Comparison of policies and practices in six countries focused on the concept of access to education as flexibility: systematic structural arrangements such as accreditation of prior learning, open and distance learning, and information/communications technologies. Successful international experiences have implications for Scotland and other…

Fourteen nursing students in Wales reported on their use of accreditation of prior learning (APL) to obtain credit. Most had difficulty reflecting on prior learning and maintaining motivation over the length of the process. APL was felt to be worthwhile; students developed self-esteem, reflective writing skills, and greater appreciation for…

The Knowledge and Learning in Advanced Supply Systems (KLASS) project developed collaborative learning networks of suppliers in the British automotive and aerospace industries. Methods included face-to-face and distance learning, work toward National Vocational Qualifications, and diagnostic workshops for senior managers on improving quality,…

An accelerated undergraduate degree program enabled nurses who already have degrees to complete the second in 13 months. Data spanning 12 years and over 1,000 graduates indicated that licensing examination results were slightly higher than for traditional students, attrition low, and employment outcomes positive. (JOW)

Investigated the ability to discriminate the middle and low tone contrasts in Thai in two groups of native English speakers and a control group of native Thai speakers. The first group were native English speakers who had no prior experience with Thai, the second group were experienced learners of Thai. Variables included experience with Thai,…

Biology examination scores for two cohorts of first-year nursing students (n=119) were analyzed. Factors having a significant effect on scores were as follows: previous study of biology, level of previous biology achievement, class attendance, and use of recommended readings. (Contains 19 references.) (SK)

Results are reported from a study which showed that activating competent readers' naive conceptions about a complex science concept is not as effective in dispelling inaccurate information as activating their naive conceptions and then explicitly directing them to read and attend to ideas that might differ from their own. (IAH)

Compares novice and expert orienteers' map interpretation skills. Subjects asked to judge terrain from maps, including conditions inferable without corresponding map symbols. Experts' interpretation of identical symbols implies use of experiential knowledge. Internal knowledge characteristics discussed in terms of episodic-semantic memory…

Presents two studies of thoughts in relation to viewing of expository television programs. Shows a close relationship between comprehension and thoughts, and demonstrates that expository television can engage viewers in deep cognitive activities. Finds different reception profiles among viewers, correlating closely with topic-relevant previous…

Investigated the quality of spontaneous play with sticks, nuts, and bolts in 18 children aged 44 months and the effects of this on a subsequent problem whose solution required 2 sticks to be bolted together. Children who discovered the elongation principle during play were better problem solvers than those who had not. (RJC)

Discussion of learners' prior knowledge focuses on a method for exploring common-sense reasoning by engaging secondary school students in the development of an expert system representing their own intuitive expertise. Students' intuitive concerns are discussed; patterns of reasoning are examined; and epistemic planes are described. (23 references)…

Compares three competence assessment strategies that differ in the forms and amounts of evidence required and process of obtaining it: (1) performance samples; (2) workplace observations; and (3) evidence of prior achievements. Concludes that performance evidence may need to be supplemented with prior observations or achievement records and that…

Explores and documents the frequencies of conceptual difficulties confronted by college students (n=200) seeking to understand the basic processes of cellular respiration. Findings suggest that novices harbor a wide range of conceptual difficulties that constrain their understanding of cellular respiration and many of these conceptual problems…

Compares prior understanding of basic concepts of students enrolled in majors' versus nonmajors' introductory biology courses. Results revealed that nonmajors demonstrated greater improvement in posttest scores than did majors and their attitude toward science were improved, whereas student attitudes in the majors' courses declined in nearly all…

The relationships among gender, interest in and experience with electricity, and conceptual change text manipulations were studied for 48 male and 50 female college students learning basic electricity concepts. Conceptual change text facilitated learning, as expected. Interactions of gender and interest are discussed. (SLD)