Psychology Applied to Teaching 13th Edition International by Jack Snowman - Test Bank

Chapter 5: Addressing Cultural and Socioeconomic Diversity

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1.Which of the following is most consistent with the concept of cultural pluralism?

a. All cultures within a society should be maintained and respected by others.

b. A national goal of the United States should be to assimilate our many cultural groups into the national mainstream.

c. All cultures are basically the same and should be considered equal.

d. Different cultures have their own beliefs and behavioral norms, but cultural values are universal.

ANS:AREF:144

NOT: The three beliefs that underlie cultural pluralism are that every society should maintain its different cultures, each culture within a society should be respected by individuals from other cultures, and that individuals within a society should not have to give up their cultural identity in order to participate in all aspects of society.

2.The concept of cultural pluralism holds that

a. all cultures are basically the same and should be considered equal.

b. people can rise above their particular culture and become culture-free.

c. all cultures within a society should be respected by all members of that society.

d. different cultures have their own beliefs and behavioral norms, but cultural values are universal.

ANS:CREF:144

NOT: One of the basic beliefs that underlies cultural pluralism is the idea that all individuals within a society should respect all of the cultures of that society.

3.Which of the following statements about cultural diversity in the United States is true?

a. Cultural diversity is decreasing because of changing immigration laws.

b. Cultural diversity is increasing because of increasing numbers of Asian Americans, but the number of Latinos/Latinas is decreasing because of immigration restrictions.

c. Cultural diversity is decreasing because of decreasing birthrates among immigrants.

d. Cultural diversity is increasing because of changes in immigration and birthrates among immigrants.

ANS:DREF:146-147

NOT:On pages 146-147 of the text, there is a discussion of the changing ethnic composition of the United States. A decline of the melting pot philosophy and a rise of cultural pluralism have occurred to a large degree because of the increasing cultural diversity in the United States, which in turn has resulted from changes in immigration and birthrates among immigrants.

4.What can be said about the numbers and ethnic origins of the population of the United States as the twenty-first century begins?

a. The United States is becoming less culturally diverse because of policies originating in the 1960s to restrict immigration

b. The United States is becoming less culturally diverse because the birthrates of Asian and European immigrants have declined.

c. The United States is becoming more culturally diverse because immigration and the birthrates of immigrants have increased.

d. The ethnic makeup of the population is much the same as in the mid-1970s and is expected to remain that way, with the exception of a gradual decrease in the number of Latino/Latina children.

ANS:CREF:146-147

NOT: The authors suggest that the United States is becoming more multicultural because of changes in immigration and birthrates.

5.Which of the following does not reflect an ethnocentric belief?

a. All children require adequate nutrition in order to develop properly.

b. Christianity is the most acceptable form of religion because of the values it espouses.

c. English is the only important language in the school system.

d. Meat is the only acceptable form of protein in the school lunch program.

ANS:AREF:147

NOT: All options except for the correct option exhibit a lack of tolerance for beliefs or attitudes of people from other cultures (i.e., ethnocentrism). The correct option reflects not a cultural issue but a nutritional one. The requirement for good nutrition crosses all cultural boundaries.

6.All of the following statements reflect an ethnocentric perspective except

a. We will not consider using vegetables or soy products as acceptable sources of protein in the school lunch program.

b. All foreign students should pass English proficiency tests before being allowed to attend public school.

c. We will not study Central and South American history, since it isn’t part of the curriculum.

d. All students require adequate nutrition in order to develop properly.

ANS:DREF:147

NOT: All options except the correct option exhibit a lack of tolerance for beliefs, attitudes, or ways of life of people from other cultures (i.e., ethnocentrism). The correct option reflects not a cultural issue, but a nutritional one. The requirement for good nutrition crosses all cultural boundaries.

7.Which of the following is not likely to be a characteristic that identifies someone as being from a different culture?

a. the belief a person has about what happens when we die

b. the size of a person’s frame and the color of the person’s skin

c. the behavior a person exhibits around family elders

d. the attitude a wife has toward her husband

ANS:BREF:148

NOT: The authors point out that a culture is defined by the way a group of people thinks, believes, behaves, and perceives the world. These characteristics reflected in the incorrect options, can identify someone as being from a different culture. Presently the United States is so ethnically diverse that people of many different ethnic origins can be said to have the same culture. We may be hard pressed to identify third-generation Japanese-American students as anything but American.

8.How a group of people perceives, believes, thinks, and behaves is the ________________of those people.

a. attitude c. right

b. culture d. ethnocentrism

ANS:BREF:148

NOT: A culture is defined by the way a group of people thinks, believes, behaves, and perceives the world. Presently the United States is so ethnically diverse that people of many different ethnic origins can be said to have the same culture. We may be hard-pressed to identify third-generation Japanese-American students as anything but American.

9.If a young Korean student doesn’t look at you while you are speaking, this is probably because

a. the child is guilty of something and feels she may be found out if she looks at you.

b. in the child’s culture of origin, it is a sign of respect to avert one’s eyes when speaking to an elder.

c. the child isn’t paying attention to what you are saying.

d. the child is upset about something and is trying to conceal his feelings.

ANS:BREF:149

NOT:Ethnic groups differ in terms of their verbal and nonverbal behavior (pp. 137-138). In many Asian cultures, it is a sign of respect to avert your eyes when someone is speaking to you, though it is often considered rude in American culture.

10.You have a student who is a first-generation immigrant from Thailand. You notice that he doesn’t look at you when you speak to him. The child probably acts this way because he

a. isn’t interested in what you have to say.

b. is upset about having left his homeland.

c. is dishonest and feels guilty.

d. uses different patterns of nonverbal communication.

