Study examined factors associated with adolescents' knowledge of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and perceived risk of human immunodeficiency infection (HIV). Results of a health risk survey indicated that minority youth, particularly IV drug users, had the most need of intensive, specialized HIV/AIDS education. (SM)

This study, involving 34 third graders, assessed the differential effects of a specific and general strategy on experts and novices' transfer and maintenance performance of part-whole addition and subtraction word problems using dynamic assessment. Dynamic assessment indicated important differences between experts and novices. (Author/JDD)

Evaluation of knowledge and attitudes of 220 adolescents with severe emotional disturbances toward AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection found most students knew the main modes of HIV transmission. Student age, race, and gender were related to level of knowledge and attitudes toward people with…

Analyzed national data to identify characteristics that distinguished early and late coital behavior among black adolescent females. Compared to early coital initiators, late coital initiators were better informed about sexual issues and were exposed to life circumstances that encouraged them to delay sexual onset (two-parent families, higher…

Stanford University's Teacher Assessment Project studied teacher assessment by situating teacher thinking and acting within circumstances attributable to subject matter, grade level, and sociocultural context. The article examines why, if assessments are to improve educational quality in diverse classrooms, they must hold all teachers accountable…

Semistructured interviews may help in assessing teacher knowledge. Stanford University's Teacher Assessment Project (TAP) distinguished exemplary teachers by incorporating semistructured interviews into assessment center exercises. The paper describes TAP's elementary mathematics lesson planning exercise, noting ways that experienced teacher…

Issues concerning the selection of judges for standard setting are discussed. Determining the consistency of judges' recommendations, or their congruity with other expert recommendations, would help in selection. Enough judges must be chosen to allow estimation of recommendations by an entire population of judges. (SLD)

Thirty-six testwise and 41 test-naive high school seniors in British Columbia (Canada) were tested to determine their abilities to apply selected test wiseness principles according to a proposed model of test-taking behavior. To apply the testwiseness strategy, students first needed knowledge of the content tested and test item content. (SLD)

Study examined trends in the signing skills of parents of deaf children. Of 50 deaf individuals, 73 percent of deaf children (ages 4-18) reported their parents knew some sign language, whereas older individuals (ages 41-76) reported only 22 percent of their parents knew some sign language. Younger offspring rated their parents' signing skills…

College students with prelingual deafness were assessed on their knowledge of English syntax at the beginning and end of the academic year. Results revealed significant improvement on nine English structures assessed; students with lower general English proficiency improved to a greater extent than other students. (Author/JDD)

Kindergarten (n=30) and grade 1 (n=15) students of contrasting socioeconomic backgrounds were interviewed to assess their knowledge of number word sequences and spatial patterns and their ability to recognize numerals and use counting to establish numerosity of visible and screened collections. Findings indicate greater variation in abilities…

Profiles a few of the affinities between pragmatists and scientific realists, and indicates a few dramatic differences dividing these schools of thought. Pragmatic research is driven by anticipated consequences. Scientific realists hope to find the truth about what the world is really like. (SLD)

Changes in information retention resulting from changes in reliability and number of intervals in scale construction were studied to provide quantitative information to help in decisions about choosing intervals. Information retention reached a maximum when the number of intervals was about 8 or more and reliability was near 1.0. (SLD)

Examines the relationship between new biology teachers' subject matter knowledge and classroom discourse, contrasting classroom discourse during laboratory investigation with discourse during other classroom activities. Data analysis suggests that knowledge and control are related but in ways unique to the communicative context of the laboratory.…

Effects of printed factual information and three augmentative communication techniques on attitudes of nondisabled adults toward nonspeaking adults with physical disabilities were studied. Additional information about the nonspeaking individual and increasing sophistication of the augmentative communication techniques were both found to improve…