate with urban Indian associations in the transfer of Indian child welfare cases; (3) Social workers handling cases should be involved in all aspects of transfer and not leave the management strictly to attorneys; (4) Where the act is unclear, particularly in off-reservation emergency placements, the state agency must make the policy clear so that all workers understand how Indian children will be protected in emergencies; (5) In individual cases, as well as when negotiating agreements both tribal and state agencies should avoid compromising the rights of the parties involved or the principles of the act.     

Supporting mathematics vocabulary instruction through mathematics curricula

Abstract

This study examines four of the most commonly-used core mathematics curricula in the USA for evidence of support for research-based instructional strategies for mathematics vocabulary in first and second grade. Content analyses of the teachers’ editions of two units for each grade level were analyzed per curriculum (n?=?16). Statistically significant differences among curricula were found for number of target words (range 6–51 per unit), level of difficulty of terms (basic to technical), and number of support strategies per word. Multiple means of representation varied in terms of verbal and non-verbal strategies for target terms. These differences indicate children are experiencing substantially different mathematics vocabulary learning opportunities, which may impact later mathematics achievement. Implications for practice, curriculum development, and future research are addressed.     

Heterogeneous middle-class and disparate educational advantage: parental investment in their children’s schooling in Dehradun,India

Abstract

The heterogeneity of the contemporary Indian middle-class has been discussed widely. However, the effect of its internal differences on the distribution of educational resources needs to be examined systematically. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with parents in 53 middle-class families in Dehradun, India, this paper explores three aspects of the home-school relationship: how socioeconomic transformations shape parents’ aspirations for their children’s future, educational decisions parents make to realise those aspirations, and mothers’ engagement in their children’s everyday schooling. The tripartite analysis reveals that despite sharing common educational goals and strategies with the population in general, middle-class families in India use their class privilege to gain valuable educational resources. The paper argues that the discrepancy in the mobilisation of accumulated resources in the heterogeneous middle-class results in disparate educational advantages across families. It critiques the binary construction of social classes when explaining the processes of social reproduction in contemporary Indian society.