What is the Correlation Between Schedule Preference and GPA?

Group # 8 Annika Skigen, Shannon Hughes & Katie Bradshaw

EDT 180 Section A

Gary Lewallen

4/17/17
 A8: What is the Correlation Between Schedule Preference and GPA?

Our group decided to research what the correlation between scheduling preferences and

GPA. We made a survey using Google Docs where we asked students multiple questions. These

questions included: What level (grade) are you?, Do you have a job?, If yes, how many hours do

you work a week?, When do you prefer to take classes?, Do you have a break for lunch in

between your classes?, Do you prefer to have classes on Friday?, How many classes do you

prefer to have a day?, On average, how many credits do you take per semester? What is your

GPA?, and What is your GPA?. We received a total of 126 responses.

When comparing time-of-day class preference to grade level, we discovered that most

freshmen and sophomores prefered classes in the afternoon, most juniors and seniors preferred

classes in the morning, and none of the grade levels preferred night classes the most. The reason

why most freshmen and sophomores prefer afternoon classes is most likely because afternoon

classes allow more time to prepare for the class. Also, freshmen and sophomores are less likely

to have responsibilities later in the day since they are beginning their college career. On the other

hand, juniors and seniors most likely preferred morning classes as opposed to classes later in the

day because they are farther along in their college career and have internships, research labs, or

jobs related to their field that they must attend later in the day. If we did this again we would

compare time preference to number of credit hours instead because that might have more of an

influence on time preference than grade level does.

 A8: What is the Correlation Between Schedule Preference and GPA?

GPA vs. Time Preference

Below Average
Average
Above Average

We also compared how a job and how many hours worked at a job affect GPA. This data

showed us that the most students who did not have a job had an above average GPA while most

students who had a job and worked above the average amount of hours had a below average

GPA. Out of the students who worked a job with below average hours there were still a lot who

had an above average GPA, and out of the students who worked a job with an average amount of

hours most students had a below average GPA. This data showed us that working a job has a

negative effect on GPA, and that the higher number of hours worked per week also has a

negative effect on GPA. However, we also believe that many students work so they can make up

for student loans and debt that come with attending a university, even though the burden of

having a job might affect GPA. This led us to another question; does financial need affect GPA?

If we were to change something about this data, we wouldve displayed the average number of

hours worked a range instead of one number. Because we made it the average number for the

number of hours working instead of the average range for the number of hours worked, it only

took the data for the few amount of people who happened to work that exact number. This made

our data inaccurate in the category labeled average.

 A8: What is the Correlation Between Schedule Preference and GPA?

GPA vs Hours Works

below average GPA

average GPA
above average GPA

The last thing we compared was whether or not people wanted Friday classes and what

their GPA was. This data showed us that out of the people who said yes, most had an above GPA.

Contrarily, out of the people who said no, most had a below average GPA. From this information

we can draw the conclusion that deciding not to have Friday classes negatively impacts a

persons GPA. We think this may be because students who are not willing to take classes on

Friday might also not be willing to dedicate a lot of time to their classes. A question that we

could ask for further research would be; how many hours per week do students dedicate to

studying? We could then compare the students answers with GPA and find out if there is a

correlation between that data and the data in our graph about Friday classes. Something we could

do differently next time is give the average a larger range than one number, which is the same

mistake we made with the data comparing job and hours with GPA. Another thing we could do is

make a pie graph instead that shows out of the people who said yes to Friday classes how many

have above average GPA and how many have below average GPA, and then make another pie
 A8: What is the Correlation Between Schedule Preference and GPA?

chart showing the same data with the people who said no to Friday classes. This would be easier

to read.

Friday Classes Vs. GPA

Yes
No