Educational assessment concerns inference about student knowledge, skills, and accomplishments. Test theory has evolved in part to address questions of weight, coverage, and import of data. Resulting concepts and techniques can be viewed as applications of more general principles for inference in the presence of uncertainty. (SLD)

A study contrasted the long-term (one year) retention of material acquired primarily through lectures and assigned independent study readings. Subjects were 16 female 3rd-year medical students. Results indicate the study methods did not differ consistently in knowledge loss or class performance, despite substantial individual differences.…

A Canadian survey investigated the knowledge and attitudes of nurses (n=929), youth/social workers (n=99), and physicians (n=574) about the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in children and implications for child sexual abuse treatment. Physicians scored higher on knowledge about STDs, and youth/social workers knew more about…

Examines issues raised when "Queer Theory" (gay and lesbian theory) comes into tension with education and general pedagogy. The paper uses the study of limits, of ignorance, and of reading practices to discuss specific aspects of "Queer Theory" and what they might offer to the rethinking of pedagogy and knowledge. (SM)

An integrative review of United States research on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' cognitive reading processes supports a relatively good fit with preexisting reading theories and views generally thought to describe native-language readers. However, a subset of factors special to ESL learners is suggested. (SLD)

Drawing primarily from theory and research in the cognitive literature on learning, this paper defines and illustrates the various components of task knowledge and attempts to show the functional relationship between task knowledge and autonomous learning. An approach to learner training that is (task) knowledge based is discussed. (54 references)…

High-school male and female students completed a survey on perceptions regarding nonconsensual sexual activity. Females, blacks, and students with low academic achievement were significantly more likely to perceive that all or most of their close friends were having sex. Females were more knowledgeable than males about nonconsensual sexual…

A survey of teachers of the visually impaired and adults with albinism or parents of children with albinism (total responses=144) found no use of Braille by the adults or children with albinism, awareness of the condition by almost all teachers, support for mainstreaming by all, and specific teaching suggestions from teachers. (DB)

Reports on a descriptive profile of college students' HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Students reported good HIV knowledge and positive attitudes regarding infected individuals but also reported high risk behaviors. It is proposed that information from this study will supply useful information for national health objectives for…

Dictated words and pictures by 48 young French children, aged 3 to 6 years, demonstrated that young children have the capacity to produce graphics that exhibit some of the characteristics of writing. Developmental stages in children's recognition that their own efforts were not true writing were identified. (SLD)

Epistemological beliefs and relationships between belief in simple knowledge and mathematical text comprehension were examined in 2 experiments involving 412 college students. Regression analyses indicate that the less students believe in simple knowledge the better their performance on a mastery test and the more accurate their assessment of…

Three popular videotapes were assessed for their effectiveness in improving knowledge and attitudes about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). University students (n=144) completed knowledge and attitude questionnaires and then viewed tapes. A conclusion was that tapes about AIDS can lead to modest changes in knowledge and perhaps in…

This paper argues that, if teachers are to be held accountable for instructional quality, then the educational establishment must be held accountable for providing teachers with relevant knowledge and the feasible professional tools derived from that knowledge. Suggestions are offered for developing this accountability, such as field testing…

Discusses the frequent misconception displayed by students that chromosome structure is a function of chromosome number or ploidy. Provides detailed analyses of the evidence concerning the prevalence of this ploidy/structure misconception among students of introductory genetics and the potential sources for inaccurate communication that it can…

Researchers assessed grading practices in college personal health (PH) courses, examining students' PH grades and comparing them with other course grades for 29 semesters. Certain students completed the Health Knowledge Inventory before and after PH courses. Though PH students received relatively high grades, they experienced only modest health…