To investigate student difficulties in solving word problems in algebra, we carried out a teaching experiment involving 51 Indonesian students (12/13 year-old) who used a digital mathematics environment. The findings were backed up by an interview study, in which eighteen students (13/14 year-old) were involved. The perspective of mathematization,…

The report summarizes the results of a field test conducted for the purpose of determining the utility to Naval training of the Systems Capabilities/Requirements and Resources (SCRR) and the Training Process Flow (TPF) computer-based mathematical models. Basic descriptions of the SCRR and the TPF and their development are given. Training…

A mathematical model of information acquisition is presented and empirically evaluated in comparison to evidence obtained from experimental studies of science content acquisition. Implications of the model for human information acquisition and future research are discussed in the context of the unique theoretical framework of the model. (Author/JN)

The Libby-Novick class of three-parameter generalized beta distributions is shown to provide a rich class of prior distributions for the binomial model that removes some restrictions of the standard beta class. A numerical example indicates the desirability of using these wider classes of densities for binomial models. (Author/BW)

Presents data model based on text data model (TDM), universal relation model, and nonfirst normal form (NFNF) relations, and discusses applicability to text processing and document retrieval systems. Highlights include database technology applied to information retrieval, NFNF and universal relation, and TDM integration with NFNF universal…

Researchers are now attempting to improve techniques for studying stable behavior patterns in family systems over long periods of time, e.g., the marital dyad across several levels of function and dysfunction covering time periods of months to years. One approach to improving this research design is based on the assumptions that longitudinal…

Learning hierarchies are networks of prerequisite relationships of instructional objectives. Seven measures of the validity of learning hierarchies were compared for their ability to identify correctly- and incorrectly-ordered hierarchies. A computer simulation model was used to generate stochastic data of known underlying structure. Analysis of…

This monograph reviews the development of goal programming models, discusses their current status, and projects research frontiers. An introductory section presents a brief history of the models and acknowledges the work of several authors in the field. The bulk of the paper is devoted to the presentation of aggregate model structures (including…

Decision-making processes were investigated in a laboratory analogue of clinical diagnosis and through computer simulations of decision making. The data indicated that nonprobabilistic theories can provide plausible and complete accounts of decision behavior and can improve quantitative accuracy of predictions that are based on traditional…

A description of the development and application of a hierarchical/binary model by which a curriculum may be analyzed to determine alternative instructional sequences given particular instructional objectives and limiting constraints forms the body of this report. The background of the project as part of an effort by the U.S. Navy Recruiting…

The Reliability, Maintainability, and Cost Model (RMCM) described in this report is an interactive mathematical model with a built-in sensitivity analysis capability. It is a major component of the Life Cycle Cost Impact Model (LCCIM), which was developed as part of the DAIS advanced development program to be used to assess the potential impacts…

Reports the findings of a survey on the use of computer simulation in industry. Discusses the current uses of simulation, user reaction, various programing languages used in simulation, and important trends in computer modeling. (Author/JJD)

Planning for a computer-based personnel job opportunities system for the Air Force led to a requirement for a procedure to generate a "payoff" or "value" of the assignment of each person to each possible job. This report discusses three methods of weighting different information to form a single indicator "payoff" or "value," explicit weighting…

This volume is an exposition of a mathematical modeling technique for use in the evaluation and solution of complex educational problems at all levels. It explores in detail the application of simple algebraic techniques to such issues as program reduction, fiscal rollbacks, and computer curriculum planning. Part I ("Introduction to the…

The focus of this study is on the estimation procedures implemented in BILOG, a computer program. One purpose is to compare the item parameter estimates produced by various procedures available in BILOG. Four different models are used: the one, two, and three parameter model and a three parameter model with common guessing parameters. The results…