Free Essay on Decoding Student Choices: AP Math vs. Science Selections

Abstract

When students are advancing in their learning process, they are required to ensure that they are specializing in a specific field, a move that ensures that they have better skills and knowledge levels in a given field. At the lower levels of learning, the students mostly tend to tackle all the subjects, but this cannot happen when they advance, considering that subjects are wide and detailed. In the course of the learning process, they are required to select Advanced Placement (AP) subjects in math or science, and what determines the field that they join is their performance in these sectors. Their means scores assist them in selecting the area to join. The important question raised in this analysis and which the study seeks to answer is which of the AP science or maths subjects the students are likely to select. The process of answering this query makes use of the top-down decision tree model that incorporates the mean value posted in the math and science courses with the values of the prediction coefficient, making it easier to have an understanding of the area that the students select. It is critical to understand that all the information that is used in this analysis is from the National College board, and all the right mechanisms have been employed to ensure that adequate data is provided for the analysis process. When selecting a sample, the right amount of details should always be a significant portion of the total number of respondents in a study.

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Introduction

The purpose of this study is to seek details about the subjects that students are likely to select when they advance in their careers. When they are at the lower level, they mostly read all the available subjects. However, as they advance, there is a need to specialize for the subjects are detailed. It can be noted that all students do not perform the same way in all the subjects. The focus, in this case, is on AP math and science, and it can be highlighted that some of the learners are doing better in math than in sciences and vice versa. The students that tend to have a high means score in AP math are likely to take a course in this field, for this is the area that they will feel comfortable with and manage to post decent results. There is a need to ensure that the future of these students is better, and the significant issue to undertake is to ensure that they selected subjects that they are performing well. A significant number of people are likely to have a difficult time selecting courses that they are not conversant with or the ones that present their weaknesses. The move will make them lose interest in the learning process, for they are likely to perform poorly at school, and the issue is likely to raise cases of students dropping out. Therefore, knowing which of the AP math or science that they are performing well is essential for this will present the learners with an opportunity to make wise decisions that will have a positive effect on their future. Therefore, this study is directed to the students who are at the point of making the selection of the advanced subjects, and all the other stakeholders, such as parents and teachers that are interested in the affairs of the learners that are at this level of the learning process. The research relies on secondary data for the information used is from a National College board showing their mean scores. The secondary data process involves using details that have already been collected by another body and, in this case, the research process becomes fast and easy because the details are already available (Wang et al., 2017). Additionally, the National College board contains details that are accurate on the learners, and this shows that the analysis process will have a high level of accuracy, and the decisions made will be a clear reflection of the selection process taken by the students.

After the analysis process, it will be possible to know which of the AP math or science subjects students are likely to undertake. However, in the course of conducting the study, it is essential to note that their performance in these subjects will have a significant influence on the field that they select. The analysis is descriptive in nature, for it relies on data to make conclusions. It makes a detailed description of the data distribution, helps in detecting outliers, and identification of the association that exists among the various variables that are present in the study process. The procedure makes descriptive coefficients that tend to summarize that available data set, which will be a representation of the entire population. A sample will be selected to represent all the students, and the move will ensure that the right details are highlighted, making a suitable sample for the analysis process (Porush, 2018). There will be a summarization of a sample, making it easy to learn about the population, and by analyzing the AP math and science classes, it will be easier to understand how to approach future classes. When undertaking a study, it is conducted with the belief that the results obtained will be utilized in the future and help in making decisions on similar issues in the coming days or years. Therefore, through the regression analysis process, the results obtained will help in making future trends and estimations on how students in the future are likely to behave. For one, it has been estimated that the learners who are performing well in math are likely to select the AP math subjects. If it is found to be the case at the completion of the study process, then there is a high likelihood that learners will behave the same way.

There will be cases of exceptions, but most of the subjects will follow a similar trend in their selection process of the AP science and math dockets.

Data Appraisal

The process of data appraisal mainly covers the analysis of the organizational records and subjective evaluations conducted on the information available for the study process. In this case, the National College board data is highly accurate, and the chances of wrong details on the student mark getting recorded are low. Therefore, the information is reliable, fair, and valid, and this will ensure that the results obtained will have a high level of accuracy (Singh et al., 2014). The objective data incorporation process will show that there is a need to have a critical approach that will focus on the high quality of the data appraisal process. The data is stored with the aim of helping the learners to understand what they have achieved in their learning process. The move will enable them to understand the areas that they need to improve and enable them to have an easier decision-making process (Rokach & Maimon, 2005). In this analysis, the focus is on the determination of the course that students are likely to take with the analysis relying on the marks that they have recorded in the past.

When undertaking the data appraisal process, it is essential to highlight the weaknesses and strengths of the data used and raise the chances of making informed decisions in the study being done. Therefore, it will be possible to understand the validity and usefulness of the research findings. It will also be essential to evaluate study design appropriateness. The other issues that are highlighted when undertaking the appraisal process include the suitability of the statistical methods that have been used when conducting the research process. Details should be highlighted on any possible conflict of interest that may arise and the study relevant to individual study practice.

Some of the strategies that are highlighted in this study process include the fact that the education field will manage to have an understanding of the measures that are taken by students as they advance in their learning process. The determination of the Advanced Placement (AP) that high school students are likely to take is critical and useful for it relies on data that has a high level of accuracy and reliability. Therefore, the conclusion that will be made will also have a high level of accuracy, and the stakeholders relying on the results will manage to make useful conclusions (Ulvila, 2014). Another strategy noted in this case is that colleges are working on ensuring that their students are making the right decisions, and they will be willing to offer all the necessary details that are needed on this appraisal process. Therefore, cases of missing data will be minimal.

One of the weaknesses that are likely to arise in this study process is the existence of outliers. When conducting research and a conclusion is raised, it is not all participants tend to follow the patterns noted, as highlighted in the conclusion statements. Therefore, when relying on the conclusive statements that will be raised, the readers have to be notified that the details are not, 100% and they must employ some elements of caution. Additionally, secondary data is not the most reliable source of information, for it can be manipulated, and this may lead to the formation of the wrong conclusions (Runkler, 2020). Therefore, there are chances of making the wrong decisions when relying on the resolutions that have been made in research with the use of secondary data. It is a point of weakness that will be highlighted at the end of the study to caution the users of the details.

The utility used in this study process mainly works towards developing knowledge that will improve the study process. Its main objective is to raise the effectiveness of the study process and the sample specificity. The various forms of utilities that are utilized in this study process include the time and place utility (Oliva, 2015). The details that are used in this study process are obtained from the National College board, and the data is accessible, and it is in a convenient place for use. Therefore, when determining the AP math or science subjects that high school students will select, it will be easier to manipulate the data and realize the trends and outcomes. The form utility incorporates the numerical data that is applied in the study process.

Appropriate Techniques

It is essential to note that the Excel program will be used in the analysis process. Therefore, the data that will be utilized in the study process will be in the .xlsx format, and it will then be modified to ensure that it is in a usable form by engaging in the data cleaning process (The Pell Institute, 2014). In the beginning, I ensured that the data analysis programs were effective to avoid making the wrong conclusions. The move involved ensuring that there were no missing values and that data about all the learners were available (Doolan et al., 2017). The team that was running the National College board played a significant role in making sure that the details of every learner were covered in the study process to raise the effectiveness of the study process. When converting the data into usable forms, there is the possibility of recording the wrong data, and this is an issue that is sought to avoid to ensure that I managed to transfer the right information.