ANS:DREF:149

NOT:Ethnic groups differ in terms of their verbal and nonverbal behavior. In many Asian cultures, it is a sign of respect to avert your eyes when someone is speaking to you, though it is often considered rude in American culture.

11.Which of the following does not reflect an important consideration that a teacher of students of different ethnic origins needs to bear in mind?

a. Members of different ethnic groups may hold different values.

b. Members of different ethnic groups may have different forms of nonverbal communication.

c. Members of different ethnic groups may view things like time, money, and family differently.

d. Members of different ethnic groups may have different basic nutritional needs.

ANS:DREF:149-150

NOT: While their diets may vary widely, the basic nutritional requirements probably do not vary much on the basis of ethnic origin. However, as discussed in the text, verbal and nonverbal communication as well as values and beliefs vary widely as a function of ethnic origins.

12.In light of the chapter discussion on cultural differences, if you have a young African American student in your fourth-grade class who consistently has problems working on assignments alone, which of the following might you consider in trying to help?

a. Assume that the child has reading difficulties and make arrangements for her to be evaluated.

b. Try letting the student work cooperatively with peers.

c. Make arrangements to speak to the child’s parents about the child’s refusal to participate in school.

d. Provide either negative or positive reinforcement to encourage the child to read the required assignments.

ANS:BREF:150

NOT:Research demonstrates that children from different cultural groups may prefer and perform better under particular instructional conditions. Many African American students, for example, prefer to work in cooperative groups than independently.

13.In teaching an ethnically diverse class, it is important to remember that

a. every effort should be made to keep children of color in school, since the education gap that exists for many of them ultimately translates into low earning power.

b. Asian Americans should be given the most attention, since they appear to hold the most promise for being successful.

c. Latinos/Latinas and African Americans are quickly closing the wage gap that exists between them and white Americans.

d. by the time they reach public-school age, most students are conditioned to learn the same way, regardless of their ethnic origins.

ANS:AREF:152

NOT: The authors make the point that because of a long history of discrimination against ethnic groups of color, many members of these groups have less education and consequently less earning power than the average white American. Since African and Hispanic Americans have a higher dropout rate than white students, which translates into less earning power, every effort should be made to keep them in school.

14.Many ethnic families of color earn less than white families. As an educator you should

a. keep this in mind because low-SES students are more at risk for academic problems.

b. try to ignore this fact and approach instruction for all students in the same way.

c. try to get your minority students after-school jobs.

d. downplay the importance of money in our culture.

ANS:AREF:152

NOT: The authors make the point that because of a long history of discrimination against ethnic groups of color, many members of these groups have less education and consequently less earning power than the average white American. Since African and Hispanic Americans have a higher dropout rate than white students, which translates into less earning power, every effort should be made to keep them in school.

15.The need for multicultural programs and an increased sensitivity toward the educational needs of students from different ethnic groups is apparent because

a. the gap in test scores among various minority groups decreases as the students move through the school system.

b. African Americans, but not Latinos/Latinas or Asian Americans, have difficulty securing employment once they graduate from high school.

c. a higher divorce rate among various minority groups can be addressed with increased multicultural education.

d. members of various minority groups have lower standardized test scores and dropout rates.

ANS:DREF:153

NOT: A disparity in standardized test scores among different ethnic groups appears early and persists all the way through the school system, resulting in a higher dropout rate among minority students than among their white counterparts.

16.Which of the following conditions likely contributes to the achievement gap between minority and white students?

a. inadequate health care c. low need to achieve

b. growing up in a one-parent family d. all of the above

ANS:DREF:153-157

NOT: As discussed on pp. 153-157, several factors are associated with the achievement discrepancy between minority and white students, including inadequate health care, growing up in a one-parent family, and having a low need to achieve.

17.The type of home environment that many low-SES students live in can be characterized as

a. overcrowded.

b. stressful because of the threat of street crime.

c. lacking in a good place to study.

d. all of the above.

ANS:DREF:154

NOT:The home environment of many low-SES children can be described as crowded, lacking a good place to study, and stressful because of the threat of street crime.

18.Students from low-SES homes are more likely than students from upper-SES homes to have difficulty studying because low-SES students typically

a. live in smaller, more crowded conditions.

b. receive less supervision from parents.

c. lack a good place to study.

d. all of the above.

ANS:DREF:154

NOT:The home environment of many low-SES children can be described as crowded, lacking a good place to study, and stressful because of the threat of street crime.

19.Racial and ethnic minority students who grow up in poor, one-parent families are

a. at greater risk of academic failure than are white middle-SES students.

b. likely to do as well as the average student.

c. likely to compensate for their deprived background by performing above average in school.

d. more likely than other students to place a high value on education.

ANS:AREF:154-155

NOT: As discussed on pp. 153-157, racial and ethnic minority students are likely to perform worse in school than white, middle-SES students because of such factors as poverty, growing up in a one-parent family, having a low need to achieve, and placing a lower value on education.

20.If you were a teacher of low-SES racial and ethnic minority students and wanted to increase their achievement levels, which of the following would you do?

a. Create a caring and supportive classroom environment.

b. Communicate to students high but realistic expectations for learning.

c. Use scaffolded instruction.

d. All of these answers.

ANS:DREF:157

NOT: Research has shown that several factors have positive effects on the achievement of low-SES African American and Hispanic students, including a caring and supportive environment, having high but realistic expectations for student achievement, and the use of scaffolded instruction.

