Described are numerous activities designed to make students aware of their consumer identities, and to help them evaluate some of the products and services that are available in the marketplace. For each activity, objectives, materials, and discussion questions are included. (KC)

Discusses a survey to determine cognitive consumer education knowledge among prospective secondary social studies teachers. Findings indicated that prospective teachers did not generally possess a high level of cognitive understanding and that teachers who had completed a consumer education course scored higher than those who had not. Journal…

Offers suggestions for home economics teachers to incorporate clothing selection in the home economics classroom, to help students establish personal values related to appropriate dress, to plan clothing purchases, and to learn about merchandise. (MF)

In creating mathematics materials for adult basic education students, researchers (1) interviewed students and teachers to determine needs and objectives; (2) developed materials based on consumer mathematics skills; and (3) evaluated effectiveness by a pretest/posttest and student, teacher, and administrator questionnaires. Results showed the…

Adolescent consumer role perceptions were explored among 359 sixth- through twelfth-grade public school students. Results tend to support the notion that middle-school adolescents are generally experiencing the anticipatory stage and high school students are primarily at the formal stage of consumer role acquisition. (JH)

The role of the newly formed Nutrition Coordinating Committee of the Department of Health Education and Welfare, is discussed. The need for nutrition information for consumers is described as well as a need for definitions of nutritional terms. (SA)

Describes an activity in which students design credit cards and discover for themselves the mathematical realities of buying on credit. Employs multiple-intelligence theory to increase the chance that all students will be reached. (YDS)

Discusses the limitations of previous energy conservation programs in affecting the behavior of individual consumers. Suggests that the rational-economic model upon which they were based needs to be supplemented with alternative psychosociological models in developing future programs. (EVL)

Describes several product-testing projects designed to help students develop the skills they need to make educated purchases and be savvy consumers. The tests involve examining the taste of and ingredients in cold cereals. Other tests involve examining crayons, glue, laundry detergent, oranges, and popcorn. (SM)

Discusses the danger of college students accumulating a level of credit card debt that can seriously undermine their future lives. Offers 10 suggestions for colleges including controlling solicitations, offering workshops to freshmen, adding credit information to the campus Web site, communicating with the senior class, and discouraging or…

Nine theme articles focus on the need for students to be conversationally literate about agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources systems. Discusses the definition of conversational literacy, the human and institutional resources needed, and exemplary models for promoting literacy. (JOW)

Issues of health education programming for people with intellectual disability are discussed. Three aspects of health education programming are considered: physical activity, general health knowledge, and social supports for health. Continuity of information is viewed as important in policy development as well as interprofessional coordination and…

Little empirical evidence exists on how adult literacy learners act as consumers. Yet, adult literacy programs often employ a "functional" approach to consumer education and assume that adult learners are deficient in consumer skills. Data from a qualitative study of the consumer behaviors of adult literacy learners are used to explore how adult…

Collaboration between industry and academia creates a win-win situation for individuals and communities. Through innovative partnering, students apply knowledge to real-world situations, institutions increase program visibility, and businesses receive innovative solutions to complex problems. This article provides a roadmap for implementing a…

This paper highlights the increasingly important topic of consumer confusion. Drawing parallels with experiences in the private sector, the concept of consumer confusion is explored within the higher education sector; what causes the phenomenon, how do consumers react to it and how can it be negated/minimised? The expansion and commercialisation…