Comparative Rankings: Ascertaining Pre- and Post-Test Differences in a Survey Instrument

Abstract

Surveys provide some of the most vital information to statisticians, allowing them a glimpse into the minds of respondents. With such importance, it is imperative to properly analyze surveys to ensure that the conclusions reached truly address the analytical goals. To confront this issue squarely, this thesis analyzes a particular set of surveys collected from a group of students at a local elementary school before and after the implementation of a program called Conscious Discipline, which is designed to combat behavioral issues in the classroom. With the goal of determining whether or not the students' attitudes toward their school environment changed, three analysis methods are considered. The final method, a usage of Kendall's Tau which involves the comparison of a ranked set of survey responses from an expert to the responses of the students, is determined to address the goal the most efficiently and is explored at length. The heart of the investigation entails the utilization of a program to generate the distribution of the test statistic. With the distribution in place, the test statistic is calculated for the specific survey data and compared, to determine if Conscious Discipline has truly made a difference for this particular group of students.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2003

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Hoffman, Lorrie

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree Program

Statistics

Subjects

Arts and Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic; Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Sciences

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0021796

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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