WATER RCSEi~RCI-lINSTln~ A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFORMATION AND ATTITUDE FOR USERS AND NON-USERS OF COMPUTERIZED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SIMULATION

water resources as the nation's most serious long range problem (12). Numer-ous articles in the popular press and TV specials reflect high public interest as well as indicate the magnitude of water resource problems. Public interest in environmental issues has been shown to represent a major and enduring social concern, however public knowledge of issues is distressingly low (4). A study of the water knowledge possessed by 160 university-bound high school graduates supports the survey findings (8). High school graduates possessed limited water knowledge particularly in the areas of (a) current issues, (b) water resource management, and (c) the historical influence of water on human affairs. Students scored higher in areas concerning the (a) water cycle, (b) physical and chemical properties of water, and.(c) the physical effects of water on the earth. It can be argued that these recent high school graduates scored higher in content areas commonly taught in the public schools while scoring lower in areas seldom taught. Water resource management was identi-fied as one such content area