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Showing papers in "Harvard Educational Review in 1977"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Gilligan as discussed by the authors examined the limitations of several theories, most notably Kohlberg's stage theory of moral development, and concluded that developmental theory has not given adequate expression to the concerns and experience of women.
Abstract: As theories of developmental psychology continue to define educational goals and practice, it has become imperative for educators and researchers to scrutinize not only the underlying assumptions of such theories but also the model of adulthood toward which they point. Carol Gilligan examines the limitations of several theories, most notably Kohlberg's stage theory of moral development, and concludes that developmental theory has not given adequate expression to the concerns and experience of women. Through a review of psychological and literary sources, she illustrates the feminine construction of reality. From her own research data, interviews with women contemplating abortion, she then derives an alternative sequence for the development of women's moral judgments. Finally, she argues for an expanded conception of adulthood that would result from the integration of the "feminine voice" into developmental theory.

2,134 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Olson as mentioned in this paper argues that these conflicts are rooted in differing assumptions about the relation of meaning to language: whether meaning is extrinsic to language or intrinsic, a relation he calls "text." On both the individual and cultural levels there has been development from language as utterance to language as text.
Abstract: In this far-ranging essay David Olson attempts to reframe current controversies over several aspects of language, including meaning, comprehension, acquisition, reading, and reasoning. Olson argues that in all these cases the conflicts are rooted in differing assumptions about the relation of meaning to language: whether meaning is extrinsic to language—a relation Olson designates as "utterance"—or intrinsic— a relation he calls "text." On both the individual and cultural levels there has been development, Olson suggests, from language as utterance to language as text. He traces the history and impact of conventionalized, explicit language from the invention of the Greek alphabet through the rise of the British essayist technique. Olson concludes with a discussion of the resulting conception of language and the implications for the linguistic, psychological, and logical issues raised initially.

1,000 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the implementation of Chapter 766, the dramatically innovative state special education law in Massachusetts, and show how the necessary coping mechanisms that individual school personnel use to manage the demands of their jobs may, in the aggregate, constrain and distort the adoption of special education reform.
Abstract: Recent state and federal legislation holds the promise of sweeping reform in special- education practices. In this article, Richard Weatherley and Michael Lipsky examine the implementation of Chapter 766, the dramatically innovative state special- education law in Massachusetts. They show how the necessary coping mechanisms that individual school personnel use to manage the demands of their jobs may, in the aggregate, constrain and distort the implementation of special-education reform. Their findings have serious implications for those seeking to introduce policy innovations in service bureaucracies of all kinds where the deliverers of service exercise substantial discretion in setting their work priorities.

705 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Becker as discussed by the authors discusses the distinctive features of this model and explores the implications of teaching reading and language skills to economically disadvantaged children and advocates that immediate steps be taken to teach vocabulary systematically throughout the school years.
Abstract: In late 1967, Project Follow Through was reorganized to select, test, and evaluate promising but different educational programs for disadvantaged youngsters in the first three grades. Now, nearly ten years later, the completed evaluations of Follow Through suggest that one of these programs, the University of Oregon's Direct Instruction Model, has produced significant gains in measures of positive affect, basic skills, and conceptual reasoning. In this article, Wesley Becker discusses the distinctive features of this model—its underlying assumptions and basic teaching components. He then explores the implications of teaching reading and language skills to economically disadvantaged children and advocates that immediate steps be taken to teach vocabulary systematically throughout the school years. Viewing this goal as essential for compensatory education, he concludes with an analysis of how vocabulary instruction might best be implemented.

401 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper argued that reading instruction has been aimed at attaining either a low level of literacy for a large number of people or a high level for an elite, and that the contemporary expectation of high levels of reading achievement for the entire population represents a relatively recent development.
Abstract: In this article Daniel and Lauren Resnick bring an historical perspective to the present debate over reading achievement. From an historical examination of selected European and American models of literacy, they conclude that reading instruction has been aimed at attaining either a low level of literacy for a large number of people or a high level for an elite. Thus, the contemporary expectation —high levels of literacy for the entire population—represents a relatively recent development. From this stance the Resnicks argue that, contrary to the thrust of the "back to basics" movement, pedagogical practices from the past offer little remedy for reading problems as currently defined.

