The effects of rule knowledge were investigated using Braille inkprint pairs. Both recognition and recall were studied in three groups of subjects: rule knowledge, rule discovery, and no rule. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) that the group exposed to the rule would score better than would a discovery group and a control group; and (2) that all…

Reforms advocated for elementary school mathematics call for knowledge few teachers possess--knowledge about content, inquiry, and the pedagogical use of mathematical knowledge. As part of a larger study, researchers at the National Center for Research on Teacher Education interviewed methods instructors at a sample of college based preservice…

This practicum was designed to develop more positive attitudes toward science and to increase students' knowledge of science by providing supplemental hands-on activities. Second grade students were surveyed at the beginning of the school year and then were retested after participating in hands-on activities from 12 learning centers. The…

Longwood College's Involvement Project to promote student development is described, and specific assessment materials are provided. Included is an involvement transcript that helps students assess their college accomplishments and how to translate learning experiences into competencies. Fourteen student goals and skills and knowledge areas are…

Conflicting results have been obtained from studies examining childrearing attitudes, knowledge of child development norms, or perceptions of locus of control, and how these variables relate to parental discipline practices and to parent-child relationships. One way to clarify these inconsistent findings in the literature would be to examine the…

The perceived importance of sources of sex education and the effects of gender, coital activity, and type of information were studied, and previous studies were assessed. Attention was directed to the relative contribution of parents, institutions, reading, and peers to the information about each of 35 different sexual topics of 116 male and 116…

This field experiment begins to build a theoretical framework for exploring the effects of media characteristics on subjects' understanding and integration of information. Students in two eighth-grade science classes wrote term papers with one class using a print encyclopedia and the other an electronic encyclopedia to conduct their research. A…

When in childhood concepts about alcohol and drinking begin to develop has just begun to be investigated. A study was conducted to examine cognitive, maturational, and differential exposure influences on the acquisition of concepts about alcoholic beverages in preschool children. Knowledge about alcoholic beverages and drinking was assessed in 65…

The distribution of knowledge in society tends to parallel the distribution of other social and economic resources. Currently four major socioeconomic trends point not only to widened knowledge gaps in the future but also to greater divisions between higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups. First, a long-term trend toward a more…

This research review examines the historical development of training programs for special education teachers, beginning with their apprenticeship at residential institutions for handicapped children. Federal legislation brought about reform in the preparation of special education teachers, by authorizing grants to universities and colleges to…

The relationship of verbal skills to performance on the National Teacher Examinations Core Battery Test of General Knowledge was examined, using data from the June 1986 national administration. Differences in General Knowledge scores for self-identified Black and White examinees were found and were shown to interact with levels of achievement on…

The "Test of Economic Literacy" was used to assess the economics knowledge of students enrolled in five Kentucky vocational high schools. The test was to determine if economics instruction should be instituted in vocational schools. Neither age group nor gender was found to be a significant factor in student achievement, but the number…

The application of recent advances in the understanding of problem solving to the classroom is reviewed. Current research findings are described, and the instructional validity of these findings is illustrated by a research study of an instructional strategy called novice knowledge engineering. How various instructional strategies serve as…

The validity of the Communication Skills and General Knowledge portions of the NTE (National Teacher Examination) Core Battery as predictors of student performance was examined, including scores on the test of professional knowledge required for certification in teacher education programs. This predictive validity was compared to that of the…

This study was conducted as part of a project to increase the number of certified teachers who serve students with behavior disorders in the rural regions of West Virginia, improve the quality of training to participants at both the elementary and secondary levels, and retain certified teachers who teach students with behavior disorders. Improving…