21.If you were teaching in an inner-city elementary school that had mostly minority students and wanted your students to develop a positive attitude toward school, which of the following would be most likely to help you achieve that goal?

a. Keep your expectations and demands low to avoid discouraging students.

b. Show your students you care about them by discussing their personal and academic problems.

c. Praise students even if the quality of their work is less than what you expected.

d. Strive to be seen by your students as a strict, no-nonsense teacher.

ANS:BREF:157

NOT: A survey of low-SES African American students in an urban school revealed that a positive attitude toward school was strongly associated with a caring and supportive classroom environment.

22.Which of the following scenarios demonstrates the teacher expectancy effect?

a. Karrie’s reading achievement declines from one testing to the next because she does not like her teacher.

b. Lonnie’s reading achievement increases dramatically after he is criticized by his teacher for being a poorly motivated student.

c. Linda’s achievement test scores increase because her teacher, who feels Linda is gifted, begins to expect more of her.

d. Bobby’s achievement test scores increase because he wants to show his teacher that he is smarter than everyone else in class.

ANS:CREF:158

NOT: The teacher expectancy effect, which is also referred to as the self-fulfilling prophecy, relates to the finding that teacher expectations can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in the classroom. Teachers can, consciously or unconsciously, communicate their expectations to students; students, in turn, may behave in the expected fashion.

23.After hearing about Jon’s very high achievement scores in mathematics, Ms. Ketel realizes how smart Jon is and expects that he will do well in the upcoming unit on algebra. Later, Jon performs very well, just as she had expected. Interestingly enough, however, the achievement scores Ms. Ketel originally received were incorrect. Jon was actually a below-average student in his mathematical achievement. What concept most likely refers to Jon’s change in performance?

a. ethnocentrism c. teacher expectancy

b. cultural pluralism d. constructivism

ANS:CREF:158

NOT: The teacher expectancy effect, also referred to as the self-fulfilling prophecy, relates to the finding that teacher expectations can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in the classroom (p. 148). Teachers can, unconsciously or consciously, communicate their expectations to students; students, in turn, may behave in the expected fashion. This is consistent with the description of Jon’s behavior in this example.

24.Miss Fredrique, an innovative second-grade teacher, is working with her students to improve their reading skills. Her class is divided into a fast-track group and a slow-track group. If research in the area of self-fulfilling prophecy is correct,

a. any differences between good and poor readers will diminish because different instructional practices will be employed with each group.

b. initial differences between good and poor readers will remain or widen over time.

c. Miss Fredrique will smile and make eye contact more often with less proficient readers, and, in turn, their self-efficacy appraisals will blossom.

d. Miss Fredrique will allow more proficient readers less time to decode difficult words because she most likely believes that good readers should be able to work well under time pressure.

ANS:BREF:158-159

NOT: Teacher expectancy can produce strong effects on achievement and participation. Teacher expectancy effects, with respect to fast-track and slow-track reading groups, are discussed in the chapter.

25.Mr. Pacque, an excellent second-grade teacher, is working with his students to improve their reading skills. His class is divided into a fast-track group and a slow-track group. If Mr. Pacque’s behavior reflects what is known about teacher expectancy,

a. initial differences between good and poor readers will remain or widen over time.

b. differences between good and poor readers will diminish because different instructional practices will be used with each group.

c. he will frequently smile and make eye contact with less proficient readers, so that their feelings of self-confidence will increase.

d. he will allow more proficient readers less time to decode difficult words because good readers should be able to process information quickly.

ANS:AREF:158-159

NOT: Teacher expectancy can produce strong effects on achievement and participation. Teacher expectancy effects, with respect to fast-track and slow-track reading groups, are discussed in the chapter.

26.Which of the following descriptions is supported by research in the area of teacher expectancy?

a. Teachers are influenced more by positive information about students than by negative information.

b. Teachers tend to approve of boys’ behavior more frequently than they approve of girls’ behavior.

c. Teachers interact more frequently with low achievers than with high achievers.

d. Teachers perceive attractive children as brighter than unattractive children.

ANS:DREF:159

NOT: Teacher expectancies are influenced by attractiveness, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnic background, level of achievement, and amount of negative information presented.

27.Which of the following student characteristics is not likely to lead to positive teacher expectancy?

a. physical attractiveness c. neutral background information

b. prior high achievement d. low-SES

ANS:DREF:159

NOT: Positive teacher expectancies are likely to be formed if a student is attractive, has a history of high achievement, or has a middle-class social standing. A teacher is more influenced by negative information than by neutral or positive information.

28.Multicultural programs aim at promoting all of the following except

a. self-acceptance and respect for cultural diversity.

b. helping students analyze which harmful social stereotypes are supported by scientific fact which are just overgeneralizations.

c. reducing students’ ethnocentrism by analyzing how various cultural groups perceive and have influenced historical events.

d. improving learning by embedding material in personally meaningful, ethnically related contexts.

ANS:BREF:163

NOT:There are many goals of multicultural education, which are summarized in Table 5.2 on page 163. The goals include promoting self-acceptance and a respect for cultural diversity, reducing ethnocentrism and harmful stereotypes, and improving learning by embedding concepts in an ethnically related, personally meaningful context.