255 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: McDermott as mentioned in this paper emphasized the importance of understanding the way relations between teachers and children affect the development of learning environments and examined how classroom interaction may promote or retard learning, and described how teaching styles depend on cultural contexts and examined successful and unsuccessful classrooms with examples from a variety of school systems, including Amish and inner-city American.
Abstract: Questions concerning what works in classrooms have been asked many times. The answers so far have not resulted in any substantial educational changes, and our school systems continue to be in considerable disarray. In this article, R. P. Mc- Dermott emphasizes the importance of understanding the way relations between teachers and children affect the development of learning environments and examines how classroom interaction may promote or retard learning. He describes how teaching styles depend on cultural contexts and examines successful and unsuccessful classrooms with examples from a variety of school systems, including Amish and inner-city American. McDermott suggests that the ethnographic study of classrooms will allow us to look carefully at learning in terms of how teachers and students "make sense" of each other and hold each other accountable, given the resources and limits of their community.

241 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Vellutino as discussed by the authors examines the foci of four prevalent explanations for reading failure in children: visual perception, intersensory integration, temporal order perception, and verbal functioning.
Abstract: The history of our knowledge about specific reading disability—dyslexia—is checkered with different hypotheses and theories. In this overview of the literature Frank Vellutino critically examines the foci of four prevalent explanations for reading failure in children: visual perception, intersensory integration, temporal– order perception, and verbal functioning. Applying findings from his own laboratory investigations and other selected research to each of the four hypotheses, Vellutino argues that the verbal-deficit hypothesis offers the most convincing explanation. Through the use of direct and indirect evidence Vellutino demonstrates the relationship between reading problems and dysfunction in the semantic, syntactic, or phonological aspects of language. Finally, Vellutino pursues the implications of his position and asserts that the linguistic problems of some poor readers necessitate an emphasis on the internal structure of words in learning to read.

225 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that reading, like speaking and writing, is an active language process in which readers display their sophistication as functional psycholinguists and advocate the use of oral reading as a data base.
Abstract: Kenneth and Yetta Goodman argue that reading, like speaking and writing, is an active language process in which readers display their sophistication as functional psycholinguists. The authors note, however, that it is difficult to gain access to and understand these active, underlying processes. To make such processes accessible, the authors advocate the use of oral reading as a data base. The Goodmans maintain that when oral readers depart from the written text—when miscues occur— the underlying processes of reading begin to be revealed. Using examples from children and adults, the authors present a typology of miscues and demonstrate how miscues provide a window on reading and other language processes. Throughout the article the Goodmans note the implications of miscue analysis for research and teaching.

148 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Gibbs as discussed by the authors distinguishes between naturalistic and existential themes in modern psychology and outlines the empirical criteria that identify a naturalistic or Piagetian sequence, concluding that the first four stages of Kohlberg's typology meet the criteria for naturalistic developmental sequence but the higher stages instead appear to be existential or reflective extensions of earlier stages.
Abstract: Lawrence Kohlberg's work on moral judgment posits a typology of six hierarchical stages which form a Piagetian developmental sequence. The last two stages have occasioned luidespread controversy in developmental psychology because of their rarity and the claim that they represent morally and structurally higher forms of reasoning. In this article, John Gibbs distinguishes between naturalistic and existential themes in modern psychology and outlines the empirical criteria that identify a naturalistic or Piagetian sequence. He then argues that the first four stages of Kohlberg's typology meet the criteria for a naturalistic developmental sequence but the higher stages instead appear to be existential or reflective extensions of earlier stages. The conclusions Gibbs reaches have considerable significance for clarifying the relationships between the highest forms of moral and social thought and development, experience, and education.

111 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, Collins proposes to move beyond both types of explanation by demonstrating the role of three sources of demand for education: the demand of individuals for practical skills, the desire of groups for social solidarity and high status, and the concern of states for effective political control.
Abstract: During the 1950s and early 1960s functionalism, which held that education socializes the young and provides socially necessary technical skills, provided the dominant explanation for the genesis and role of educational systems. In the late 1960s, various neo-Marxist positions appeared which pointed to education's role in maintaining class inequality. Drawing on the work of Max Weber, Randall Collins proposes to move beyond both types of explanation by demonstrating the role of three sources of demand for education—the demand of individuals for practical skills, the desire of groups for social solidarity and high status, and the concern of states for effective political control. These sources and their consequences can be conceptualized as operating within a market for cultural goods which behaves much like the market for economic goods.

