How do preference and academic programs affect performance in classrooms?
Introduction:
Statement of Task/Description of Plan: To collect data on this topic, I polled University High School students on what their favorite and least favorite academic classes are, what their grades are in those corresponding classes, what academic program they’re in (i.e. IB, GT, AP, honors, or regular), and what year they are in. Then with this I will be able to analyze the differences between not only the classes but also the programs. During my investigation, I will fins basic statistical measures of spread such as mean, median, mode, and range of my collected data for favorite classes and then least favorite classes. This will show how preference affects performance. Then, I will use Chi-squared testing to determine how academic programs affect your grades. I will do two Chi-squared tests; one for favorite classes and one for least favorite classes. By completing numerous tests, I will rule out more uncertainties in the data and get a more detailed conclusion on the affects of preference on performance in classrooms.
Raw Data Table:
Name
Favorite Class Grade
Least Favorite Class Grade
Academic Program
Year in School
Sabrina W.
97 A
94 A
IB
Freshman
Lydia B.
85 B
86 B
IB
Freshman
Ben G.
97 A
88 B
IB
Freshman
Kelly P.
96 A
82 B
IB
Sophomore
Mychaela A.
97 A
77 C
IB
Sophomore
Emily D.
93 A
85 B
IB
Sophomore
Paige S.
94 A
87 B
IB
Junior
Bryan C.
95 A
85 B
IB
Junior
Amy L.
98 A
95 A
IB
Junior
Name
Favorite Class Grade
Least Favorite Class Grade
Academic Program
Year in School
Madison D.
89 B
91 A
IB
Senior
Michelle M.
98 A
98 A
IB
Senior
Kelsey B.
86 B
93 A
AP
Freshman
Calvin N.
91 A
89 B
AP
Freshman
Christian D.
93 A
87 B
AP
Freshman
Eddy M.
97 A
67 D
AP
Sophomore
Jenny S.
81 B
53 F
AP
Sophomore
Kim C.
98 A
92 A
AP
Sophomore
Gianna F.
87 B
65 D
AP
Junior
Travis K.
99 A
83 B
AP
Junior
Chastity H.
96 A
73 C
AP
Junior
Ben P.
92 A
70 C
AP
Junior
Kali C.
96 A
91 A
AP
Senior
Daneli S.
91 A
91 A
AP
Senior
Lea W.
89 B
82 B
AP
Senior
Joe M.
89 B
74 C
AP
Senior
Ena E.
88 B
47 F
GT
Sophomore
Ryan S.
94 A
48 F
GT
Sophomore
Shawn
92 A
63 D
GT
Sophomore
Josh K.
94 A
78 C
GT
Junior
Jonathan G.
81 B
70 C
GT
Senior
EJ N.
92 A
82 B
Honors
Freshman
Casey G.
90 A
88 B
Honors
Freshman
Kara S.
73 C
79 C
Honors
Freshman
Brooke D.
97 A
82 B
Honors
Sophomore
Stephen N.
94 A
94 A
Honors
Sophomore
Bobby L.
100 A
79 C
Honors
Sophomore
Amy D.
85 B
76 C
Honors
Junior
Ricky P.
90 A
88 B
Honors
Junior
Grace E.
93 A
73 C
Honors
Junior
Anthony M.
94 A
77 C
Honors
Senior
Ramsey P.
72 C
59 F
Honors
Senior

Mathematical Processes:
Measures of Spread:
Favorite Class: Mean- 91.7% Median- 93% Mode- 97% Range- 31%
Least Favorite Class: Mean- 79.6% Median- 82% Mode- 82% Range- 49%
The best judge is the mean, or average, score.
Conclusion: Overall, people get better grades in their favorite class than their least favorite class. Therefore, I can conclude that preference does affect performance in classrooms.

Chi-Squared Testing:
Favorite Class:
Null Hypothesis: A person’s grade in their favorite class and what academic program they are in are independent of one another.
Hypothesis 1: A person’s grade in their favorite class and what academic program they are in are dependent of one another.

Observed Frequencies

A
B
C
Total
IB
9
2
0
11
AP
9
5
0
14
GT
3
2
0
5
Honors
8
2
1
11
Total
29
11
1
41

To find a table of expected frequencies, I used the equation P(A+ B) for events independent of one another as such:
P(IB+A) x total number of people = 11 x 29/(41) =7.8
P(IB x B) x total number of people = 11 x11/(41) = 2.95
Expected