AN ANALYSIS ON THE HYPOTHESIS TESTING ABILITY OF THE LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

In order to analyze the hypothesis testing ability of the lower secondary school students, the following survey was carried out. The survey asked the following questions: (1) What percentage of the students interprets the hypothesized relations between variables as biconditional? (2) Do four items factor into two distinct factors with noncausal items loading on one factor and causal items loading on a second factor? Method: 171 first year and 164 third year students in lower secondary school made up the sample. Four selection hypothesis testing items were administered to the sample. Both noncausal and causal items consisted of each two problems - Envelope and 4-Card Problems for one, Germination and Lipid Problems for the other. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) .was used to treat the data of each grade. Results: The results of the present survey are summarized as follows: (1) About 56-64% of the students interpret the hypothesized relations between variables as biconditional. (2) 1st grade: There are three factors. Noncausal items load on the first factor, and one of two causal items loads on the second factor and the other, the third factor. 3rd grade: Noncausal i terns load on one factor and causal i terns load on a second factor.