Describes three levels of understanding science: the phenomena (macroscopic), the particle (microscopic), and the symbolic. Suggests that the objective of science instruction at all levels is conceptual understanding of scientific inquiry. Discusses effective instructional strategies, including analogy, collaborative learning, concept mapping,…

Discusses the type of liberal education that will fit contemporary students for responsible citizenship. Explores what students should value, know, and be able to do by the time they graduate. (SLD)

Rehabilitation counselors, vocational evaluators, work adjustment specialists, job development/placement specialists, rehabilitation nurses, and independent living service providers completed Rehabilitation Profession Job Task Inventory (N=1,015) or Rehabilitation Profession Knowledge Competency Inventory (N=1,027). Found 29 of 107 job tasks…

Two experiments involving 269 college students investigated whether monitoring is better characterized as a domain-specific or a domain-general activity. Findings lend qualified support to the domain-general hypothesis, which states that monitoring within a specific domain is governed by general metacognitive processes in addition to…

The structure of architects' psychological knowledge of the effects of their decisions on building occupants was studied. Remarkably few differences were found in judgments of 57 experienced and 57 novice architects about the quality of a floor plan. The special nature of architecture may provide a possible explanation. (SLD)

Seven experiments involving over 700 undergraduate students investigated whether the naturalness of abstract category structures varies with content domain. Results indicate that the structure of knowledge varies with domain and that it would be difficult to formulate general constraints on categorization in terms of abstract structural…

Jurors and experts completed a questionnaire designed to reveal their understanding of child sexual abuse. Results indicated that experts demonstrated strong consensus on 29 of 40 items and that, relative to experts, jurors had limited knowledge of these issues. Findings support the use of expert testimony in select cases of child sexual abuse.…

Encourages interpreters of environmental issues to be selective in what they believe, strive for open-minded attitudes, and to never stop learning. Lists 9 books, 13 periodicals, and 10 large circulation newspapers and encourages interpreters to stay abreast of current information. (MKR)

Health and child welfare professionals reviewed a history and photographic findings of a child with toe tourniquet syndrome. More than 50% of respondents (n=84) indicated that they would report the case as suspected abuse. Child welfare workers were more likely to make a referral for suspected abuse than osteopathic physicians, allopathic…

Examined 36 fourth and fifth graders to develop a new method for indexing the time when a child is on the verge of acquiring new knowledge. Found that children who were vague in their explanations of problem solutions benefited more from instruction than children who were specific in their explanations. (MDM)

Forty-five normally developing children, ages five, six, and seven, participated in a metaphonologic study examining the knowledge of auditory/articulatory correspondences. With development, there were significant increases in correct responses on the nonverbal task and in verbal explanation types. No significant relationship between performance…

Consumers in two studies (n=374 and 500) were surveyed regarding their nutrition knowledge and the information on food labels. Validity of the survey instrument was supported by comparing results from professional nutritionists and dietitian students. Knowledge level was an important factor in consumer comprehension of and attitudes toward label…

Contains two major parts: (1) summarizes research exploring interactions between metamemory and domain-specific knowledge in influencing children's text recall and comprehension; and (2) describes an experiment investigating the generalization of findings that metacognitive knowledge is important even where domain-specific knowledge is rich to…

Using a 2x2x2 factorial design, data from 282 respondents illustrate that people with more product knowledge ("experts") are more likely to be persuaded by complex than simple product information. "Novices" reacted similarly to simple and complex information. The type of information provided influences purchasing decisions. (SK)

Presents several computer-related techniques that encourage engineering design graphics (EDG) students to develop knowledge at levels 4 and 5 of Bloom's taxonomy. Contrasts this approach to extend the educational process with the development of training skills at knowledge levels 2 and 3, which are often the sole basis for EDG instruction.…