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A mental model is a knowledge structure composed of concepts and the relations between them. Mental models are distinct from declarative and procedural knowledge--they go beyond semantic relationships and skills acquisition and contain varied intellectual skills and knowledge. This study describes an initial investigation into the construct validity of mental models as indication of a distinct learning outcome. The study considered the relationship between mental models, declarative knowledge, concept learning, problem solving, and troubleshooting performance. College junior-level Operations Management students (n=21) were tested on their knowledge and use of spreadsheets through multiple choice and matching quizzes developed using the Pathfinder Associative Network data collection method. Study limitations included: subject mortality; generalizability; missing variables; insufficient number of subjects; invalidated instruments; and convergent validity. Appendices include: definitions of structured knowledge, construct validity, and factor analysis terms; sample questions from the declarative knowledge quiz; concept matching quiz; and SPSS factor analysis results. (Contains 55 references.) (Author/SWC)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert