5.36 (INFO) The ability to read rapidly and simultaneously maintain a high level of comprehension is often a determining factor in the academic success of many high schoool students. A school district is considering a supplemental reading program for incoming freshmen. Prior to implementing the program, the school runs a pilot program on a random sample of n = 20 students. The students were thoroughly tested to determine reading speed and reading comprehension. Based on a fixed-length standardized test reading passage, the following reading times (in minutes) and comprehension scores (based on a 100-point scale) were recorded.
Student 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 n\overline{y}s
Reading Time 5 7 15 12 8 7 10 11 9 13 10 6 11 8 10 8 7 6 11 8 20 9.10 2.573
Comprehension 60 76 76 90 81 75 95 98 88 73 90 66 91 83 100 85 76 69 91 78 20 82.05 10.88
Problems needing Answered:
5.37 Refer to exercise 5.36. Using the reading comprehension data, is there significant evidence that the reading program would produce for incoming freshmen a mean comprehension score greater than 80, the statewide average for comparable students during the previous year? Determine the level of significance for your test. Interpret your findings.
5.38 Refer to exercise 5.36.
a. ) Does there appear to be a relationship between reading time and comprehension of the individual students? Provide a plot of the data to support your conclusion.
b. ) What are some weak points in this study relative to evaluating the potential of the reading improvement program? How would you redesign the study to overcome these weak points?