29.Crispus Attucks, thought to have been a runaway slave, was a patriotic American who died in the Boston Massacre in 1770. If you were to present a lesson about events that led to the American Revolution, asking your students to select a point of view of either white colonists or African Americans (such as Attucks) at the time and to study with this perspective in mind, this would be the __________ approach to multicultural education.

a. contributions c. transformative

b. additive d. social action

ANS:DREF:163-164

NOT: There are several approaches to multicultural education (pp. 152-153). In the social action approach, not only are ethnic figures, their points of view, and their individual accomplishments studied; they also are presented without bias or judgment. Students are asked to draw final conclusions about the figures, take a stand, and take action on a concept, idea, or theme.

30.If you were to present a lesson to your sixth-grade class about the battle of Little Bighorn in which you ask your students to read about Custer and Sitting Bull, take a stand on each figure, and write an essay from the perspective of each, this would be the ____________________ approach to multicultural education.

a. additive c. social action

b. transformative d. contributions

ANS:CREF:163-164

NOT: There are several approaches to multicultural education. In the social action approach, not only are ethnic figures, their points of view, and individual accomplishments studied; they also are presented without bias or judgment. Students are asked to draw final conclusions about the figures, take a stand, and take action on a concept, idea, or theme.

31.Multicultural programs attempt to

a. help students master reading, writing, and computation skills in a context that makes mainstream American culture more appealing to culturally diverse students.

b. help students analyze which harmful social stereotypes are not supported by scientific fact and which are.

c. reduce ethnocentrism by allowing students the opportunity to understand how different cultural groups perceive and have influenced historical events.

d. reduce ethnocentrism by teaching students which cultures have the right interpretation of various historical and cultural events and which do not.

ANS:CREF:163

NOT:There are many goals of multicultural education, which are summarized in Table 5.2 on page 163. The goals include promoting self-acceptance and a respect for cultural diversity, reducing ethnocentrism and harmful stereotypes, and improving learning by embedding concepts in an ethnically related, personally meaningful context.

32.Peer tutoring has been shown to improve the achievement of which of the following groups?

a. low-SES students c. ethnic minority students

b. primary grade students d. all of the above

ANS:DREF:166

NOT:Research on the effects of peer tutoring shows that it improves achievement among low-SES, primary grade, and ethnic minority students.

33.Which of the following instructional techniques has been shown to improve the achievement of low-SES, racial, and ethnic minority students?

a. self-directed learning c. peer tutoring

b. independent seatwork d. all of the above

ANS:CREF:166

NOT:Research on the effects of peer tutoring shows that it improves achievement among low-SES ethnic minority students.

34.If you use cooperative learning in your seventh-grade science class, you can expect that students

a. will be more inclined to help one another successfully complete an assignment.

b. will want to cooperate with you in establishing an orderly classroom.

c. will become more inclined to want to work on their own.

d. all of the above will occur.

ANS:AREF:167

NOT: Cooperative learning involves small, heterogeneous groups of about 4 to 5 students working together as a unit to help one another achieve learning goals.

35.The essence of cooperative learning is that

a. it produces a high level of cooperation between the students and the teacher.

b. students help one another master a particular learning task.

c. students work on assignments on their own and then come together to compare notes.

d. individuals who perform the best within a group may be rewarded.

ANS:BREF:167

NOT: Cooperative learning involves heterogeneous groups of four to five students who help one another achieve a particular goal.

36.Within ethnically diverse groups of students, cooperative learning is likely to

a. foster resentment among members of different ethnic groups.

b. result in a widening achievement gap among different ethnic groups of students.

c. foster an increased understanding of classmates from different ethnic groups.

d. result in increased competition among members of different ethnic groups.

ANS:CREF:167

NOT: Cooperative learning results in students’ increased understanding of their ethnically diverse classmates; they are also more likely to list members of ethnic groups as friends.

37.Advocates of mastery learning believe that this approach

a. can help foster all students’ perseverance if rewards, length of learning units, and teaching methods are appropriate.

b. should be restricted to those students who have sufficient aptitude for the subject matter.

c. can compensate for a student’s lack of prerequisite knowledge and skills.

d. is appropriate for vaguely defined learning objectives.

ANS:AREF:167

NOT:Advocates of mastery learning find this approach appealing because they believe all students can master a curriculum as long as learning units are small enough, objectives are clearly specified, creative teaching techniques are used, students can progress at their own pace, and relearning and retesting are permitted.

38.Which of the following is true about ethnically diverse groups involved with cooperative learning?

a. Students become less understanding of classmates from different ethnic groups.

b. Members of different ethnic groups become more competitive.

c. Members of various ethnic groups show an increase in achievement.

d. Students have a better understanding of classmates from different ethnic groups.

ANS:DREF:167

NOT: According to the text, cooperative learning results in increased understanding among students of their ethnically diverse classmates; students are also more likely to list members of ethnic groups as friends.

39.Which of the following appears to be true of the mastery learning approach?

a. Mastery learning is appropriate for vaguely defined learning objectives.

b. Mastery learning can compensate for a student’s lack of prerequisite knowledge and skills.

c. Mastery learning should be restricted to only those students who demonstrate sufficient aptitude for the subject matter.

d. Mastery learning can help foster perseverance for all students if rewards, length of learning units, and teaching methods are appropriate.

ANS:DREF:167

NOT:Advocates of mastery learning find this approach appealing because they believe all students can master a curriculum as long as learning units are small enough, objectives are clearly specified, creative teaching techniques are used, students can progress at their own pace, and relearning and retesting are permitted.

40.You are a fifth-grade teacher at a predominantly white, rural school. Which of the following technological tools would probably provide the most effective, multicultural experience?

a. Obtaining a list of e-mail addresses belonging to African American students and allowing your students to communicate freely with them via e-mail.

b. Renting movies by Latino/Latina and Asian filmmakers and showing them to the class.

c. Asking students to use the computer to draw a picture of someone from a culture that is different from their own.

d. Setting up a videoconference with distant peers who are from a different culture.

