Many important human activities involve accomplishing goals without a script. There is no formula for true problem-solving. Heuristic, cognitive "rules of thumb" are the problem-solver's best guide. Learners should understand heuristic tools such as means-end analysis, working backwards, successive approximation, and external representation. Since…

Describes a bottom-up procedure for discovering multivalued dependencies in observed data without knowing a priori the relationships among the attributes. The proposed algorithm is an application of technique designed for learning conditional independencies in probabilistic reasoning; a prototype system for automated database schema design has…

Suggests that issues surrounding the teaching of algorithms focus not on whether to teach them but rather on balancing and connecting the development of algorithmic thinking. Presents an approach to help students develop their algorithmic thinking. Contains 18 references. (ASK)

Presents research on students' use and understanding of algorithms in Poland. Concludes that there are detrimental side effects that stem from the teaching and learning of standard written algorithms. (ASK)

Describes the design of a stemming algorithm for searching Latin text databases. The algorithm uses a longest-match approach with some recoding but differs from most stemmers in its use of two separate suffix dictionaries for processing query and database words that enables users to pursue specific searches for single grammatical forms of words.…

Reviews the historical development of subtraction algorithms used in the United States. Discusses different algorithms used and developed throughout history that had a major impact on the way subtraction is taught today. (Contains 22 references.) (ASK)

Debates the place of standard methods, the calculator, and mental mathematics in elementary education. Proposes a framework for computation that emphasizes a sequence for introducing computational procedures. (ASK)

Presents a new stemming algorithm based on tree structures that improves relevance in information retrieval by conflation, grouping similar words into a single term. Highlights include the normalization process used in automatic thesaurus construction; theoretical aspects; the normalization algorithm; and experiments with English and Spanish. (LRW)

Describes a Rasch rating scale analysis of a multi-occasion evaluation that produces confusing results when subjected to separate calibrations. Applies a correction algorithm developed by B. Wright (1996) to show how the Wright algorithm can reduce misfit to the Rasch rating scale model as well as changing the interpretation of change. (SLD)

Presents an approach for illustrating, on an intuitive level, the significance of loop invariants for algorithm design and analysis. The illustration is based on mathematical games that require the exploration of regularities via problem-solving heuristics. (Author/MM)

A Monte Carlo study compared the usefulness of six variable weighting methods for cluster analysis. Data were 100 bivariate observations from 2 subgroups, generated according to a finite normal mixture model. Subgroup size, within-group correlation, within-group variance, and distance between subgroup centroids were manipulated. Of the clustering…

A method for the assessment of competence in language is suggested that allows a new approach to the study of the sources and conditions of competence development. The method builds on the functional analysis of text building behavior, making use of the discontinuities in produced text as the only reliable observations from a scientific point of…

This paper presents a detailed description of maximum parameter estimation for item response models using the general EM algorithm. In this paper the models are specified using a univariate discrete latent ability variable. When the latent ability variable is discrete the distribution of the observed item responses is a finite mixture, and the EM…

Computer task automation is part of the natural progression of encoding information. This thesis considers the automation process to be a question of whether it is possible to automatically learn the encoding based on the behavior of the system to be described. A variety of representation languages are considered, as are means for the learner to…

Multiple-choice tests are generally scored using a conventional number right scoring method. While this method is easy to use, it has several weaknesses. These weaknesses include decreased validity due to guessing and failure to credit partial knowledge. In an attempt to address these weaknesses, psychometricians have developed various scoring…