Workshop: Annual college board workshop: Test making and test taking: How AP psychology can contribute to the college course

Fantasy Baseball with a Statistical Twist

Mathematics Teacher ◽

10.5951/mt.102.4.0264 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 102 (4) ◽

pp. 264-271

Author(s):

Lori Koban ◽

Erin McNelis

Keyword(s):

Statistical Inference ◽

Exploratory Analysis ◽

College Board ◽

Entry Level ◽

Batting Average ◽

College Course ◽

Level Statistics ◽

Major League ◽

Fantasy Baseball ◽

Baseball Fans

Fantasy baseball, a game invented in 1980, allows baseball fans to become managers of pretend baseball teams. In most fantasy baseball leagues, participants choose teams consisting of major league players who they believe will do well in five offensive categories (batting average, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, and runs scored) or in five pitching categories. We bring a fantasy baseball activity into entry-level statistics classes. Each student drafts a team on the basis of nine offensive categories, most of which are statistical twists on the five categories above. The primary goal of this activity is to apply the material in an introductory one-semester, non-calculus-based college course in statistics. This is the type of course that AP Statistics courses are designed to emulate, so this project is appropriate for AP Statistics classes as well. Indeed, this project incorporates exploratory analysis, planning and conducting a study, probability, and statistical inference, the four major themes of an AP Statistics class (The College Board 2004).

Download Full-text

Test-Taking Motivation and Personality Test Validity

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000012 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 117-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Thomas A. O’Neill ◽

Richard D. Goffin ◽

Ian R. Gellatly

Keyword(s):

Personality Assessment ◽

Personnel Selection ◽

Test Validity ◽

Personality Testing ◽

Personality Test ◽

Field Sample ◽

Moderation Effect ◽

Test Taking ◽

Low Levels ◽

Valid Criterion

In this study we assessed whether the predictive validity of personality scores is stronger when respondent test-taking motivation (TTM) is higher rather than lower. Results from a field sample comprising 269 employees provided evidence for this moderation effect for one trait, Steadfastness. However, for Conscientiousness, valid criterion prediction was only obtained at low levels of TTM. Thus, it appears that TTM relates to the criterion validity of personality testing differently depending on the personality trait assessed. Overall, these and additional findings regarding the nomological net of TTM suggest that it is a unique construct that may have significant implications when personality assessment is used in personnel selection.

Download Full-text