This paper argues that Merrill's instructional transaction theory provides a framework that can decrease learners' problems in using computer simulations by specifying transaction shells rather than frames in designing interactive courseware. The three types of data used in a transaction, i.e., an instructional algorithm, are identified as a…

This digest reviews alternative certification on the basis of educational quality and the need to fill teacher shortages. Following a definition of traditional certification, the alternative certification route is described as a process designed to certify candidates who have subject-matter competencies, without going through formal teacher…

Effective administrator preparation programs and professional practices are important to enhancing principals' knowledge base. In chapter 1 of this report, "Strategies of Organizing Principal Preparation: A Survey of the Danforth Principal Preparation Program," Gerald C. Ubben and Frances C. Fowler discuss their survey of facilitators of the…

The 58 tests in this bibliography are used to assess one's knowledge and understanding of nutrition and foods. Some of the nutrition tests are part of a larger test on health. Tests are for all age and grade levels. This document is one in a series of topical bibliographies from the Test Collection (TC) at Educational Testing Service (ETS)…

This practicum report describes a gifted education program, for students in grades 1 and 2, which developed a newsletter to broaden the parents' knowledge of giftedness. The weekly newsletter, sent to parents of 43 children, addressed such topics as characteristics of the gifted, frequently asked questions, techniques used for instruction, higher…

Knowledge representations and mental models from graphically presented information were investigated for 98 college students with different levels of mathematics experience. The subjects were drawn from a remedial algebra course (n=35), a second semester calculus course (n=35), and a calculus-based statistics course (n=28); they were all exposed…

Informational pamphlets about breast self-examination (BSE) and testicular self-examination (TSE) are widely distributed in health care settings, but the pamphlets' effectiveness in promoting knowledge and positive attitudes about these early cancer detection procedures is largely unknown. A study compared pamphlets with alternative methods of…

The basic objectives of this research, which involved children in the 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th grades, were to describe children's uses and perceptions of animals and to discern possible developmental stages in the evolution of attitudes toward animals. Personal interviews were conducted with 267 children from 16 public schools randomly selected…

A program for improving and expanding dental education concerning treatment of the handicapped was evaluated and compared to dental education programs that were not funded to address the needs of the handicapped. Eleven dental schools received funding during 1975-1978 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the special training. Various kinds…

A substantial survey of a University population revealed a startling lack of knowledge about commonly used drugs. These data are discussed and suggestions are outlined for an effective university level drug education program. (Author)

Current controversies regarding physician competency and a growing concern about the rapid obsolescence of medical knowledge are factors in a movement to require physicians to participate in continuing medical education. If programs become mandatory, educators should apply their skills and knowledge of adult learning in developing programs.…

"Points of View" addresses issues faced by many people within the life sciences educational realm. This issue addresses the question "What should a biology student know?" There has been a long, evolving, and often politically charged debate as to what the nonmajor student should know about science. In order to establish a basis…

The changing economic and social situation, the rapid expansion of technology, and the explosion of available knowledge are fundamentally altering the world economy. Today, our nation's students need not only basic skills, but higher level reasoning and communication and thinking ability, as well. In Connecticut, a committee was formed to…

Data on some aspects of the deductive logical competence of nongraduate teachers in the English-speaking Caribbean, primarily Jamaica, are reported in this document. The teachers sampled were those who sat for entrance examinations for the University of the West Indies (Mona) Faculty of Education Bachelor of Education and Certificate of Education…

The educational literature provides extensive evidence of concern with the issue of an integration of humanities and social sciences within higher education to meet the requirements of modern technology and society. This concern is also reflected in the numerous structural and functional changes in higher education, particularly in technical…