ANS:AREF:169-170

NOT: On pages 169-170 of the text, the authors discuss several ways to use technology to bridge the cultural and SES gaps that exist. Option a, teleconferencing with distant peers, gives students in culturally homogeneous environments an opportunity to communicate directly with people from other cultures.

41.Multicultural education is especially challenging to teachers in culturally homogeneous schools. What technology tool is likely to aid teachers the most in adding diversity to their classroom?

a. videotaped documentaries on other cultures

b. foreign language films

c. international telecommunications projects

d. computer simulations of life in other countries

ANS:CREF:169-170

NOT: On pages 169-170 of the text, the authors discuss several ways to use technology to bridge the cultural and SES gaps that exist. Teleconferencing with distant peers, gives students in culturally homogeneous environments an opportunity to communicate directly with people from other cultures.

42.Proponents of a transitional approach to bilingual education advocate

a. helping non-English-speaking students become even more proficient in their native language

b. placing all non-English-speaking students, regardless of native language, in the same classroom.

c. keeping non-English-speaking students together even after they have mastered English.

d. teaching non-English-proficient students in their native language until they can function adequately in English.

ANS:DREF:174

NOT: The transitional approach to bilingual education is one in which students are taught in their native language only until they become reasonably proficient in English, at which point they are placed in regular classrooms, where instruction is in English.

43.Bilingual programs that try to improve non-English-speaking students’ native-language competence are known as ________________ programs.

a. bicultural c. pluralistic

b. transitional d. maintenance

ANS:DREF:174

NOT:The purpose of maintenance programs is to improve students’ native-language skills prior to instruction in English, since it is believed that a strong native-language foundation will support subsequent learning of English and other subjects.

44.Ms. Milanova, a bilingual educator, teaches her students a new language by using the language with which they are already familiar. Only after the students have mastered the basics of the new language does she primarily begin to speak the new language during instructional periods. This approach to bilingual education is often called

a. one-way developmental. c. maintenance.

b. two-way developmental. d. transitional.

ANS:CREF:174

NOT: This scenario is intended to illustrate the maintenance approach to bilingual education. The purpose of maintenance programs is to improve students’ native-language skills prior to instruction in English, since it is believed that a strong native-language foundation will support subsequent learning of English.

45.About 40 percent of Roberto’s third-grade classroom is composed of children whose primary language is Spanish. English is the primary language of the remaining 60 percent. The teachers at Roberto’s school teach all subjects in Spanish for half the day and English for the other half of the day. This type of bilingual education is often referred to as

a. maintenance. c. one-way bilingual.

b. transition. d. two-way bilingual.

ANS:DREF:174-175

NOT:Two-way bilingual education programs are designed for classes in which the primary language of the students is about equally split between English and some other language, such as Spanish. Instruction is delivered entirely in English about half the time and entirely in the other language for the other half. The goal of TWB programs is for students to become fluent in a second language while maintaining acceptable academic progress.

46.The goal of two-way bilingual education (TWB) is to have

a. non-English-speaking and English-speaking students become fluent in the other group’s primary language by being taught in both languages.

b. non-English-speaking students become fluent in English by being tutored by English-speaking students.

c. non-English-speaking students become fluent in English as quickly as possible by teaching them only in English.

d. non-English-speaking students taught first in their native language and then gradually in English.

ANS:AREF:174-175

NOT:Two-way bilingual education programs are designed for classes in which the primary language of the students is about equally split between English and some other language, such as Spanish. Instruction is delivered entirely in English about half the time and entirely in the other language for the other half. The goal of TWB programs is for students to become fluent in a second language while maintaining acceptable academic progress.

47.Generally speaking, studies on the effectiveness of bilingual education have shown that

a. bilingual education is not as effective as immersion programs in terms of bringing non-English-speaking students up to the same level of competence as English-speaking students.

b. bilingual education appears to produce moderate gains in achievement in reading, language, and math skills tests.

c. there appears to be little difference in test score gains between bilingual and immersion programs.

d. English and reading scores seem to benefit from bilingual programs, whereas math and science test scores appear to benefit more from immersion programs.

ANS:BREF:177

NOT: The research on bilingual education supports the conclusion that participation in bilingual programs produces small to moderate gains in tests of reading, language skills, mathematics, and total achievement.

48.Which of the following statements about the effectiveness of bilingual education is supported by research?

a. There appears to be little difference between bilingual programs and immersion programs in terms of gains in test scores.

b. Bilingual education appears to produce moderate gains in achievement in reading, language, and math skills tests.

c. Bilingual education is not as effective as immersion programs in terms of bringing non-English-speaking students up to the same level of competence as English-speaking students.

d. English and reading scores seem to benefit from bilingual programs, whereas math and science test scores appear to benefit more from immersion programs.

ANS:BREF:177

NOT: The research on bilingual education supports the conclusion that participation in bilingual programs produces small to moderate gains in tests of reading, language skills, mathematics, and total achievement.

SHORT ANSWER

1.Describe the three beliefs on which cultural pluralism is based.

ANS:

On p. 144 cultural pluralism is described as resting on the following beliefs:

a. Societies should strive to maintain the different cultures that are contained within them.

b. Members of each culture within a society should respect the other cultures.

c. Individuals within a society have the right to participate in all aspects of that society without having to give up their cultural identity.

