Five universities offering credential programs for teachers of individuals with physical disabilities jointly investigated demographics, and teacher competency and training options. Surveys completed by 220 administrators and 143 teachers indicated a body of expertise exists available to special education teachers, and special and general…

Interviews with 46 nondisabled children (ages 3 to 6) in inclusive programs found that most children were aware of physical disability, half the children were aware of sensory disabilities, but no children expressed an awareness of Down syndrome. Children were most sensitive to effects of a physical disability on a child's motor performance. (DB)

What principals know about emerging trends in personnel evaluation and how their knowledge has been influenced by school contexts was studied with 64 principals in 4 very different school districts. Principal responses reflected differing degrees of knowledge and implementation of ideas suggested by recent research. (SLD)

A study examining AIDS awareness among northern California Latinos surveyed 817 Latinos from a community and 188 Latino men from migrant labor camps. Misconceptions about AIDS transmission were highest among Latinos with low educational attainment, particularly men from labor camps, older Latinos, and Latinos with low educational attainment who…

Investigated the relationship between interest and knowledge among 11th graders from cultures differing in strength of gender-role stereotypes and endorsement of effort- versus interest-based learning. Data on Japanese, Taiwanese, and U.S. students indicated that gender more strongly related to Asian students' than U.S. students' scores. There…

A survey of 59 general educators and 86 special educators in Wisconsin found teachers had limited knowledge about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the use of psychostimulant medication. Teachers, especially special educators, had positive attitudes toward such medication. Also, teachers were the school personnel who most often…

Examined the effects of an abstinence education curriculum on outcomes among upper elementary, junior high, and senior high school students. Surveys of intervention and comparison students indicated that the curriculum had positively influenced knowledge, self-efficacy, and outlook (but not attitudes) among elementary students. There were no…

Examined links between parental knowledge and adolescent delinquent behavior for correlated rates of developmental change and reciprocal associations from age 14 to 18. Found that parent knowledge was negatively correlated with delinquent behaviors at age 14 and knowledge increases over time were negatively correlated with increases in…

A study of 1,269 elementary school children was conducted to test the effectiveness of Project TRUST (Teaching Reaching Using Students and Theater), a victimization prevention program. The program was found to be effective in increasing prevention knowledge and generating abuse disclosures without creating student anxiety. (CR)

A study was conducted of 10 bilingual (English/Spanish) and 10 monolingual English elementary school students with visual impairments to determine any differences in their knowledge of basic concepts. No significant differences were found. There was a correlation between vision levels and scores on a tactile test of basic concepts. (CR)

A critical and comprehensive review of a variety of research programs investigating students' thinking and beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing leads to the identification of nine theoretical and methodological issues that need to be resolved in future research on epistemological theories. (SLD)

To enhance the study of abstract knowledge and to make it a central concern in the study of cognition, and to explore the nature of abstractions and the function of abstraction, the seven chapters in this special issue formulate researchable hypotheses, propose working hypotheses, identify major phenomena, and outline possible educational…

In the continuation of an earlier study, 69 high school students who had completed an epistemological beliefs questionnaire in 1992 completed the questionnaire again as seniors in 1995. Beliefs in fixed ability to learn, simple knowledge, quick learning, and certain knowledge changed as they grew older. (SLD)

Focuses on Perry School (Erie, Pennsylvania), the first geography theme-based elementary school in which everything is related to geography. Describes what students learn in each grade level and the expectations on what they should know. Reports on the creation of their geography learning lab. (CMK)

Reiterates the case for adopting a proficiencies approach to instruction and learning in the economics major. Lists five proficiencies and discusses the emphasis given to these proficiencies with top economics undergraduates at two major research universities. (RLH)