101 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Hakuta and Cancino as discussed by the authors present a critical, historical overview of research on second-language acquisition, highlighting the influence of first-language-acquisition research on studies of second language acquisition, and speculate on future research trends.
Abstract: Recent concern with bilingual education has led to an increased interest in understanding the process of second-language acquisition. In this article Kenji Hakuta and Herlinda Cancino present a critical, historical overview of research on second– language acquisition. In this account the authors outline four analytical approaches— contrastive, error, performance, and discourse analysis—trace the shifts among these approaches, and demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each. They also show how the different approaches reflect changing conceptions of language and the nature of learners. The authors give special emphasis to the influence of first-language-acquisition research on studies of second-language acquisition, and they speculate on future research trends.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors translated five of Bourdieu's articles into English and appeared in several readers on the sociology of education, including The Heirs: Students and Culture, and the Reproduction: In Education, Society and Culture.
Abstract: A persistent problem in social science is the lack of good translations of major research done in other countries. This form of linguistic provincialism has been especially true of the works of Pierre Bourdieu, a leading French sociologist, whose studies on higher educational institutions now command much of the attention given to the sociology of education in France.1 Five of Bourdieu's articles have recently been translated into English and appear in several readers on the sociology of education. Similarly, this year marked the appearance in English of Reproduction: In Education, Society and Culture, a highly innovative and widely discussed work by Bourdieu and his collaborator, Jean-Claude Passeron. Finally, a sixth article by Bourdieu and an earlier book with Passeron, The Heirs: Students and Culture, are forthcoming in English translation.4 An initial assessment of Bourdieu's theory and research is now possible with the availability of these works in English. This essay will give a descriptive overvi...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The essential antecedents of reading consist of two cognitive insights: that written language is meaningful and that spoken language is different from spoken language as discussed by the authors, and the importance of each of these insights and how children typically learn them.
Abstract: For many years researchers and educators have sought to specify the prerequisites for learning to read Physical, intellectual, and perceptual factors are often cited as the necessary precursors Frank Smith has often argued that reading is not a matter of decoding but consists of bringing meaning to print In this essay Smith claims that the essential antecedents of reading consist of two cognitive insights: that written language is meaningful and that written language is different from spoken language Smith discusses the importance of each of these insights and explains how children typically learn them He argues that current instructional practices may thwart the learning of these insights and suggests ways in which parents and teachers may help children to understand that reading makes sense