REF: 144

2.Explain why the United States has become more culturally diverse since the late 1960s and early 1970s.

ANS:

The United States has become more culturally diverse because of changes in immigration patterns and laws, changes in birthrates of immigrants, and the trend toward cultural pluralism and away from the melting pot philosophy.

REF: 146-147

3.Define ethnocentrism.

ANS:

Ethnocentrism is the belief, often unwittingly demonstrated in the classroom, that one’s own culture is superior to others’.

REF: 147

4.What is culture?

ANS:

Culture is a social heritage that defines how a group of people thinks, perceives, believes, and behaves.

REF: 148

5.List several ways that members of various ethnic groups differ in verbal and nonverbal communication patterns.

ANS:

Differences in speech patterns and pronunciations, eye contact, and body language are all examples of how verbal and nonverbal communication may differ across cultures.

REF: 149

6.Provide two examples of how values and culture may conflict with classroom practices.

ANS:

Not all cultures value competition, which is highly valued in many American arenas, among them education. Individualism is another decidedly American value that may not be shared by members of other cultures. Teachers need to be sensitive to students’ differing social values when planning classroom activities.

REF: 149-150

7.Explain how members of various ethnic groups may favor different learning modes.

ANS:

Some groups, African Americans and American Indians for example, favor an oral or auditory (listening) form of learning rather than reading. Members of some ethnic groups may favor working in groups rather than alone; students from other groups prefer to work individually.

REF: 150

8.Compare the poverty rate of white families with those of African American, American Indian, and Latino/Latina families.

ANS:

Many ethnic families of color earn considerably less, have fewer years of education, and have less prestigious occupations than white families. As of 2008, about 18.5 percent of white children under the age of eighteen lived in families with incomes below the poverty level, whereas the poverty rates for African American, American Indian, and Latino/Latina families were about three times as high.

REF: 152

9.Explain how multicultural education can affect minority dropout rates.

ANS:

Many minority children perceive a lack of respect for their heritage and values. As a consequence, many minority children perform poorly in school and have a higher dropout rate than nonminority students. Multicultural education can foster self-respect and cultural pride, which contribute to academic achievement.

REF: 153

10.Briefly describe four factors that researchers believe lead to lower achievement scores for low-SES minority students than for white students.

ANS:

Four factors that researchers believe contribute to the achievement gap between low-SES minority and white students are

(1)     living conditions (such as inadequate health care, small and overcrowded living quarters, stress of living in high crime neighborhoods)

(2)     family environment (one-parent family, low support for education, cognitively impoverished communication between parent and child)

(3)     characteristics of the student (such as lower need for achievement, belief that one doesn’t need an education to get a good job, holding academic excellence in low regard)

(4)     classroom environment (teacher provides academic and emotional support)

REF: 153-157

11.Describe the type of environment that many low-SES children live in.

ANS:

Low-SES children, particularly in urban neighborhoods, are likely to live in small apartments with inadequate study space, to receive inadequate parental supervision, and to be constantly threatened by street crime.

REF: 154

12.What types of teacher attitudes and practices are associated with high levels of achievement for low-SES students?

ANS:

Teachers who have high but realistic expectations for students, adopt a mastery approach to learning, do not accept low-quality work from students, and use scaffolded instruction tend to have higher levels of achievement among their low-SES students than do teachers who do not use such practices.

REF: 157

13.Define and explain the teacher expectancy effect.

ANS:

The teacher expectancy effect is the impact of teacher expectations on students’ behavior. It is also referred to as a self-fulfilling prophecy because when teachers, either consciously or unconsciously, communicate their expectancies to students, students often begin to behave in a way that is consistent with the teachers’ expectations.

REF: 158

14.Describe the relationship between teacher expectations and students’ achievement and participation.

ANS:

There appears to be a strong effect of teacher expectancy on students’ achievement and participation (e.g., students’ reading achievement).

REF: 158-159

15.Describe five factors that influence teacher expectancies.

ANS:

Factors that appear to influence teachers’ expectations include gender, physical attractiveness, level of achievement, social class, and ethnic background.

REF: 159

16.Describe four ways in which multicultural education can be approached.

ANS:

Multicultural education can be approached from a contributions perspective, in which ethnic historical figures whose contributions and values are consistent with American mainstream culture are discussed. The additive approach adds a unit made up of concepts, themes, point of view, and accomplishments to the curriculum. A third approach is the transformative perspective, which assumes that there is no one valid way to understand people and events and that every point of view has worth. Finally, the social action approach requires students to make a decision and take action on a concept, idea, or historical figure.

REF: 163-164

17.Describe four basic goals of multicultural education.

ANS:

The basic goals of multicultural education are discussed on page 163. The goals include promoting self-acceptance, advocating respect for cultural diversity, reducing ethnocentrism and harmful stereotypes, and improving learning by embedding concepts in an ethnically related, personally meaningful context.

REF: 163

18.What are some advantages of peer tutoring?

ANS:

According to various studies, peer tutoring can improve academic achievement, interpersonal relationships, and attitudes toward various subjects. For peer tutoring to succeed, explicit guidelines need to be in place so that both the tutors and those being tutored are aware of their appropriate roles, and the tutor must be held accountable for the performance of the peer he is tutoring.

REF: 166

19.Describe cooperative learning.

ANS:

This is a learning tactic in which small heterogeneous groups of students work together and help one another master aspects of a particular task.

REF: 167

20.How does cooperative learning help one accomplish the goals of multicultural education?

