To apply four principles of Teaching for Understanding framework developed at Harvard University, researchers worked with team of four teachers at two Massachusetts high schools. One history teacher revised Industrial Revolution unit to emphasize human progress. Mathematics teacher had students design a dance floor based on several different…

Most of a sample of 42 health care educators had limited knowledge of older persons' sexuality but positive attitudes about it. Older health care educators and educators who had participated in continuing education had more knowledge. Educators who rated themselves as more religious had more restrictive attitudes. (SK)

Twenty-nine high school students with mild disabilities were interviewed concerning their perceptions of their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Analysis showed that most students were unfamiliar with the IEP process and contributed little to it and that most IEPs were not individualized. Suggestions are presented for encouraging students…

Undergraduates (n=25) participated in a study designed to describe and evaluate the use of concept mapping in teaching a college course on evolution; determine whether students' concept maps reveal "critical junctures" in learning as the course unfolds; and assess the impact of concept mapping on students' study practices and on…

Explores and documents the frequencies of conceptual difficulties confronted by college students (n=200) seeking to understand the basic processes of cellular respiration. Findings suggest that novices harbor a wide range of conceptual difficulties that constrain their understanding of cellular respiration and many of these conceptual problems…

It is argued that point estimates of effect sizes and confidence intervals around these point estimates are more appropriate statistics for individual studies than reliance on statistical significance testing and that meta-analysis is appropriate for analysis of data from multiple studies. (SLD)

The development of medical knowledge was studied in 2 experiments involving 185 medical students at various stages and experienced physicians. The focus was on knowledge restructuring rather than acquisition. Experiments showed the importance of practical experience in knowledge restructuring, although the process was not as continuous as…

Results of a survey of 65 of 82 preservice elementary education majors were as follows: (1) high overall mean knowledge level about agriculture; (2) positive overall mean perceptions of agriculture; (3) higher knowledge scores correlated with more positive perceptions; and (4) only 20% feeling confident to teach agriculture concepts. (SK)

Examined within-domain variations in children's knowledge of the events or materials to be remembered and corresponding differences in recall. Five year olds were interviewed about their understanding of routine pediatric examinations, and the results were related to recall scores from similar studies. Findings confirm that, within a given domain,…

The contributions of age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status to differences in 223 nonreferred (i.e., presumably nonabused) preschool aged children's interactions with anatomically correct dolls were explored. Significant findings were related to age differences and different activities when the interviewer was or was not in the room with the…

Examined the impact of an educational intervention on knowledge of speech-language development among 66 caregivers of children. An educational handout containing information about basic speech and language development milestones was provided to the intervention group. Results of pre- and posttests indicated that the intervention group increased…

It is argued that efficient use of cognitive strategies also involves domain-specific knowledge, metacognition, and motivation. Issues concerning cognitive strategy instruction are explored, and it is concluded that a hybrid model representing a compromise between the notion of cognitive strategies and current connectionism may best portray human…

Tests the knowledge gap hypothesis by examining the influence of Magic Johnson's announcement that he was HIV positive on people's knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Finds that all individuals moved from fairly low knowledge levels equally to higher levels, but the knowledge gap narrowed as a proportion of the difference between high and low education groups.…

Presents a model of information processing that demonstrates how to facilitate knowledge acquisition. Various instructional strategies designed to reduce the effect of impositions are described, such as use of novelty, mystery, and questioning techniques; reducing complexity of instructional messages; and the automaticity of secondary skills. (JKP)

Most environmental education materials targeted at the elementary level emphasize basic ecological principles, but provide little coverage of natural resource issues. This study evaluates the environmental and natural resource knowledge of 542 6th-grade students from 8 public schools in Washington from 1992 to 1993. (LZ)