An interpretive cross-cultural ethnomethodological analysis of American Indian education experiences and perspectives in an urban Los Angeles area junior high school

American Indians have largely been excluded from participation in mainstream society because of the cross cultural impediments which they have encountered in the American system of education. Although much attention is generally concentrated on tribal areas where there is an appreciable student head count to deal with, American Indians experience problems in urban areas as well. This project undertook to examine that critically ignored dimension of American Indian education at a school in Los Angeles County which the writer designated as Desertville Junior High School.;This study primarily concerned itself with education since the Johnson-O'Malley Act of 1934, and the Relocation Act of 1953 as precursors of the American Indian urban educational phenomenon. Concomitant with the enactment of the Johnson-O'Malley Act of 1934 was a disruption of tribal life stemming from the mandate that Indian children were to enroll in public schools off from reservation/community areas. Further disintegration was effected by the Relocation Act of 1953 which promoted the urban dispersion of American Indians through eight relocation centers in major metropolitan areas of the United States. The relocation centers were set up for the purpose of facilitating the transition to life in urban areas.;However, one sadly neglected aspect of relocation was the U.S. government's failure to facilitate the adaptation of American Indian students to urban schools. Relocation proceeded as if there were no cross cultural differences between American Indians and mainstream society. Furthermore, there has been a dearth of studies on how well American Indians have been adapting to urban schools. In that respect, this study is unique.;Woven throughout the cross cultural interpretational fabric are poignant references to psychocultural elements which exert influences on the educational experiences of three American Indian students at Desertville Junior High School. In urban educational settings, as elsewhere, American Indians exhibit various behavioral patterns which are invariably interpreted by educators on the basis of mainstream values. Using ethnomethodological principles of evaluation, this study probed beneath the surface structure of quasi educational realities and applied deep structure interpretations of the cross cultural realities which each student brought to the study.