Three studies involving 198 undergraduates asked to construct mathematics word problems show that inferred semantic relations between objects help people decide when and how to apply their abstract formal knowledge of mathematics. The same mechanism that mediates analogical reasoning leads to interpretive content effects in reasoning about word…

Two studies examined young children's knowledge of letters' sounds and names and preschoolers' ability to learn various sound-letter mappings. Findings indicated that an important determinant of letter-sound knowledge is whether the sound occurs in the name of the letter, and its location. Children used knowledge of letters' names when learning…

This study compared the retention patterns obtained for children diagnosed with phonological disorders, 10 with developmental apraxia of speech and 10 with phonologically based speech areas. In both groups, in cases of sound substitutions, voicing was retained most frequently and place of articulation least frequently. An inverse relationship…

Estimations based on data from Morocco determined that mothers' health knowledge appears to be the crucial skill in child health. Such knowledge is primarily obtained outside the classroom, although literacy skills acquired in school may have been used in obtaining the knowledge. (SK)

Professional groups identified as "gatekeepers" who might serve as first line of assistance for distressed young people were surveyed (N=219). Low levels of knowledge about suicide risk were found. Educational efforts directed at risk identification and prevention, attitudinal issues, and communication with young suicidal people are…

Compared the level of nutrition knowledge of low- and higher-income American consumers with children, and their nutrition attitudes and practices. Found that both groups had Body Mass Indexes above the range of a healthy weight, but that low-income participants were less likely to know nutrition specifics such as diet/disease relationships or…

Clarifies the characteristics of participatory research that distinguish it from other forms of research aimed at generating action. Discusses the role of ordinary people in motivating and sustaining research efforts, the nature of the knowledge generated, and the social-change mechanism embedded in participatory research. (Author/CCM)

Explores the influence of reading comprehension on the acquisition of word meanings from context and compares it to the effects of local context characteristics, such as proximity and directness of context clues. Indicates that reading-comprehension level and prior main-concept knowledge facilitate vocabulary learning from context. (DSK)

Surveys of college students investigated their HIV/AIDS knowledge. Results indicated that significant sex differences existed on most subscales. Important gaps in students' knowledge include lack of awareness of HIV transmission through oral sex or from mother to infant, belief that donating blood can cause one to contract HIV, and lack of…

Study determines the extent to which counselors in Kentucky schools have adopted computers. The rate at which computer technology is growing is making their effective use difficult and expensive because older models lack the ability to run programs designed for counseling-related applications. Computers represent a resource that is not being used…

Five experiments tested whether children understand pretense intentions before they understand pretense mental representations. Findings revealed that children did not understand that intention is crucial to pretense. Various methodological factors that might have compromised results such as force choice versus yes-no questions or using a…

Maintains that Lillard's and Joseph's articles provide an example of how apparently divergent empirical results may turn out to reflect interesting differences between children and adults. The researchers agreed that for young children, pretense is often, but not necessarily, intentional and neither found evidence for a representational…

Describes the initial assessment of a range of knowledge and skills that might be desired in first-year entrants to some engineering and mathematics programs. Results are expressed in terms of probable preparedness. Discusses how information obtained can be used to design appropriate teaching, learning, and assessment strategies to best meet the…

Discusses the increasing numbers of graduate theology students, both part-time and full-time, who have little knowledge of the Bible, theological concepts, and church history. Suggests this is due to the decline of liberal arts education, the marginalization of religious instruction, and a radical change in the type of students who may be new…

The conception of knowledge was studied for 213 14- and 15-year-old students in Singapore and their 37 teachers and 96 students in the United States, with their 10 teachers. Cultural differences, including those in epistemological frameworks, are discussed, and their implications for education considered. (SLD)