CAAP CORRELATION SUMMARY:
CAAP Math Section:
Student scores on the Math, Algebra, and College Algebra section of the CAAP were correlated
with individual course grades in order to determine a relationship between the CAAP score and
specific class achievement. This section represents the results of such correlations by CAAP
Math section. The student courses selected for this study were Math 1030 (Quantitative
Literacy), Math 1040 (Statistics), Math 1050 (College Algebra), and other Math courses requiring
Math 1050 as a pre-requisite. A minimum grade of C is mandatory in one of these three courses
in order to fulfill Snow College’s general education graduation requirement. The sample size for
this study was 91 students.
Math Section
A moderate, positive correlation (r = .413) was found between CAAP Math section scores and
final grades for Math 1050. This correlation was significant at the .01 level, indicating a 99%
confidence interval. Such a relationship suggests that the higher the Math 1050 grades were
linked to higher scores on the Math section of the CAAP test.
Algebra Section:
A moderate, positive correlation (r = .416) existed between CAAP Algebra section scores and
final grades for Math 1050. This correlation was significant at the .01 level, indicating a 99%
confidence interval. This relationship indicates that higher Math 1050 grades were associated
with higher CAAP Algebra scores.
College Algebra Section:
No significant relationship was found between CAAP College Algebra scores and final grades in
any of the Math courses included in the study.
Other correlations:
A positive, significant relationship (r = .446) was found between Math 1050 grades and grades
from Math classes requiring Math 1050 as a pre-requisite. This correlation was significant at the
.05 level (95% confidence interval). This relationship infers that better grades in the Math 1050
class were related to higher grades in the more advanced Math classes.
Additionally, strong positive relationships were found between CAAP Math section scores and
CAAP Algebra scores (r = .898) and CAAP College Algebra scores (r = .748). The significance
for both findings was at that .01 level (99% confidence). This relationship indicates that students
who scored high on the Math section of the CAAP also scored high on the Algebra and College
Algebra sections of the CAAP test.
Summary:
Despite the fact that correlation determines a relationship between to variables, it does not
suggest a cause and effect. Correlation is a symmetrical measurement, which does not indicate
the direction to the relationship. In order to determine the direction of the relationship as well as
predictive ability, a regression analysis is needed.
The linear regression of Math 1050 grades to CAAP Math scores indicate a significant
relationship that accounted for 17% of the variance in CAAP Math scores—not a perfect or
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powerful prediction (F (1,65) = 13.165, p = .001). However, using the B coefficients for Math
1050 (1.87) and CAAP Math (52.1) the following prediction formula is obtained:
CAAP Math Score = Math 1050 GPA * 1.87 + 52.1 (give or take 1 point).
A similar relationship was found between Math 1050 grades and CAAP Algebra scores (F(1, 65)
= 13.3, p = .001). The prediction formula for Math 1050 and CAAP Algebra scores is as follows:
CAAP Algebra Score = Math 1050 GPA * 1.14 + 11.39 (give or take 1 point)
Since no relationship was found between Math 1050 grades and CAAP College Algebra scores, a
linear regression was not performed.
Conclusions:
The General Education requirement of Math 1050 (College Algebra) has the strongest
relationship and effect on CAAP Math and CAAP Algebra scores. Despite the low predictive
ability of Math 1050 on CAAP Math and CAAP Algebra scores (17%), a relationship does exist.
Assuming that the CAAP Math section is a good measurement of Snow College’s General
Education outcome concerning computational skills (#6); then Math 1050 demonstrates a weak
but significant influence in achieving this outcome.
CAAP English Section:
Student scores on the Reading, Literature, and Social Science section of the CAAP were
correlated with individual course grades in order to determine a relationship between the CAAP
score and specific class achievement. This section represents the results of such correlations by
CAAP English section. The student courses selected for this study were English 1010
(Introduction to Writing), English 2010 (Intermediate Research Writing), English 2014
(Intermediate Composition Honors Thesis), and other English classes that required English 1010
as a pre-requisite or co-requisite. A minimum grade of C and completion of both English 1010
and 2010 is required to fulfill Snow College’s general education graduation requirement. The
sample size for this study was 86 students.
