The development of medical knowledge was studied in 2 experiments involving 185 medical students at various stages and experienced physicians. The focus was on knowledge restructuring rather than acquisition. Experiments showed the importance of practical experience in knowledge restructuring, although the process was not as continuous as…

Results of a survey of 65 of 82 preservice elementary education majors were as follows: (1) high overall mean knowledge level about agriculture; (2) positive overall mean perceptions of agriculture; (3) higher knowledge scores correlated with more positive perceptions; and (4) only 20% feeling confident to teach agriculture concepts. (SK)

Examined within-domain variations in children's knowledge of the events or materials to be remembered and corresponding differences in recall. Five year olds were interviewed about their understanding of routine pediatric examinations, and the results were related to recall scores from similar studies. Findings confirm that, within a given domain,…

The contributions of age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status to differences in 223 nonreferred (i.e., presumably nonabused) preschool aged children's interactions with anatomically correct dolls were explored. Significant findings were related to age differences and different activities when the interviewer was or was not in the room with the…

Examined the impact of an educational intervention on knowledge of speech-language development among 66 caregivers of children. An educational handout containing information about basic speech and language development milestones was provided to the intervention group. Results of pre- and posttests indicated that the intervention group increased…

It is argued that efficient use of cognitive strategies also involves domain-specific knowledge, metacognition, and motivation. Issues concerning cognitive strategy instruction are explored, and it is concluded that a hybrid model representing a compromise between the notion of cognitive strategies and current connectionism may best portray human…

Tests the knowledge gap hypothesis by examining the influence of Magic Johnson's announcement that he was HIV positive on people's knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Finds that all individuals moved from fairly low knowledge levels equally to higher levels, but the knowledge gap narrowed as a proportion of the difference between high and low education groups.…

Presents a model of information processing that demonstrates how to facilitate knowledge acquisition. Various instructional strategies designed to reduce the effect of impositions are described, such as use of novelty, mystery, and questioning techniques; reducing complexity of instructional messages; and the automaticity of secondary skills. (JKP)

Most environmental education materials targeted at the elementary level emphasize basic ecological principles, but provide little coverage of natural resource issues. This study evaluates the environmental and natural resource knowledge of 542 6th-grade students from 8 public schools in Washington from 1992 to 1993. (LZ)

Examined changes in preschoolers' ability to distinguish among memories of performed, pretended, and imagined episodes, and used source monitoring as a tool for inferring the nature of preschoolers' conceptualization of pretense. Found significant improvements between ages three and four in their ability to distinguish performed actions from…

Questioned 573 elementary students about alcohol/tobacco. Most said they would ask parents questions about alcohol and tobacco. Students were aware of reasons people used alcohol or tobacco but did not know harm involved in taking drugs. If offered beer or cigarettes, most said they would refuse. Noticeable increase in number who would accept…

Presents study results on gender differences in economic knowledge. Addresses the question of whether gender gaps in economic understanding widen as students progress through college. Reports that no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that significant and consistent gender differences exist in college students' performances on economic…

The article offers six suggestions to help educators teach for true understanding: identify concepts and multiple meanings; create appropriate definitions; pay attention to prior knowledge; provide examples; focus on central elements of the concept; and establish solid evaluation procedures. (SM)

Notes that effective measures of knowledge about mental health in later life are valuable in needs assessments and educational program evaluations. Describes development of two short, true/false quizzes, one on alcohol problems, other on depression and suicide in later life. Discusses usefulness of quizzes in planning and evaluating community…

This study found that parents (n=118) who believed their preschool children to be gifted tended to (1) have specific beliefs concerning the constituents of giftedness, (2) exhibit a fairly high degree of accuracy in their judgements, and (3) have beliefs differing as a function of their children's actual ability levels. (Author/DB)