Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has become a new worldwide epidemic whose origin was until recently unknown. It is the unpredictable nature of this epidemic that makes people want answers to some important questions about what they can do to protect themselves. This study presents an inquiry into peoples knowledge and self-reported…

In this study we analysed the familiarity and understanding of 10 environmental concepts amongst Mexican and English school children (aged 7 to 9). The investigation considered the impact of the educational system and the school ethos on the formation of environmental concepts. Results reveal that in general, children of this age have a low to…

At the end of a lecturing period examinations are used to take a snapshot of the level of knowledge of a student. It is essential that this snapshot be taken at the right moment. Particularly when a student fails, it is important to make sure that it is because his level of knowledge is not adequate, not because, for example, he had a severe…

This article reviews didactical and psychologically based research on teachers' work and teacher thinking, narrative educational inquiry and studies of change in teachers' work and places them in the context of sociological theory about expert work and symbolic capital. The work of Abbott on the structure of expert work and knowledge, and Bourdieu…

Research on African American men's health is limited. Perception and knowledge of health may have a significant effect on health seeking behavior and self care. This study was designed to examine factors that may influence health perception and knowledge among African American males. This is a cross-sectional study of 343 African American males…

The purpose of this study was to examine school nurses' knowledge and beliefs about the management of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Seven hundred eighty-six school nurses responded to mailed surveys regarding their attitudes and knowledge about the management of children with attention deficit disorder. Surveys were mailed to…

Assessment has since taken center stage in higher education. Over two-thirds of the states have mandated assessment to document student performance, and many states have initiated performance-based funding strategies. Most assessment efforts are local, including those reported in the special issue of "Teaching Sociology," and most efforts use…

In the U.K., a current government health strategy indicates that school nurses should be key contributors to sexual health education because they have access to the school-age population. However, there appears to be little research that investigates whether school nurses are the most appropriate health care professionals or indeed have sufficient…

South African higher education institutions are increasingly under scrutiny to produce knowledge that is more relevant to South Africa's social and economic needs, more representative of the diversity of its knowledge producers, and more inclusive of the variety of the sites where knowledge is produced. Only a small percentage of South Africans…

This study investigated teachers' beliefs and practices of cooperative learning, and strove to determine whether their observed teaching practices reflected their stated beliefs. Findings of the study revealed that teachers understood cooperative learning to mean small groups of students working together to accomplish a particular assignment. The…

The belief that one can make a difference in the world drives the whole achievement process. Developing skills or using one's talents for a task deemed valuable becomes the basis of defining oneself as a person. That's why the good parent or coach or teacher knows how to make the appropriate compliment--and ask the right questions. This article…

Colleges and universities seeking to assess proficiencies in information and communications technology may wish to learn more about new assessment tools developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), in collaboration with higher education partners. This article describes the administration of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT)…

Geography is a traditional subject in Bulgarian education, both secondary and higher. Some of the most eminent Bulgarian scientists were geographers and theirs are many publications dealing not only with geography, but also with history, economics, ethnology, ethnography, political science, urban science and other disciplines. Major changes have…

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a court-ordered Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) presentation to prevent alcohol or drug-related recidivism among 247 juvenile alcohol and drug offenders. The presentation, which incorporates educational components with a victim awareness program, seeks to increase offenders' empathy and knowledge…

As a society, we have refined our expectations of the education system to include a higher level of academic preparation for even the youngest learners. In past generations, kindergarten was often the first academic encounter a child had, but we have come to regard the preschool experience as essential to preparing an academically ready…