Background
BSB123 Data Analysis is designed to build a strong foundation for development of statistical literacy and statistical thinking. Both are essential for business success and further studies in business. Recent research showed that “On average for 15-year-old Australian students, females achieved at a significantly lower level than male students (in mathematics)” (p.2, Buckley 2016)[1] . However, there is also research evidence that “Despite the stereotype that boys do better in math and science, girls have made higher grades than boys throughout their school years for nearly a century” (APA 2014)[2]. The Head of School funds a research study to investigate gender differences in, and other factors influencing, exam performance in Data Analysis. Data are collected on the following variables from a sample of 694 students enrolled in the unit in 2015.
- Final exam mark (out of 60)[3]
- Gender
- Degree Type
- Country of Citizenship
- Lecture Attendance[4]
You are appointed as the research analyst to examine the data and report key findings to the project officer. The dataset is contained in the file:
Exam Results.xlsx. The project officer sets the following tasks to guide your investigation.
Task 1 (t-tests)
- In 2014 the average final exam mark was 29.4 out of 60. You want to test at 5% if the average exam mark in 2015 has decreased. (Include all six steps of hypothesis testing.)
(3 marks)
- In order to investigate gender difference in exam performance you conduct separate two-sample t-tests. (Conduct your tests at a = 5%.)
(a) Considering the
whole sample of 694 students, test if there is a difference in the average exam performance between female and male students.
(1 mars)
(b) Considering
single degree students only, test if there is any gender difference in exam performance.
(1 mark)
(c) Considering
double degree students only, test if there is any gender difference in exam performance.
(1 mark)
(d) Present your findings in parts (a), (b) and (c) using appropriate graph(s), and discuss any important observation(s).
(3 marks) [1] Buckley, Sarah, "Gender and sex differences in student participation, achievement and engagement in mathematics" XXXXXXXXXXSource: http://research.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/18 [2] American Psychological Association Press Release (April 29, XXXXXXXXXXSource: http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/04/girls-grades.aspx [3] The final exam contains short answer questions, assessing all major lecture topics. [4] The survey was conducted around Week 11, and the maximum number of lectures attended was therefore 10.