Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - 20293114
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED197856 AUTHOR: Hale, Janice
TITLE: A Matter of Culture: The Educative Styles of Afro
American Children.
YEAR PUBLISHED: (1980)
NOTE: 24 p.
ABSTRACT: Debate about the relative influence of class and
of race on the condition of blacks in the United States is
relevant to the issue of the educational achievement of
black youth. Neither race nor class, but culture is most
likely to affect black children's behavior in schools and,
as well, the school's response to black children. The
emphasis blacks place on emotional expression, their
orientation toward people rather than objects, reliance on
interpersonal relationships, proficiency in nonverbal
communication, utilization of a relational cognitive style
as opposed to an analytic cognitive style, and
encouragement
of expressiveness, spontaneity and assertiveness all
contrast with typical behavior of whites and contradict
standard expectations for conduct in educational settings.
Additionally, the speech of blacks differs in many ways
from the speech of whites and the language practices of the
schools. Black children are more active and have more
physical energy to expend than white children. Finally, the
black home environment, one that provides abundant, intense
and varied stimulation that may lead to a chronic, higher
activation level, differs markedly from the typical
classroom environment. More research is needed in order to
facilitate coordination of the culture of the black home
and the culture of the school. (Author/RH)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Affirmative-Action; Black-Dialects;
Cognitive-Style; Cultural-Traits; Educational-Experience;
Expressive-Language; Family-Environment; Interpersonal
Relationship; Nonverbal-Communication; Personality-Traits;
Race-; Research-Needs; Social-Class; Student-School
Relationship
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Academic-Achievement; *Black-Culture;
*Black-Youth; *Cultural-Context; *Cultural-Influences;
*Educational-Environment
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