In this reconsideration of social knowledge, an attempt is made to resolve ambiguities related to the original project on social knowledge. Three regions of dispute fostered by the original essay are examined and explained: the definition of social knowledge, the issue of form, and the problems of normative impact. (JMF)

The knowledge and awareness of 100 police officers, 75 lawyers, and 35 judges regarding mental retardation and the mentally retarded offender were examined. (CL)

Describes a model training program structured to provide basic knowledge and skills for child protective workers. (CM)

Using a structured interview, 48 3- to 16-year-old children were questioned about their knowledge of religious and satanic concepts. Although few children evinced direct knowledge of ritual abuse, many revealed general knowledge of satanism and satanic worship. Results suggest that most children probably do not generally possess sufficient…

The paper discusses the process of achieving a conceptual understanding of domain knowledge, examining what type of knowledge matters most in all domains and suggesting the importance of capturing the unique essence within each discipline of what it means to know and understand within that domain. (SM)

Examined infants' use of configural and physical knowledge in segregating three-dimensional adjacent displays. Found that infants do use configural knowledge: they expect similar parts to belong to same unit and dissimilar parts to belong to distinct units. Also found that physical knowledge, such as impenetrability and support, influences their…

A developmental theory of adult intelligence is proposed called PPIK. The PPIK theory integrates intelligence as process, personality, interests, and intelligence-as-knowledge. Data from the study of knowledge structures are examined in the context of the theory and in relation to measures of content abilities. (SLD)

Responses from 178 of 528 pediatric nurses showed that higher education levels or courses in research design and use were associated with positive attitudes toward research. Higher education levels were associated with self-reported research use; completing research-related courses was not independently associated with higher research use.…

This study examined the understanding of historical time among elementary school students ages 6-12 years in Northern Ireland. Findings indicated that students relied on two effective tools (factual information about material history and their own experience) and two ineffective tools (looking for examples of progress/development, and anchoring…

A survey of 89 children and adolescents (ages 6 through 16) with visual impairments found that only 34% knew the name of their visual impairment and 14% knew how they acquired their visual impairment. The need for information materials geared to children and for an open environment in which children can ask questions is emphasized. (CR)

Responses from 41 of 60 Iowa secondary agriculture teachers and 464 11th- and 12th-grade students indicated both teachers and students had high perceptions of sustainable agriculture and its impact on the environment. Both groups felt the need to learn more about it. (SK)

Investigated the relative effects of developmental level and domain-specific knowledge on 4- to 9-year-olds' ability to identify and make similarity decisions about objects based on haptic or tactile information. Found that older children explored models more exhaustively, found more differentiating features, and made fewer errors than younger…

Studied the extent to which experiences designed to help preservice teachers take advantage of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute moved them to acquire deeper knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. Preservice teachers were from teacher education programs that differed with respect to situated activity, discourse communities, and authentic…

Introduces this special issue topic by asserting that empirically powerful and theoretically guided educational research needs to be designed with the teacher in mind. Provides rationale for research focus on real-world knowledge and reasoning, and reasons for selecting research projects on inductive reasoning, mathematical reasoning, map skills,…

Surveyed adolescent boys who had participated in a brief outreach program to high school health education classes designed to increase boys' knowledge about and improve their attitudes toward testicular self-examination (TSE) and early cancer detection. Results indicated that the 1-hour outreach improved students' knowledge and attitudes regarding…