ANS:

By being forced to work cooperatively over an extended period of time with students from different cultural backgrounds, all members of a group will learn more and develop more favorable attitudes about other cultures than if they worked separately.

REF: 167

21.Given that certain conditions are met or created, what is the fundamental premise of mastery learning?

ANS:

It is assumed that any student can master a particular curriculum, given sufficient aptitude, sufficient ability to understand instruction, perseverance, sufficient time, and instruction of good quality. Many believe that these conditions, if not already present, can be created.

REF: 167

22.Describe how you can use technology in your classroom to promote cultural pluralism.

ANS:

Web sites, such as the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, and the 4Directions Project, provide students with opportunities to communicate with people from other cultures.

REF: 169-170

23.What are the primary characteristics of transition bilingual education programs?

ANS:

In transition programs, as the name implies, students are taught in their native language until they can function adequately in English. At this time, they are placed in regular classes where all instruction is in English.

REF: 174

24.Describe the primary characteristics of maintenance bilingual education programs.

ANS:

Maintenance programs focus on maintaining and increasing native-language competence. Supporters of this program believe that a strong foundation in one’s native language makes it easier to learn, subsequently, both English and other subjects.

REF: 174

25.Describe the primary characteristics of two-way bilingual (TWB) education programs.

ANS:

In a two-way bilingual (TWB) education program, all students are taught both in English and another language, such as Spanish. In one-way programs, the primary language of all the students is something other than English. In TWB programs, English is the primary language for about half the students and a different language is the primary language of the other half.

REF: 174-175

26.What conclusions can be drawn from research on bilingual education?

ANS:

The research on bilingual education can be summarized as follows:

a. When measured by tests in English, students experience small to moderate gains in language arts and mathematics. When tested in their native language, the gains are even higher.

b. English as a Second Language (ESL) programs have positive effects on reading comprehension skills.

c. TWB programs produce higher scores on reading, math, and subject matter tests in comparison to limited-English-proficient students who were taught only in English.

REF: 176

ESSAY

1.How has the ethnic composition of the United States changed since the late 1960s and early 1970s? Incorporate into your answer the concepts of the melting pot and cultural pluralism.

ANS:

The rise of multiculturalism is discussed in the text on pages 144 and 146-147. Up until the 1960s and 1970s, it was generally felt that immigrants should relinquish customs, views, and native languages and become incorporated into the customs, beliefs, and language of mainstream America. This phenomenon, known as the melting pot, was accomplished through the public school system. With the social unrest of the 1960s and 1970s, however, emerged the belief that cultural autonomy had a value of its own that superseded the value of a society that was homogeneous in language and custom. This emerging perspective gave rise to the notion of cultural pluralism, or cultural diversity, found in the United States today.

At the same time, because of changes in birthrates and immigration patterns, the ethnic composition of the United States is increasing.  During the early part of this century, the populations of Latino/Latina, African American, and Asian Americans are expected to increase while the population of white Americans decreases, with the result that by the year 2025, white school-age children will comprise only slightly more than half the school-age population. The net result of this shift in ethnic composition and rise in cultural pluralism is that the United States, rather than being a melting pot, is increasingly becoming a study in ethnic diversity.

REF:144 | 146-147

2.Describe the nature of the achievement gap that exists between white and minority students and the four factors mentioned in the textbook that appear to contribute to  this gap.

ANS:

There are differences in both high school graduation rates and achievement levels. Approximately 75% of whites graduate from high school, while just over 50% of African American, Latino/Latina, and American Indian students do. Most white students outscore most minority students in the three groups just mentioned on standardized tests of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. This difference has even been found when white and African American students from relatively affluent middle-SES families have been compared.

The textbook describes four general classes of factors that appear to play a role in the achievement gap. Those factors are health and living conditions; family environment; students motivations, beliefs, and attitudes; and the classroom environment.

Health and living conditions: Many lower-SES children are at risk for educational problems because of inadequate prenatal and postnatal health care.  Inadequate prenatal health care often leads to premature births and birth defects. During childhood  low-SES children frequently receive inadequate medical and dental care and suffer from more untreated illnesses than their middle-SES peers. In addition, they experience a higher incidence of lead poisoning, which often results in lower standardized test scores and deficits in attention. Housing conditions tend to be crowded because of relatively small apartments, and a quiet place in which to study is often nonexistent. Parental supervision tends to be inconsistent or absent. Daily life can be additionally stressful because of the threat of street crime. About 25 percent of African American and Latino/Latina children have the added challenge each year of adapting to new peers, instructional methods, and curricula when they change schools because their parents have changed residences.

Family environment: Lower-SES students are more likely than middle-class students to come from one-parent families. This factor has been linked with lower academic achievement, although the results of research in this area are inconclusive. White and Asian American middle-class parents tend to have higher expectations and provide more support for academic achievement than low-SES parents. Middle-SES children are exposed to a wider variety of experiences through parental tutoring and everyday interactions. Middle-SES children are also given more educational toys, have more access to computers and the Internet, and travel more than low-SES children. Because white middle-SES parents speak more than three times as many words to their children as do low-SES minority parents, the typical white middle-SES child begins school with a vocabulary about four times as large as that of a typical low-SES minority child.

Students’ motivations, beliefs, and attitudes: Lower-SES children often lack motivation because they have a lower need for achievement than middle-class students. Need for achievement is a characteristic that influences an individual’s willingness to invest time and effort into the achievement of a goal. This inhibits their ability to acquire the academic skills that are necessary for them to succeed in school. Lower-SES adolescents, particularly African American males, place a low value on academic achievement (the so-called aversion to “acting white”). Many believe they can get a good job without a high school diploma. The reasons why minority low-SES males place a lower value on academic achievement than white middle-SES males or minority low-SES females are not yet understood. Female minority students on the other hand, be they in the primary, elementary, or middle school grades, are more likely to admire, respect, and want to be like their high achieving female classmates.

