Reports on: (1) the formulation of a holistic, systems-based theory of cultural transmission; (2) a field guide developed for gathering the precise data needed to test the theory; and (3) a pilot study, involving the collection and analysis of data about six- to 12-year-old Americans, Israelis, and Mexicans, to test both guide and theory. (CMG)

Argues that college introductory anthropology courses should focus on helping students to examine their values and convictions, not on preparing them for upper level courses. Suggests a teaching approach that relates an issues-and-values orientation to anthropological concepts (culture, beliefs, and values) and topics (means of production,…

Describes three uses of folklore in teaching college-level anthropology courses: (1) collecting folklore through interviewing; (2) analyzing folklore themes; and (3) using folklore in puppetry and plays. (KH)

Presents three exercises that encourage active participation in cultural anthropology classes: (1) use of a puzzle to demonstrate focal issues about culture; (2) discussion of a specific piece of fieldwork to demonstrate the relationship among fieldwork, ethics, and cultural relativity; and (3) use of study questions in ethnographic films to allow…

Discusses how museum resources can be used by teachers of college anthropology courses. In addition to loaning artifacts and exhibits and providing off-campus teaching resources, museums are ideal sites for internships and training programs. (KH)

Introduces a collection of papers presented at a symposium on the situationally-specific character of problem-solving practices. Reports that findings provoke speculation about relations among social contexts, knowledge and activity, and relations between school-learned problem-solving techniques and those used in other settings. (KH)

Presents concluding remarks to a symposium, "The Social Organization of Knowledge and Practice." Focuses on high aptitude of persons in everyday situations to solve problems and make decisions. Addresses three questions: (1) What happens when a problem-solver reaches a situation involving calculation? (2) How does learning transfer take place? and…

Describes how an educational anthropologist's study objectives developed during fieldwork conducted in a fundamentalist Christian school and community. Asserts that this narrative reflects the strong relation of problem finding to problem solving in the practice of naturalistic inquiry. (KH)

Explores several issues related to the study of students' academic careers and the cumulative impact of their learning experiences across grade levels. Building on recent work in cognitive psychology, develops academic "tasks" for the study of inter-grade connections. Identifies areas for future research. (Author/LHW)

Describes characteristics of questions in the ethnographic interview setting. Concentrates on the relational aspects of interviewing and on the issues of assumptions, categories, and scope. Applies ideas about questioning in general to work with child informants. (Author/LHW)

Children's school problems are often blamed on either the individual or one of the groups to which the child belongs. An interpretive approach views individuals and groups, the worlds of actions and ideas, as mutually defining and constitutive. (Author/LHW)

Describes different roles and socialization activities of male and female children in an Afghanistan household. Stresses the implications for adolescent behavior and marital relationships of mothers' influences on children of both sexes. (GC)

Through the life history of a 20-year-old dropout living on the fringes of society, this article points out the lack of systematic, educational efforts to support or influence young people once they are out of school. (GC)

Examines the historical development of educational anthropology in the context of the growth of professionalism and specialization of anthropology as a whole. Discusses several factors: 1954 Stanford Conference; organization of the Council on Anthropology and Education; changing economic support for anthropology; and modifications in…

School context constrains and supports field researchers' data collection activities, just as it can influence the educational change processes being studied. For outsiders, the accessibility of a school is affected by a number of factors. These influence findings and have implications for achieving data comparability across several sites.…