A study investigated whether preassessments of general and specific knowledge can predict children's listening comprehension. Topical knowledge, assessed by multiple-choice questions, did predict story comprehension; topical interest, however, did not correlate either with topical knowledge or comprehension. (Authors/PP)

Conducted a survey of 288 adolescents to see how their sources of sexual information, sexual interests, and actual knowledge were related to their sex, age, urban or rural residence, and ethnicity. Findings suggest that demographic characteristics of students should be considered by persons interested in adolescent sexual knowledge. (Author)

Two groups of parents received behavioral skill training designed to modify child noncompliance. One group also received formal training in social learning principles. Results indicated that the group receiving social learning principles tended to perceive their children as better adjusted and tended to be more satisfied with treatment. (Author)

Students in 15 social work programs at all levels were studied to determine the effect of research experience on their knowledge and attitudes. Student feelings about the importance of research, its usefulness, and conviction about its validity were investigated. The importance of research and skepticism about is seem to be in conflict. (MSE)

Evaluated effectiveness of environmental education (EE) in northern New York public schools, determining the extent of EE curriculum/instruction, ascertaining problems previously reported in the literature as hindering implementation of EE, and examining relationships between EE and environmental knowledge of fifth-graders and relationships…

College freshmen wrote behavior contracts detailing changes they would make in their lifestyles as part of a personal health course, while control group students wrote a term paper. Students who wrote behavior contracts showed greater gains in health knowledge during the semester than did control group students. (PP)

Presents a study which measured secondary school mathematics and science teachers' (N=3576) opinions on what students should know about computers. (DS)

The gap between the university's promise and its delivery is seen as not just a failure of teaching technique, or of the general fallibility of tutors and students alike. Rather than try and devise new teaching methods and new curricula, the university needs to recognize that it has failed. (MLW)

A global survey of new technologies providing opportunities for delivery of the world's knowledge directly to the home and office is presented, along with the organizations now using them, including the French and British videotext systems, the U.S. electronic newspapers, and the computer-assisted video disc. (Author/MLW)

Ninety-five families who had completed a 20-week behavioral training program for parents of retarded children (ages 3 to 14) were recontacted 14 months later. Parents had retained their knowledge of programing principles, and the children had retained their original skill gains. (Author/PHR)

Presents evidence revealing the complexity of young children's language understandings with regard to spelling patterns, parts of speech, and vocabulary; points out that teachers must build upon the language knowledge that children bring to school. (GT)

The influence of student task interest and of usable performance feedback on the effectiveness of verbal reinforcement was investigated in fifth graders who received approval, disapproval, or neutral reinforcement. Neither reinforcement nor reinforcement-task variable interaction provided enough motivation to improve accuracy of task performance.…

A study of 40 medical students assessing the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) determined that cognitive measures associated with expert performance can be used to distinguish students who have participated in PBL from their counterparts in terms of knowledge, reasoning, and learning strategies. Includes a case study of an 11-year-old…

The impact of a 19-year-old leadership training program on participants was studied through qualitative and quantitative measures. Data from 234 participants show that they perceived that their knowledge and skills increased and that their attitudes changed as a result of the training workshop. Implications for organizational training programs are…

A study compared performance on the Area Concentration Achievement Test in Social Work (ACAT) of 32 undergraduates who had nearly completed a field practicum and 38 who had not begun it. Results showed no difference in the groups' knowledge of social work professional foundation overall or in individual content areas. Other variables that could…