Classroom environment: Minority low-SES students do not learn as well as other students in classrooms where it appears as if the teacher does not care about or try to support them. By contrast, students perform better and have a more positive attitude toward learning in classes where teachers have high but realistic expectations, use a mastery approach to learning, do not accept low-quality work, align instruction with state learning standards, use formative evaluation, and support students’ learning efforts with such techniques as scaffolded instruction.

REF: 154-157

3.What are the four approaches to multicultural education described by James Banks? Describe how each approach builds on the previous one in the hierarchy. Which approach would you use in your classroom, and why?

ANS:

Approaches to multicultural education are as follows:

a. Contributions approach:  Ethnic historical figures whose behaviors and attitudes are consistent with those of mainstream America are discussed.

b. Additive approach:  This is similar to the contributions approach, except that instructional units composed of concepts, themes, perspectives, and accomplishments are added to the curriculum, though they are taught from the perspective of mainstream American culture.

c. Transformative approach:  Similar to the additive approach, except that it is assumed that there is no valid or right way to view the people or events in question.

d. Social action approach:  This is similar to the transformation approach, except that students are asked to make a decision and take action on a concept or historical figure.

Since the trend toward cultural pluralism means that multiple systems of beliefs, values, and languages are all regarded as valid, the incorporation of the social action approach to multicultural education will reflect this perspective. The use of this approach will perpetuate the perspective that people of all ethnic backgrounds have worth and that their customs, values, and language make a worthwhile contribution to the classroom environment.

REF: 163-164

4.What are three instructional tactics advocated by proponents of multicultural education? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

ANS:

The three instructional tactics recommended by multicultural education proponents are as follows:

(1)     Peer tutoring:  One student teaches another; the tutor can be either the same age or older. The theoretical basis of this technique, especially for children of different ages, is that cognitive disequilibrium results when children of different cognitive levels interact. According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the children are then motivated to eliminate the disequilibrium. Benefits are increased communication skills,  increased awareness of others’ perspectives, and increased ability to make friends and get along with classmates. A disadvantage may be that unless the tutor has a vested interest in, and takes responsibility for, the progress of the student being tutored, the arrangement may not work.

(2)     Cooperative learning:  This involves a cooperative approach to completing an assignment among members of a heterogeneous group of students. Although each student is primarily responsible for a particular part of the assignment, group members are expected to help one another master their part. The motivation to help other group members is that the group’s effort cannot be considered a success unless all group members can demonstrate their competence.  An advantage to this approach is that all members of the group are rewarded when a task is completed. A disadvantage may be that one member will be uncooperative, placing the rest of the team in jeopardy in terms of completing an assignment or receiving a reward.

(3)     Mastery learning:  Students work toward the mastery of instructional objectives, are given as much time as necessary to meet those objectives, and are given as many opportunities as they require to pass tests assessing mastery. Advantages are that much though not all of the competition is removed from a learning situation. Also, in theory, almost anyone, given enough time, can master any objective. A disadvantage is that students may take the opportunity to procrastinate, since they know there are multiple opportunities to succeed.

REF: 166-168

5.Explain how you will use technology in your classroom to promote cultural pluralism and to diminish the educational impact of socioeconomic differences between your students.

ANS:

Technology can be used to increase students’ knowledge of other cultures and understanding of different customs. Telecommunications programs, for example, increase students’ ability to communicate with other people from various cultures.  Other computer-based programs include the Alaska Native Knowledge Network and the 4Directions Project.

Technology can also be used to diminish the impact of socioeconomic status on student learning. A  web-based program called Reading Upgrade uses music and video in an interactive environment to help students master such fundamental aspects of reading as decoding, phonemic awareness, fluency, and comprehension.

REF: 169-170

6.Three approaches to bilingual education are transition programs, maintenance programs, and two-way programs. Define each type and indicate their similarities and differences.

ANS:

Transition programs teach children either entirely or partly in their native language (depending on their proficiency in English) so they don’t fall behind academically while they are learning English. But once they have a working knowledge of English, all instruction is given in English. Some transition programs include an ESL (English as a second language) component to minimize the amount of time instruction must be given in the native language.

Maintenance programs provide instruction in the student’s native language for a longer period of time than is the case with transition programs before transitioning to English. The rationale is that a solid foundation in one’s native language supports the learning of both English and subject matter knowledge and strengthens the student’s cultural identity.

Two-way bilingual programs provide classroom instruction in two languages to all students. For some students one of the two languages is their primary language while the other language is primary for the other students. For example, the primary language for some children in the Canadian province of Québec is French while for others it is English. Similarly, the primary language for some children in Miami, Florida, is Spanish while for others it is English. Two-way programs typically begin in kindergarten or the primary grades and last for several years. At the end of that time all students are equally proficient in both languages.

All three programs have the same goal: to help minority-language students acquire the English skills they will need to succeed in school and society. They differ in how much time they devote to instruction in the student’s native language. Transition programs spend the least amount of time teaching in the student’s native language because English is the principal medium through which instruction is delivered and people converse in society at large. Two-way programs spend the greatest amount of time delivering instruction in the student’s primary language because language is viewed as an important aspect of culture and strengthening students’ cultural identity is considered to have motivational value.

REF: 174-176