The Test of Consumer Competencies was given to 4,300 prospective teachers. The low level of achievement in certain content areas among business education majors suggests areas in which preservice preparation for teaching consumer education could be improved. (SK)

Responses from 209 of 1,197 consumer affairs professionals identified three areas of qualifications for the field: work experience; interpersonal/communication skills; and a college degree. Students were advised to participate in internships to gain experience. (SK)

Regulation and deregulation are situational, and public policies are too often linked to industry lobbying efforts. Consumers must be educated about whether their interests are served by regulation or deregulation. (SK)

Describes the Mew Mexico Media Literacy Project, which has educators studying the pros and cons of consumer culture, training them to teach media literacy to their students. It considers literacy not just the ability to read the subject matter contained in the media but also to analyze it in order to understand who is sending the message, why, and…

Identifies situation in which consumers are likely to substitute rules of thumb for research, reviews rules of thumb often used as substitutes, and identifies teaching activities to help students learn when substitution is appropriate. (JOW)

Presents research on changes over a two-year period in the use of new, Western financial practices by Southeast Asian refugees and in variables affecting those changes. Significant interaction effects showed that increased use of new practices was affected by age, education, work experience, and changes in English ability. (JOW)

As the marketplace becomes increasingly complex, the need for consumer research involvement in public policy making grows. The most effective way for academics to affect policy is to participate in advocacy groups. (SK)

This study examined the bahavioral science support for a set of 20 food-buying principles. Three types of principles are found; they differ in the consumer behaviors they recommend and in the nature and strength of support they receive in the behavioral science literature. (Author/JOW)

Consumerama is a Virginia 4-H program that teaches teens the skills, knowledge, and perspectives needed in the marketplace. The yearlong program involves three types of scored contests and culminates in a statewide competition. (SK)

Provides a brief history of the consumer rights movement in Japan and discusses the recent reinvigoration of the movement by the emergence of environmental issues as a global concern. (LZ)

Analyses 476 food advertisements in newspapers from 3 different sized cities. Finds that brand names, food names, and descriptive vocabulary comprise the majority of language in food ads across newspaper groups. Offers suggestions for using newspaper ads in the classroom. (RS)

Enrollment trends suggest a decline in interest in consumer studies. New curricular approaches include movement toward a root discipline such as economics or toward professional degree programs, such as consumer affairs in business or financial counseling and planning. (JOW)

"Using Credit Wisely" is a course of three audio/print units on evaluating credit decisions, managing credit load, and resolving credit problems. A sample of 33 users indicated that they had significantly reduced debt and changed their credit, spending, and saving behavior; 96 percent strongly preferred the home study mode. (SK)

This theme issue discusses maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks of drug therapy for older people. It includes articles on psychoactive drugs, drug-related problems, medication compliance, geriatric psychopharmacotherapy, consumer guidelines, and outpatient prescriptions drug coverage as it relates to health care reform. (JOW)