A sample of 689 adolescents responded to a self report survey measuring perceptions of peer pressure in five areas of behavior: involvement with peers, school involvement, family involvement, conformity to peer norms, and misconduct. Results elaborated the process of peer influence in adolescent socialization and identity development. (Author/LMO)

School improvement involves more than just fitting different packages into existing structures. Though education should empower students to become skilled and vital, it often encourages obedience and conformity. There is a bureaucratization that distorts teaching and learning. Theory and cooperative planning are both crucial to educational…

The authors discuss "evaluation paranoia" as a fact of life for students and educators. By grades or job evaluations, both are pressured into conformity through fear of the evaluator. Suggested is a new conception of evaluation, based on self-appraisal and mutual goal setting, to promote honesty and personal growth. (SJL)

Warns that methods of molding "good students" (e.g., teacher-dominated decision making, lack of student participation/response, and solitary classwork) ensure conformity, docility, passivity, and dependence. Recommends coaching, rather than lecturing, for skill development; Socratic dialogue; environments that reduce fear of failure; and learning…

The rhetoric of American public education abounds with admonitions to adapt instruction to individual differences and to "humanize" the educational process. However, in practice, especially below the collegiate level, students are guided toward conformity with subjective standards, and those who do not fit are perceived as having deficits to…

Reports on a study that examined teacher attitudes and behaviors in the community the classroom, and the school. Concludes that teachers, although active in their communities, are reluctant to assume a critical stance in relation to school authorities and tend to pass this lesson in conformity on to their students. (Author/GC)

Holds that delivery of social, psychological, and educational services to Asian immigrant children is hampered by: (1) referral-inhibiting characteristics of children (including passivity and conformity); (2) teachers' stereotyped expectations; and (3) referral-discouraging educational policies. Presents recommendations for multicultural and…

Scholars have observed the historical change in emphasis in American society from Anglo conformity and the melting pot to the notions of cultural mosaic and cultural pluralism. A large number of institutions offer studies of ethnicity, racism, cultural differences, value clarification, and experience in teaching from a multicultural perspective.…

Outlines strategies to reduce inequities in numerous counties, focusing on the distribution of financial and human resources. Also addresses issues of diversity and conformity in education systems. Reduction of regional imbalances does not necessarily require imposition of uniformity, but the diversity caused by decentralization is not always…

Provides an overview of compulsory moral education in Japan from 1886 through 1997, tracing the introduction of specific ideals to elementary and secondary students. Argues that moral education was used to instill conformity, docility, and social cohesion in Japanese youth in order to fulfill the priorities of the political system. (CMK)

The literature in the area of cultural diversity in art is reviewed, and suggestions are made for an interface art program. "Interface" is described as a good blend of Anglo-conformity (total annihilation of a culture other than White Anglo Saxon Protestant) and separatism (loss of cultural identity) in art education. (KC)

Provides an overview of China's music education system. Notes that there is in Chinese education a different emphasis upon conformity and the individual. Finds a separation between ideals and action in both the Chinese and United States programs. States that efforts to move the Chinese program away from training are still rudimentary. (KO)

Educators, theorists, and community leaders must consider which conceptual template is appropriate for a dynamic, diverse, and productive society and school. Intersubjectivity (stressing empathy, justice, and freedom) avoids the conformity espoused by the extreme right and the Balkanization dangers inherent in far-left recommendations. Promoting…

Teaching conformity through coercion limits students' willingness to take risks and make decisions regarding their learning. In contrast, a Foxfire classroom environment that meets psychological needs empowers students to make choices about their learning, eliminates fear of failure, allows students to establish their own standards of achievement,…

This report, prepared by the Studies in Delinquency and School Environments program, presents a theory of delinquency and proposes an action research strategy to develop delinquency prevention programs in schools. The materials build on the theories of Hirschi and Bandura, and assume that: (1) home and school experiences can be rewarding or…