A study examined the predictive validity of two methods of prior knowledge assessment: free association and prediction. Subjects, 72 sixth graders from suburban public and private schools, were divided into four groups: standard free association; standard free association plus prediction; definitional free association; and definitional free…

Describes a study of computer experiences and attitudes as well as computer and math anxiety among MBA students. Previous research is reviewed; gender differences are examined; correlations between specific computer experiences and attitudes are considered; and the relationships of experiences and attitudes with grades are discussed. (Contains 52…

This study examined levels of techophobia, described as negative psychological reactions toward technology, in a sample of South African university students. Describes use of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and reports results that show techophobia was inversely correlated with computer experience, weakly correlated with age, but not associated with…

Educational psychologists find that prior knowledge influences new learning. We examined whether course achievement for introductory psychology students is facilitated or impaired by their prior knowledge of psychology. We administered a pretest exam to 422 students early in the semester and gathered subsequent exam scores and other measures of…

Discussion of student achievement and persistence rates in science, engineering, and mathematics disciplines focuses on a study of college students that evaluated the joint contributions of academic background measures and other factors, including self-beliefs, toward the explanation of overall grade performance. Describes correlations between…

Describes a study of 699 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in 33 live, interactive telecourses that investigated satisfaction with various facets of the telecourse, demographic characteristics, and experience with previous telecourses. Results show gender differences and prior experience had the greatest effect on course satisfaction.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the personality characteristics of mentors. Design/methodology/approach: The five factor model of personality was used to examine relationships between personality and participation as a mentor. A sample of 194 practicing veterinarians were surveyed on the five factor model of personality and a…

Despite a century of research, the mechanisms underlying short-term or working memory for serial order remain uncertain. Recent theoretical models have converged on a particular account, based on transient associations between independent item and context representations. In the present article, the authors present an alternative model, according…

Science educators face constant tradeoffs between allocating time to important topics and including more topics in the curriculum. We study 3,000 students experiencing 4 increasingly streamlined versions of a computer-enhanced middle school thermodynamics curriculum to investigate the impact of instructional time on knowledge integration.…

In an effort to overcome deficiencies in teaching molecular biology at school, a workshop in an out-of-school laboratory including only authentic experiments was developed. Evaluation of 337 A-level 12th graders followed a quasi-experimental design, with one hands-on group, two non-experimental control groups (at school/in the laboratory), and one…

Undergraduate students routinely rated science-related courses such as biopsychology as intimidating and very difficult. Identification of factors that may contribute to success in these types of courses is important in order to help increase performance and interest in these topics. To examine what variables are related to performance, we studied…

Describes study conducted at the University of Toronto that assessed the attitudes of student teachers toward computers by using a multicomponent model, the Computer Attitude Measure (CAM). Cognitive, affective, and behavioral attitudes are examined, and correlations of computer literacy, experience, and internal locus of control are discussed.…

Results for 78 college students who took a pretest on basketball knowledge, read a passage on basketball, and took an immediate or delayed posttest indicate that pretest scores are significantly related to immediate posttest scores, whereas delayed posttest scores are related to Scholastic Aptitude Test verbal scores. (SLD)

Discusses results of a study based on a sample of secondary school teachers in Germany that was conducted to analyze the relationships between prior knowledge of content- and context-area topics and teaching practices in the computer education curriculum. The use of path analysis is described, and gender differences are examined. (Contains 11…

This paper describes an empirical study that investigated the knowledge that Computer Science students have about the extent of their own previous learning. The study compared self-generated estimates of performance with actual performance on a data structures quiz taken by undergraduate students in courses requiring data structures as a…