Effectiveness of Title-Search vs. Full-Text Search in the Web

Search engines sometimes apply the search on the full text of documents or web-pages; but sometimes they can apply the search on selected parts of the documents only, e.g. their titles. Full-text search may consume a lot of computing resources and time. It may be possible to save resources by applying the search on the titles of documents only, assuming that a title of a document provides a concise representation of its content. We tested this assumption using Google search engine. We ran search queries that have been defined by users, distinguishing between two types of queries/users: queries of users who are familiar with the area of the search, and queries of users who are not familiar with the area of the search. We found that searches which use titles provide similar and sometimes even (slightly) better results compared to searches which use the full-text. These results hold for both types of queries/users. Moreover, we found an advantage in title-search when searching in unfamiliar areas because the general terms used in queries in unfamiliar areas match better with general terms which tend to be used in document titles

Solid foundations: Leading change in a kindergarten

The action research presented here is our story – a teacher who initiated change in a kindergarten in a small village in the center of Israel, and an academic advisor who observed and guided the teacher for six years. The article is based on formal documents, records of processes that took place in the kindergarten, records of weekly discussions, and in-depth discussions between the teacher and her advisor – all collected over a period of six years. The analysis of the documents and interviews enabled the researchers to identify seven practical foundations underlying the change: (1) taking personal responsibility for each child; (2) exhibiting self-control and providing rational solutions; (3) providing the children with opportunities for mindful movement; (4) constructing a learning framework; (5) instilling in the children independent choice skills; (6) mediating learning in stages; and (7) leading the children to the acquisition of learning-related skills. Seeking connections between these foundations and the teacher’s professional beliefs enabled us to identify coherency in the teacher\u27s work as the driving force behind the change. The article aims to stimulate thinking about the need to prepare kindergarten teachers for initiating and leading changes

Psychomotor skills necessary for the success of young children in the 21st century

The term success in the Positive Education Theory describes a state of mind in which children enjoy the activities they perform and feel that those activities are significant for them (White & Kern, 2018). The feeling of significance stems from the perception that children gradually improve in the challenges that they have taken on and that their potential for choosing new challenges continues to increases with time.  Instilling the ambition for this type of success maintains the children’s motivation to work and learn across time (Adler, 2017). The physical-motor domain has many advantages in developing the potential for success. Each improvement is visible, is not necessarily dependent on the verbal sense and can improve in independent trial and error processes (Shoval et al., 2014). Improving quality of movement and extending movement challenges have no end point and they can continue throughout life.  Even after a crisis – injury or illness – it is possible to begin from a relatively low starting point and gradually improve one’s physical ability – that is, to succeed

Functional Analysis and Object-Oriented Design- A Hybrid Methodology

We propose a methodology for information systems analysis and design which is a hybrid of two main streams in software engineering, the functional (or process-oriented) approach and the object-oriented (OO) approach. System analysis, which aims at eliciting and defining user requirements, continues to be carried out in the functional approach, utilizing data flow diagrams (DFD). System design, which aims at designing the software, is carried out in the OO approach, yielding an object model that consists of an object schema and a behavior schema (i.e., methods and messages). The transition from the functional model (in the analysis stage) to the OO model (in the design stage) is enabled by the use of ADISSA methodology, which facilitates design of the object schema from DFD data stores, and design of the behavior schema from transactions, which by themselves are derived from the DFDs

Special Theme of Research in Information Systems Analysis and Design -II. Data Modeling or Functional Modeling - Which Comes First? An Experimental Comparison

The software analysis process consists of two main activities: data modeling and functional modeling. While traditional development methodologies usually emphasize functional modeling via dataflow diagrams (DFDs), object-oriented (OO) methodologies emphasize data modeling via class diagrams. UML includes techniques for both data and functional modeling which are used in different methodologies in different ways and orders. This article is concerned with the ordering of modeling activities in the analysis stage. The main issue we address is whether it is better to create a functional model first and then a data model, or vice versa. We conduct a comparative experiment in which the two opposing orders are examined. We use the FOOM methodology as a platform for the experiment as it enables the creation of both a data model (a class diagram) and a functional model (hierarchical OO-DFDs), which are synchronized. The results of the experiment show that an analysis process that begins with data modeling provides better specifications than one that begins with functional modeling

Specific Factors Associated with African American High School Students\u27 HIV-Related Risk Behaviors

The present study examined specific factors associated with Black high school students’ HIV-related risk behaviors. Two-thousand eight hundred and thirty two self-report questionnaire responses were selected from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey outcomes to test the following research questions: RQ1. Do grade status differences exist in self-reported HIV-related risk behaviors in Black high school students, and are these differences moderated by gender; RQ2. Do significant linear relationships exist between HIV-related education and self-reported HIV-related risk behaviors in Black high school students, and, if so, are these relationships moderated by gender and/or age; and, RQ3. Are self-rated HIV-related risk behaviors significantly correlated with other specific self-rated risk-taking behaviors including unintentional injury behaviors and alcohol and/or other drugs behaviors in Black high school students. Results of these investigations suggested mixed findings. Regarding the first research question, MANOVA indicated clear differences were found. Specifically, significant grade status differences do exist in self-reported HIV-related risk behaviors, including the age at which participants first had sex, number of lifetime sexual partners and whether or not participants or their partner used a condom at last sex. However, no significant grade status differences were found in self-reported HIV-related risk behaviors pertinent to a participant ever having sex, endorsement of number of sexual partners in past 3 months, or participant acknowledgement of alcohol or drug use prior to last sexual intercourse. Further, outcomes of an additional MANOVA, examining gender as a moderator of significant grade status differences, indicated that the effects of grade status differences on endorsement of HIV-related risk behaviors were still significant even after controlling for the effects of gender.Several linear regression analyses were then used to examine the second research question. These analyses revealed mixed results, with only two of six HIV-related risk behavior questions showing evidence of significant outcomes. Specifically, significant linear relationships were seen between participant affirmation of previous HIV-related education and self-reported number of lifetime sexual partners and between participant assertion of HIV-related education and self-reported number of sexual partners in the past three months. Follow-up moderation outcomes of further regression analyses revealed that the interaction between HIV-related education and gender accounted for significantly more variance than HIV-education alone on number of sexual partners in the past three months. No other significant findings for gender or age as potentially moderating variables were discovered. Finally, three Pearson Correlational Matrices were used to examine the third research question. Outcomes of the analyses demonstrated numerous significant correlations between self-rated HIV-related risk behaviors and other specific self-rated risk-taking behaviors, including unintentional injury behaviors and alcohol and/or other drugs behaviors. However, many of the significant outcomes demonstrated weak and very weak correlations as well as no correlations. Only a couple of HIV-related risk behaviors showed moderate correlations with other risk taking behaviors, and these correlations were always relevant to marijuana use. Taken together, the evidence yields mixed, but important results for all three of our research questions. This study and others examining variables relevant to a minority group have benevolent intentions. At times, unfavorable outcomes can indirectly and unintentionally play a role in the further stigmatization of minority group(s) in study. Therefore, caution should be used in interpreting and relaying the outcomes of mixed or unexpected findings in our study