Examines the effect of knowledge about language on the learning of foreign language skills and grammar. Students (n=252) completed a questionnaire, metalinguistic awareness test, Raven's Progressive Matrices Test, a linguistic creativity test, and English tests. Hypothesized that students' knowledge about language would have a significant effect…

Investigates 4- and 7-year-olds' understanding of biological inheritance of physical characteristics for cows and horses. Explores the effects of an intervention technique to improve children's understanding of inheritance. Reveals significant age differences in judgments and explanations of inheritance. No significant improvements resulted from…

This study examined domestic violence shelter workers' perceptions about their knowledge, skills, and training interests regarding the addictive process. More experienced workers perceived themselves as having less knowledge and fewer skills than did less experienced workers. Shelter workers expressed overall interest in training, and authors…

The purpose of this research was to determine how an inquiry-based, whole-plant instructional strategy would affect preservice elementary teachers' understanding of plant science principles. This study probed: what preservice teachers know about plant biology concepts before and after instruction, their views of the interrelatedness of plant parts…

In an effort to prepare student affairs professionals to effectively address gay, lesbian, and bisexual concerns on their campuses, the American College Personnel Association developed a workshop entitled the "Beyond Tolerance Roadshow." Participants in six workshops reported the awareness, knowledge, and skills they gained and ways in which they…

A frequent criticism of technology applications in classrooms is that they are little more than extraneous bells and whistles pointlessly tacked onto routine instruction. The flash and splash of a PowerPoint presentation may look good, but many question the value added to student learning. This leads to the question, how can technologies genuinely…

In this study, African American English (AAE)-speaking children's comprehension of 2 different types of double negative sentences was examined and contrasted with that of a comparison group of Standard American English (SAE)-speaking children. The first type of double negative, negative concord, involves 2 negative elements in a sentence that are…

This study assessed the effects of an environmental education (EE) course on college students' responsible environmental behavior and associated environmental literacy variables. This undergraduate course emphasized issue investigating-evaluation and action training. A nonequivalent control group design was used. The results of this study showed…

Multicultural, feminist and postmodern theorists generally concur that knowledge is socially constructed and that education becomes more effective and democratic when curriculum and instruction are modified to reflect this fact. Much of the knowledge students encounter within schools, however, is presented as though it were discovered, objective…

This study looked at undergraduate students' scores on a mathematics placement exam, mathematics courses taken and grades received, and persistence toward a degree. It was determined that a student's timely progress toward a four-year degree is influenced by the student's initial score on the mathematics placement exam and by subsequent…

The authors examined knowledge, interest, and strategic processing profiles within special education for 4 educational communities. Participants included undergraduates not majoring in special education and undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty from special education. Cluster analysis tested whether participants would exhibit the…

In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) the items are organised in small clusters relating to the same stimulus material (called 'units'). Homogeneity analysis (HA) is used to develop a detailed description of the relationship between all the items in one unit, using the categorical information available in the PISA data. The…

The two major continuing medical education (CME) credit systems for allopathic physicians in the United States are administered by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). This article explores the history of AMA and AAFP CME credit and its value to physicians and the patients they serve.…

This study focuses on the conceptions of trainee, primary, and subject teachers about three phenomena: the motion of objects, seasonal changes, and aggregate changes of matter. A total of 198 participants completed a questionnaire concerning two types of tasks. First, teachers evaluated the adequacy of a given explanation as compared to their…

Very little information exists about children's prior knowledge and thinking (including misconceptions) about transportation, a topic commonly taught in elementary social studies. To develop such information, individual interviews were conducted with 96 K-3 students, stratified according to grade level, achievement level, and gender. The students…