Document retrieval using a serial bit string search

An experimental best match retrieval system is described based on the serial file organisation. Documents and queries are characterised by fixed length bit strings and the time-consuming character-by-character term match is preceeded by a bit string search to eliminate large numbers of documents which cannot possibly satisfy the query. Two methods, one fully automatic and one partially manual in character, are described for the generation of such bit string characterisations. Retrieval experiments with a large document test collection show that the two-level search can increase substantially the efficiency of serial searching while maintaining retrieval effectiveness, and that a single-level search based only upon the bit strings results in only a small decrease in effectiveness in some cases.     

Studies in assessment

Conclusion The pilot studies, and that includes the more recent 1986 study which involved 22 schools, have done much to convince teachers and educators in this State that the ‘practical’ mode in biology can be assessed satisfactorily using the processes described. The performance data, the teachers responses and the test/re-test procedures tend to confirm the reliability, validity and usability of the practical examination, in spite of inital doubts by many teachers in that regard. How the results of the practical examination are used remains to be decided. They could be used alone or in conjunction with marks obtained from continuous assessment of practical work done over the year. They could be used directly or as a moderating instrument only. In view of the recent decision by the subject committee to allocate a considerable percentage of the overall mark to practical work, specifically (25%), it seems highly likely that the results may well be used directly. The strategies employed in this study may well be appropriate to physics, chemistry and geology, though the choice of criteria to be tested, the form of the Practical Test Assessment Inventory and the marking scheme may need to be substantially modified for those particluar subjects.     

The dilemma of international counselor education: Attending to cultural and professional fits and misfits

Efforts at international counselor educationare potentially problematic because of oftenunexamined differences between host and donor.These differences can include culture itself aswell as the related constructs of worldview andinformation processing styles. The interactionbetween this `cultural nexus' and the`professional nexus' of theoretical models,therapeutic schools, and particular professionsprovides the topography that must be negotiatedby educators attempting to cross nationalboundaries. The international counseloreducator who wishes to avoid doing harm in thelocal development of the mental healthprofessions must at a minimum take into accountthe potential sources of difference betweenhost and donor implied in such cultural andprofessional distinctions.     

Exploring problem conceptualization and performance in STEM problem solving contexts

Problem solving abilities are critical components of contemporary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Research in the area of problem solving has uncovered much about the representation, processes and heuristic approaches to problem solving. However, critics claim this overemphasis on the process of solving problems has led to a dearth in understanding of the earlier stages such as problem conceptualization. This paper aims to address some of these concerns by exploring the area of problem conceptualization and the underlying cognitive mechanisms that may play a supporting role in reasoning success. Participants (N?=?12) were prescribed a series of convergent problem-solving tasks representative of those used for developmental purposes in STEM education. During the problem-solving episodes, cognitive data were gathered by means of an electroencephalographic headset and used to investigate students’ cognitive approaches to conceptualizing the tasks. In addition, interpretive qualitative data in the form of post-task interviews and problem solutions were collected and analyzed. Overall findings indicated a significant reliance on memory during the conceptualization of the convergent problem-solving tasks. In addition, visuospatial cognitive processes were found to support the conceptualization of convergent problem-solving tasks. Visuospatial cognitive processes facilitated students during the conceptualization of convergent problems by allowing access to differential semantic content in long-term memory.

     

Support for teaching the liberal arts: An institutional dilemma

Using data from a random sample of chief liberal arts academic officers in American colleges and universities, the authors examine the support of teaching in the liberal arts (defined as the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities). Information is presented on 15 categories of faculty support for teaching and research, basic teaching conditions, tenure decisions, and merit salary increases. Differences in support are examined among institutions that vary in size, location, sponsorship, and degree level. These findings suggest that liberal arts teaching is in less than excellent health on most American campuses. In addition, the researchers note numerous inconsistencies among resources, standards, and rewards in American institutions of higher learning and urge liberal arts administrators to reduce these inconsistencies where possible.     

Factors affecting student success at the National Open University of Venezuela

This study analyzed the effect of selected variables on attrition in the Introductory Course of the National Open University of Venezuela. The findings suggested that noninstitutional variables accounted for the largest proportion of variance of student completion. Counseling and course redesign may enhance students’ motivation to persist successfully.     

Mobility as a Mediator of the Effects of Child Maltreatment on Academic Performance

This study examined the role of residential and school mobility as a mediator between child maltreatment and academic outcomes. Using a sample of 711 maltreated and nonmaltreated children ranging from 5 to 15 years old matched on gender, grade, school, and socioeconomic status, path analytic techniques were employed to assess direct and indirect effects of maltreatment on recent achievement test scores, current grades, and grade repetitions. The results indicated that mobility did help account for the effects of maltreatment on each of the outcomes. For grades in English/reading, 32.7% of the effect of maltreatment was accounted for by amount of mobility, while for test scores and grade repetitions the numbers were 14.6% and 19.1%, respectively.     

Community-based environmental monitoring goes to school: translations,detours and escapes

Community-school partnerships are an established practice within environmental science education, where a focus on how local phenomena articulate with broader environmental issues and concerns brings potential benefits for schools, community organisations and local communities. This paper contributes to our understanding of such educational practices by tracing the diverse socio-material flows that constitute a community environmental monitoring project, where Australian school students became investigators of and advocates for particular sites in their neighbourhood. The theoretical resources of actor-network theory are drawn upon to describe how the project – as conceptualised by its initiators – was enacted as both human and non-human actors sought to progress their own agendas thus translating the concept-project into multiple project realities. We conclude by identifying implications for sustaining educational innovations of this kind.