Developed seven Internet-delivered tests of prior knowledge for distance education students in the Netherlands interested in gaining information about future studies. Analysis of 151 responses received through the Web site showed student appreciation of the instruments and the assessment process. (SLD)

Investigates the instructional effects of varied visual interactive strategies in facilitating student achievement and the effect of identical instructional presentations on students possessing different levels of prior knowledge. Participants were 178 college students. Results indicate that different types of interactive visualization strategies…

Maintains that historical understanding is possible only by taking the student's positionality, or prior understanding of the past, into consideration when teaching historical concepts and facts. Explains that through the ambitious efforts of the history teacher, such as questioning students on their epistemological positions, a student's…

Describes a study of Nigerian university and research librarians that examined the relationships between knowledge, training, and experience of librarians on the use of computers and their attitudes towards the computer. Results indicate that there are significant relationships between these variables and computer attitudes. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study of academic literature that investigated the effects of prior computer usage on student competency and attitudes when using computer-based technology in order to successfully develop computer-based training in the Air Force. Suggests that more research is needed. (LRW)

Examines the role of cultural background knowledge on the reading comprehension of third graders acquiring literacy in Dutch as a first and second language while reading noncontrived texts from the reading curricula. Finds a facilitating effect of cultural familiarity for both reading comprehension and reading efficiency. Notes that this effect…

Investigated the influence of, and interplay between, biographical and contextual factors in Portuguese teachers' professional learning and development during their first teaching years. Teacher interviews and surveys highlighted the powerful influence of prior experiences as students, the low impact of preservice education on socialization, and…

Identifies middle school and college students' prior ideas about electrostatic induction. Presented students with observational evidence that supported or refuted their own prior ideas in an interview format. Concludes that the Lakatosian rather than the Popperian view is more acceptable in understanding students' responses to conflicting…

Explores whether construction of integrated knowledge structures by students can be stimulated by concept mapping and better visualization of concepts and their interrelationships. Significant effects of concept mapping as an instructional method could not be detected. (Contains 18 references.) (DDR)

This study used bilingual stories to examine the long-term memory of compound bilinguals in Grades 2 and 3. Results revealed that third graders used more elaborate memory strategies, had greater cognitive awareness of language, and demonstrated significantly better overall memory, relative to second graders. The author discusses memory development…

A few years ago, most of the students at Lansdowne Elementary were struggling readers: while many could recognize words, half were unable to under stand the stories they'd just read. Not surprisingly, these kids weren't interested in books. The problem wasn't Why Johnnie Can't Read, but more specifically, Why Johnnie Can't Understand--and the…

This paper discusses the 1997 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) two-year study("Design as a Catalyst for Learning") of how design is being used in pre-K-12 schools. The NEA acknowledged the thirty-year contributions of professional designers who bring their content and expertise to the school classroom; however, the focus of the report was on…

Earlier research has shown that prior knowledge of psychology is positively associated with course achievement. But are these effects attributable to preexisting differences in general ability or aptitude? The authors administered 2 pretests to 353 students early in an introductory psychology course and obtained measures of general student…

A change in curriculum permitted a direct and simultaneous comparison between first and second year responses to group project work while assuming similar prior experience with this method of learning. Responses were obtained by a survey form and by meetings with individual groups. Overall, there were no differences between first and second year…

Mayer's SOI theory suggests that supplements added to designed environments can promote learners' knowledge construction and that different types of supplements will serve different purposes in knowledge construction. Some adjuncts can facilitate selection. Other adjuncts, such as diagrams, might facilitate the organization of important…