Examines a source of linguistic data--newspapers--and discusses related problems of text-type classification and feature interpretation. Using texts from East Africa as a database, the article assesses the influence of different production contexts on the text composition and analyzes the samples for the multifunctional variable of…

Presents a framework for studying the effects of the Maturation Hypothesis on the problem of language learning, parametrically conceived, and offers a method for finding all existing maturational solutions for any parametric hypothesis space and any learning algorithm that differs from Gibson and Wexler's Triggering Learning Algorithm. (27…

Presents an account of existential "there"-sentences in which the postverbal negative phrase (NP) is required to represent a "hearer-new" entity. The article identifies five types of formally definite yet hearer-new NPs that may occur in "there"-sentences. The restriction against definite NPs in "there"-sentences results from a mismatch in…

Proposes a text-driven method for the deletion procedure in cloze passages. An appropriate passage for the proficiency level of the subjects was developed, with the standard cloze and eight different versions. Results suggest that this method is superior to the fixed-ratio deletion method on some grounds and that the differences among subjects'…

Reports on a study undertaken to develop research rubrics for a performance assessment of science processes and evaluate seventh-grade science students' ability to perform them. Focuses on the processes of recording data, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and providing evidence. Reports that only 61% of the students performed the activity and…

Presents an activity that introduces the historical developments in science that led to the discovery of the periodic table and lets students experience scientific discovery firsthand. Enables students to learn about patterns among the elements and experience how scientists analyze data to discover patterns and build models. (JRH)

Demonstrates a method of visual analysis which takes advantage of the pooling technique of topic-document set creation in the TREC collection. Describes the procedures used to create the initial visual fields, and their respective treatments as vectors without stemming and vectors with stemming; discusses results of these treatments and…

The method described permits visual analysis of information retrieval (IR) experiment results in classic control and treatment group protocols. It is an additional analysis technique for the evaluation of IR procedures that may be conducted within the rich terrain of human visual acuity, supported by two well-known statistical measures. (Contains…

Identifies five dimensions of professional instructional competencies based on qualitative empirical studies (participant observation, interviews, and data analysis). Discusses the concept of a "professional self" in order to explain professional development. Emphasizes self-reflection and observation as the means for professional educators to…

Describes the role of an instructional sequence and two accompanying computer-based tools in supporting students' developing understandings of statistical data analysis. Documents the emergence of the sociomathematical norm of what counts as a mathematical argument in the context of data analysis. (Author/MM)

Suggests that gender gaps that once existed with regard to computer access, use, and perceived expertise are narrowing significantly. Findings are based on survey data from 512 middle school students in three areas: self-perception of computer skills and their acquisition; exposure to technology at home and at school; and media style and content…

This sidebar points out that the field of library and information science is highly centrifugal and greatly in need of high-quality synthesis. Suggests that encouragement should be given to writers to handle existing claims, rather than gather new data, and that books should be written that organize whole segments of the field through some single…

Reports results of experiments examining credibility of meta-information. Information provided by organizations of varying levels of credibility was used in decision making tasks. Effects were examined when there (1) was ample time and (2) were severe time constraints. Results confirmed that both source credibility and time influenced decisions,…

In assessing information retrieval systems, it is important to compare the number of retrieved relevant items to the total number of relevant items. A variant of the statistical "capture-recapture" method can be used in large collections to estimate total number of relevant documents, providing the model supporting such an analysis can…

Investigates a mixed set of methods (group interviews, recollection of information needs and word association tests to collect data; content analysis and discourse analysis to analyze data) to evaluate whether these methods collected the data needed for work domain oriented thesaurus design. Findings showed the methods together provided domain…