Reading Section
A direct relationship (r = .293) was found between CAAP Reading section scores and final grades
for English 2010. This correlation was significant at the .01 level, indicating a 99% confidence
interval. Such a relationship suggests that the higher the English 2010 grade was positively
linked to higher scores on the Reading section of the CAAP test.
Literature Section:
A low, positive correlation (r = .214) existed between CAAP Literature section scores and final
grades for English 2010. This correlation was significant at the .01 level, indicating a 99%
confidence interval. This relationship indicates that higher English 2010 grades were allied to
higher CAAP Literature scores.
Social Science Section:
A weak but positive relationship was found between English 2010 and CAAP Social Science
scores (r = .259) at the .05 level (95% confidence interval). This relationship indicates that higher
English 2010 grades were related to higher CAAP Social Science scores.
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Other correlations:
No other correlations were found between English general education courses and specific sections
of the CAAP English test.
Summary:
Despite the fact that correlation determines a relationship between to variables, it does not
suggest a cause and effect. Correlation is a symmetrical measurement, which does not indicate
the direction to the relationship. In order to determine the direction of the relationship as well as
predictive ability, a regression analysis is needed.
The linear regression of English 2010 grades to CAAP Reading scores indicated a weak
relationship accounting for 8% of the variance in CAAP Reading scores—not a perfect or
powerful prediction (F (1,73) = 6.778, p = .011). Using the B coefficients for English 2010
(2.246) and CAAP Reading (53.759) the following prediction formula is obtained:
CAAP Reading Score = English 2010 GPA * 2.246 + 53.759 (give or take 1 point).
The relationship between English 2010 grades and CAAP Literature scores was not significant
despite the positive correlation (F(1,73) = 3.470, p = .067). This relationship accounted for less
than 5% of the variability in CAAP Literature scores.
The relationship between English 2010 and CAAP Social Science scores was minimal but
significant (F(1,73) = 5.166, p = .026), representing only 6% in the change of CAAP Social
Science scores. The prediction formula for this relationship is as follows:
CAAP Social Science Score = English 2010 GPA *.973 + 12.301 (give or take 1 point)
Conclusions:
The General Education requirement of English 2010 (Intermediate Research Writing) had direct
relationships with all scores associated with the CAAP English test. Despite these correlations,
follow up analysis suggested that significant predictability existed only between English 2010 and
CAAP Reading scores. This relationship was minimal at best. Assuming that the CAAP Reading
section is a good measurement of Snow College’s General Education outcome regarding writing
skills (#2); these findings point toward English 2010 as the most significant, yet minimal
influence toward that achievement.
CAAP Science Section:
Student scores on the Science section of the CAAP were correlated with individual course grades
in order to determine a relationship between the CAAP score and specific class achievement.
This section represents the results of such correlations by CAAP Science section. The student
courses selected for this study represented general education requirements for Life Science and
Physical Science. The Life Science courses were Biology 1010 (General Biology/Lab), Biology
1050 (Human Biology/Lab), Biology 1610 (Biology 1/Lab), Biology 1620 (Biology 2/Lab),
Biology 2060 (Introductory Microbiology/Lab), Biology 2200 (General Microbiology/Lab),
Biology 2320 (Human Anatomy/Lab), Biology 2420 (Human Physiology/Lab). The courses in
the Physical Science area were groups to represent the general subjects of Geology, Physical
Science, Physics, Chemistry, and Geography. Completion of 3 credits in the Life Science and
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Physical Science areas, respectively, is required to fulfill Snow College’s general education
graduation requirement. The sample size for this study was 88 students.
Science Section
The Science CAAP test did not have any sub-tests similar to the CAAP Math and CAAP English
tests.
Life Science Courses:
A low, direct correlation existed between CAAP Science scores and final grades for Biology
1010 (r = .374) and Biology 1050 (.395). This correlation was significant at the .05 level,
indicating a 95% confidence interval. This relationship indicated that higher grades for Biology
1010 and 1050 were linked to higher CAAP Science scores, respectively. The other Life Science
courses did not exhibit significant correlations with CAAP Science scores.
Physical Science Courses
Significant relationships were found between Geology courses (r = .576, 95% confidence
interval), Chemistry courses (r = .475, 99% confidence interval), and Physical Science courses (r
= .661, 95% confidence interval). These relationships indicate that higher grades in any of the
Geology, Chemistry or Physical Science courses used in this study were strongly linked to higher
CAAP Science scores.
