This study investigates how different types of prior knowledge influence student achievement and how different assessment measures influence the observed effect of prior knowledge. We introduce a model of prior knowledge that distinguishes between different types of prior knowledge and uses different assessment measures to assess different types…

The relationship between the philosophical orientation of a high school citizenship education program and the kinds of competencies that students exhibit on a nationally administered civics knowledge assessment was investigated. The researcher imposed a philosophical paradigm of political perfectionism on the citizenship education curriculum in…

The Juvenile and Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention Program (JASAP) is a curriculum-based prevention and health promotion program for youth between the ages of 13 to 18 years in Fulton County, Georgia. The program was established in 2007 to promote healthy decision-making skills that would eventually lead to informed choices and decisions…

Despite a growing consensus that civic education is an important aspect of political socialization, little research has prospectively examined how gains made during civics courses are maintained after high school. This study used a quasi-experimental design to examine longer-term effects of the Student Voices program, which was originally…

This article focuses on an evaluation of the impact of an innovative instructional design of internships in view of a new integrated pharmaceutical curriculum. A key innovative element was the implementation of a computer-supported collaborative learning environment. Students were, as part of their formal curriculum, expected to work in a…

This study evaluates school personnel perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors before and after a 36-hr training program designed to prepare early childhood school personnel for implementation of an after-school family preventive intervention for conduct problems. Participants were 40 female school personnel (22 professionals and 18…

A capstone course, entitled "Coordinating Seminar," has been developed at Rivier College, a small Roman Catholic liberal arts college in New England, as a vehicle for assessment in the Psychology Department. Assessment has been defined by Rivier College as a collegewide effort to document and verify the amount and quality of educational change in…

Designed to determine if elementary school teachers have mastered the reading concepts most emphasized in undergraduate courses at the University of Northern Colorado, where they mastered these concepts, or why they have not mastered the concepts, the measure includes 51 items in multiple-choice format. The items cover "basic reading…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of mathematics inservice training for elementary teachers delivered in the longer-term institute format. The goal of the institute was to improve teachers' ability to provide meaningful, effective mathematics instruction to elementary school children. Specifically the investigators sought answers to the…

This paper describes a study which explored the variables of teacher knowledge of content, teacher attitude toward the content, and span of time with regard to implementation of selected teaching practices in the elementary classroom. The 32 elementary classroom teachers who comprised the sample received 2 days of training in instructional…

Arkansas adult leaders (N=95) were surveyed to test the hypothesis that a cooperative extension service educational program would increase participants' knowledge of land use planning over that of a control group and would also affect attitudinal changes toward land use problems and policies. Nineteen respondents were selected from each of 5…

Sixth and seventh-grade students were tested on their cardiovascular health knowledge, to assess the impact of the School Health Curriculum Project (Berkeley Project). Significant differences in knowledge were present following the unit, but lacking one year later. Available from: Sage Publications, Inc., 275 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills,…

Describes research on the effectiveness of "3-2-1 CONTACT," a Public Broadcasting System children's television science series. In the study, 15 of the shows designed for the series' second season were pilot-tested with fourth and fifth graders (N=192) by examining changes in student knowledge using pre- and post-tests. Conclusions are…

A study of the effects of time formats on informational and attitudinal changes of students in college-level human sexuality courses indicates that the duration of the course is less important than the method of teaching it. (RM)

Presents research which indicates that alcohol education efforts based on a "knowledge-attitude-behavior" model can be effective in reducing alcohol problems. Summarizes essential requirements of effective alcohol education. (RC)