This study examined the science process skill of prediction problem solving using naturalistic research methodology and information-processing theory. The think-aloud interview led to the identification of several specific program exploration and prediction behaviors. A total of 14 high school biology students made predictions concerning the…

To determine how much prior knowledge affects students' performance on a reading comprehension test, a study was undertaken to examine the prior knowledge factor in a reading competency test developed for college freshmen in New Jersey. The passages used in this test are based on common, everyday topics. Subjects were students in two sections of a…

This guide is intended for use by counselors, providing them with credit recommendations and course descriptions to assist the process of granting credit to students for learning acquired in noncollegiate activity. The guide is divided into two sections. Section 1 contains course exhibits for courses which have been reviewed and recommended for…

A study examined the effects of prior knowledge and the explicitness of text connectivity on various measures of reading ability. Subjects were 130 eighth grade students who read 6 prose passages that had been manipulated for content familiarity and for use of explicit connectives and implied connectives (those brought about by the author's…

Two studies investigated the relationships between readability, prior knowledge, and interest in the material being read. In the first study, 169 college freshmen read cloze passages of materials from the Nelson-Denny Reading Tests, then one week later read the whole passages and completed the related multiple choice questions. A control group…

Describes a study of the effect of incongruent prior knowledge on fifth- and sixth-graders' text comprehension, indicating that text structures that explicitly contrasted the reader's misconception with the correct information were more effective than those that simply gave correct information. (HTH)

Major issues in models of student learning (Carroll's, Bloom's, and Glaser's models) are discussed, and a model that retains the salient features of these models (time, prior learning, and learning processes) is outlined. The final model also addresses other facets having unique effects on achievement and interactions among facets. (TJH)

Several lines of social psychological research that indicate possible biases in assessment of students' written work are reviewed. These are sex bias, physical attractiveness, and prior knowledge. There is evidence of likely biases from all three areas; further research in real, as opposed to simulated, assessments is required. (Author/CH)

Describes two experiments that investigated the effects of two thematic retrieval cues on the types of information recalled from short stories by elementary school children and adults. Shows adults and fourth graders, but not younger children, spontaneously generated thematic retrieval plans which enabled them to remember information from both…

Compares kindergartners' and third and sixth graders' understanding of an illusion reported by the philosopher John Locke, in which two hands simultaneously experience two different temperatures from a container of water at one temperature. (HOD)

Using the General Examinations of the College Level Examination Program to recognize prior learning can increase institutional income while reducing student costs. Recent studies at the University of Toledo are described. (MLW)

A model of how the human cognitive system operates in its natural social context is presented. The model focuses on both input and output variables that have been ignored in the development of most other cognitive theories. Unique predictions of the model and empirical evidence bearing on them are discussed. (Author/LMO)

A survey of students who completed portfolios of self-acquired competencies to earn credit for prior learning at Indiana University reveals the benefits derived from the process including self-esteem, ability for self-evaluation, and better focus for their degree programs. (SK)

Indicates that the format and use of the informal reading inventory need to be modified in order to address recent research findings of schema theory, text analysis, and metacognition. (FL)

Examines the effect of refutation text structure (text that contrasts correct ideas with incorrect ones) on students' misconceptions of Newtonian mechanics, noting that refutation text is efffective in getting students to change their prior misconceptions. Also suggests two ways to help students abandon misconceptions that are not refuted in a…