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Elsasser and John-Steiner as mentioned in this paper argue that poor writing is connected with certain cognitive states and social conditions, and that instruction in writing must be directed at more than rules of grammar.
Abstract: In this paper Nan Elsasser and Vera John-Steiner raise the question of how writing and composition skills, often neglected aspects of literacy programs, can best be developed. The authors suggest that instruction in writing must be directed at more than rules of grammar. They maintain that "poor writing" is connected to certain cognitive states and social conditions. Drawing on the work of Paulo Freire and Lev Vygotsky, the authors specify the nature of those states and conditions, the interrelationships between them, and the transformations that must occur if fluent writing is to be achieved. Using examples from a variety of countries, the authors demonstrate the close connection among educational, political, social, and cognitive factors. In the final section the authors illustrate their instructional principles and strategies in a description of an experimental university composition course.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Teitelbaum and Hiller as discussed by the authors review Lau and subsequent cases and point out that the bringing and winning of such cases will not overcome all the obstacles to equitable education, such as the sluggish federal enforcement of remedies to Lau violations; another may be school districts' resistance, explained on the grounds of increased costs, contract rights of teachers, the small number of students involved, or the need to avoid segregation.
Abstract: The Lau v. Nichols decision of the Supreme Court, which upheld the right of non-English-speaking students to educational programs designed to meet their language- skill needs, has suddenly created a presumption in favor of bilingual education that is causing nationwide repercussions. In this article attorneys Herbert Teitelbaum and Richard Hiller review Lau and subsequent cases and point out that the bringing and winning of such cases will not overcome all the obstacles to equitable education. One hurdle may be the sluggish federal enforcement of remedies to Lau violations; another may be school districts' resistance, explained on the grounds of increased costs, contract rights of teachers, the small number of students involved, or the need to avoid segregation. Although such defenses are rarely successful in court, Teitelbaum and Hiller acknowledge that fears of segregation may impede the implementation of bilingual programs. Accordingly, they present options for remedying discrimination against linguist...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Potts as discussed by the authors reviewed evidence that suggests that institutions of higher learning were increasingly accessible to students from less wealthy backgrounds between 1800 and 1860, that their curricula became more flexible, and that enrollments grew increasingly rapidly during this period.
Abstract: Historians studying American colleges in the early nineteenth century have traditionally viewed them as lacking popular support. New studies indicate, however, that local citizens were enthusiastic about locally established colleges, backed them financially, and in several cases fought to prevent their removal. In this article, David B. Potts also reviews evidence that suggests that institutions of higher learning were increasingly accessible to students from less wealthy backgrounds between 1800 and 1860, that their curricula became more flexible, and that enrollments grew increasingly rapidly during this period. Professor Potts then describes several major questions that future research in this field must address.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Kirp as mentioned in this paper analyzes how major educational questions are now being addressed by courts and legislatures; he focuses more on institutional dynamics than doctrinal developments, and suggests how questions of equal opportunity are best fit for joint resolution.
Abstract: The influence of courts upon educational policy increased markedly in the years following the Brown decision. Recently, however, the judicial role has changed. As policy attention has focused on increasingly subtle questions of distributive justice and some aggrieved groups have obtained through legislation what they sought through litigation, courts in the 1970s have been more restrained than those of the previous decade. David Kirp analyzes how major educational questions are now being addressed by courts and legislatures; he focuses more on institutional dynamics than doctrinal developments. Noting the different procedures and standards of each branch of government, Kirp examines the interplay between these branches and suggests how questions of equal opportunity are best fit for joint resolution.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Vernon as discussed by the authors argued that reading disability is not a unitary phenomenon but can result from deficiencies in different psychological processes and presented a fourfold classifications scheme capable of categorizing all poor readers.
Abstract: Synthesizing a diverse group of studies, M. D. Vernon argues that reading disability is not a unitary phenomenon but can result from deficiencies in different psychological processes. Previous attempts to group poor readers according to deficiencies in these processes, however, have been largely unsuccessful because, Vernon maintains, they failed to take into account the steps required in learning to read. The author asserts that because of varying psychological dysfunctions, breakdowns can occur at specific points in acquiring reading. Based on the points at which an individual's reading breaks down, Vernon presents a fourfold classifications scheme capable of categorizing all poor readers.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors draw parallels and differences between Durkheim's and Bernstein's theories of educational systems; this comparison will highlight Bernstein's reformulation of certain features of Durkhem's thought.
Abstract: Emile Durkheim's The Evolution of Educational Thought and the third volume of Basil Bernstein's Class, Codes and Control2 are important contributions to the theory of social and educational change. The English translation of Durkheim's lectures on the history of French secondary education is likely to have a dramatic impact not only on future interpretations of his thought but also on the general orientation of educational research. The most recent volume in Bernstein's series is a significant addition to his studies of social class and educational codes. The aim of this essay is to draw out parallels and differences between Durkheim's and Bernstein's theories of educational systems; this comparison will highlight Bernstein's reformulation of certain features of Durkheim's thought.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper argued that the meaning-determining rules of language can only be understood by reference to the function of communication, and argued that while Chomsky disagreed with the idea that communication is the essential function of language, he implicitly agreed that it has a function.
Abstract: For many years scholars have debated the question of the source of meaning in language. In this article Carol Feldman advocates the view that meaning is necessarily dependent upon the communicative function of language and examines the objections, particularly those of Noam Chomsky, to this view. She argues that while Chomsky disagrees with the idea that communication is the essential function of language, he implicitly agrees that it has a function. Feldman discusses in detail Chomsky's examples of noncommunicative functions of language and maintains that each of his examples represents fundamentally communicative uses. Contrary to Chomsky, she concludes that the meaning-determining rules of language can only be understood by reference to the function of communication.