Other correlations:
Significant correlations occurred between Life Science and Physical Science courses. In
particular, significant associations were found between Biology 1610 and Biology 1620 with
Chemistry grades, which accounted for nearly 100% of the change in either Biology 1610, 1620
or Chemistry scores—high grades in Biology 1610 and 1620 were linked high grades in
Chemistry general education courses. Additionally, a very strong relationship was found between
Biology 1050 and Chemistry grades (r = .756). This accounted for 76% of the variation between
Chemistry grades and Biology 1050 grades—higher grades being linked to higher grades. A
similar relationship was discovered between Biology 1050 and Geology grades (r = .899),
accounting for 90% of the difference in grades between Biology 1050 and the Geology courses
used in this study. Finally, a strong link occurred between Biology 2420 and Chemistry courses,
which represented 80% of the variability in grades for those respective courses (r = .798). The
confidence interval for these findings was at the .05 level (95% confidence).
Summary:
Despite the fact that correlation determines a relationship between to variables, it does not
suggest a cause and effect. Correlation is a symmetrical measurement, which does not indicate
the direction to the relationship. In order to determine the direction of the relationship as well as
predictive ability, a regression analysis is needed.
The linear regression of Biology 1010 grades to CAAP Science scores indicated a moderately
significant relationship accounting for 14% of the variance in CAAP Science scores—not a
perfect or powerful prediction (F (1,31) = 4.873, p = .035). Using the B coefficients for Biology
1010 (1.198) and CAAP Science (56.701) the following prediction formula is obtained:
CAAP Science Score = Biology GPA * 1.198 + 56.701 (give or take 1 point).
The linear regression of Biology 1050 grades to CAAP Science scores indicated a similar
moderate relationship as found with Biology 1010, accounting for 16% of the variance in CAAP
Science scores—again, not a perfect or powerful prediction (F (1,31) = 5.546, p = .025). Using
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the B coefficients for Biology 1010 (1.874) and CAAP Science (54.589) the following prediction
formula is obtained:
CAAP Science Score = Biology GPA * 1.874 + 54.589 (give or take 1 point).
The relationship between CAAP Science scores and the Physical Science courses was particularly
strong for Geology, Chemistry, and Physical Science. Geology courses accounted for 33% of the
variability in CAAP Science scores (r = .332)—a fairly moderate predictive relationship (F(1,13)
= 5.956, p = .031). This means that one-third of the CAAP Science scores where influenced by
grades in Geology general education courses. The predictive formula is difficult to write because
more than one Geology course was associated with the Geology grades. Further study would
extrapolate these courses to pinpoint the Geology course of greatest influence.
Chemistry courses accounted for 23% of the change in CAAP Science scores (r = .223) indicating
a moderately weak predictive relationship (F(1,32) = 9.017, p = .005). Similar to the Geology
courses, the predictive formula is difficult to write because more than one Chemistry course was
associated with the Chemistry grades used in this study.
Physical Science courses held the largest predictive power associated with CAAP Science scores,
accounting for 44% of the change in scores (F(1,10) = 6.972, p = .027). Again, the predictive
formula is difficult to write because more than one Physical Science course was associated with
the grades used in this study.
Conclusions:
Both the Life Science and Physical Science general education course requirements had positive,
significant relationships with the CAAP Science scores. In particular, the Life Science classes of
Biology 1010 and Biology 1050 were most positively aligned to higher CAAP Science scores.
The predictive ability of such courses was moderate but significant to suggest that high grades in
either Biology 1010 or Biology 1050 resulted in higher CAAP Science scores.
Physical science general education courses in the subjects of Geology, Chemistry and Physical
Science expressed the strongest relationships and influence on CAAP Science scores with
Physical Science being the single greatest predictor of CAAP Science achievement.
In light of the General Education outcome that Snow College students apply scientific reasoning
to a variety of contexts (#7), these findings indicate that the required courses for Life Science
(namely Biology 1010 and Biology 1050) facilitate that end. In addition, the Physical Science
courses located in Geology, Chemistry (and most importantly) Physical Science confidently
support Snow College’s science general education outcome.
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