Describes a longitudinal statewide study of Ohio fifth and ninth graders' knowledge about and attitude toward the oceans and Great Lakes. Results indicate a knowledge score increase except for humanities items. Among science items, earth science topics showed the greatest deficiencies, and oceanic attitudes declined over the period. (15…

Roles of language proficiency and general developmental factors on metaphor interpretation were examined for 60 Spanish- and English-speaking and 60 monolingual English-speaking children aged 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12 years. Language proficiency in English and socioeconomic status were considered, but both were less important in metaphor interpretation…

Whether Canadian young adults are adjusting their sexual behaviors as advocated in safer-sex guidelines of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention campaigns was studied among 1,334 college students in 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1988. Knowledge about AIDS appeared accurate but was not being translated into effective risk reduction. (SLD)

Knowing and learning about students' lives are an essential part of teaching reading to adults. Student journals provide a way for teachers to know and respond to students' personal histories. Adult learners must value themselves and the knowledge they already possess in adult basic education and other realms. (SLD)

Examines knowledge about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and sexual behavior among 221 midwestern high school and 153 college students. Findings for the 187 males and 187 females studied show that females were more knowledgeable about AIDS and more sexually responsible than males, and AIDS knowledge and level of sexual activity were…

An instrument based on the PRECEDE model was used to assess the effectiveness of a one-period AIDS education program for adolescents. Data analysis indicated significant differences between pretest and posttest scores for knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs for those who completed the program. (SM)

This research applied evolving conceptions of learning to examine how to represent and evaluate students' and experts' cognitive structures. High school history students completed several tasks. Direct comparisons of the quality of student maps with expert maps showed that experts' concept maps could be used to score students' concept maps…

This article summarizes findings of "What Grown-ups Understand about Child Development," a national survey to gauge America's knowledge about child development. The findings suggest a need for more and better information on topics such as expectations of young children at different ages, theories on spanking and spoiling, and choices of…

This ethnographic study examined Chinese-speaking parents of children with disabilities: awareness of their legal rights, their perceived barriers to being joint decision makers, and the type of supports and services they would like to receive from schools. Results suggested that Chinese-speaking parents were knowledgeable about their legal…

Adolescents enrolled in alternative school settings evidence risk behaviors at a higher rate compared to students attending regular high schools. Histories of substance use, juvenile delinquency, high school expulsion, poor school attendance, and HIV-risk behaviors are typical. These youth are particularly vulnerable to HIV-risk behaviors and…

Though the continuum of care model has been adopted in HIV/AIDS intervention, there is little empirical work documenting the experiences of caregiving families. Addressing this gap, a study on family caregiving and care receiving was undertaken in Mumbai, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven seropositive caregivers, seven…

This article focuses on the interface between the formal learning associated with the curricula of school and college, and the personal knowledge and broader learning lives and identities of two young people as they move into and through their post-16 careers. The interviews reveal the complex interaction between the formal curriculum, contingent…

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge level (general, etiology, assessment, treatment) of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD) of principles, regular education teachers, and special education teachers in the First Educational District in Northeast Tennessee. The study further the amount of instruction on ADHD/ADD…

Web-based learning has been proposed as a convenient way to provide professional development experiences. Despite quantitative evidence that online instruction is equivalent to traditional methods (Russell, 2001), the efficiency of this approach has not been extensively studied among teachers. This case report describes learning in an online…

Helping children with disabilities has become a part of American education with varying degrees of acceptance and tolerance over the years, and efforts to provide special education have become controversial. Much of the concern is about paying for "extra" services, but the debate is not just about money. Many professionals question the…