Data Analysis
BYU Pathway Evaluation Project in Peru
In the spring of 2024, I traveled to Peru as part of a team to conduct an evaluation for BYU-Pathway. Over two weeks, we conducted focus groups in Spanish with hundreds of current students, prospective students, and alumni. The goal of our evaluation was to identify areas where the BYU-Pathway program could be improved to better serve the needs of students in Peru.
We then analyzed the qualitative data from the interviews and compiled a detailed report for BYU-Pathway. As a result of our findings, significant changes were made to the program’s structure, marketing, and the English language support provided to both prospective and current students.
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Click the buttons below to read an article about my experience and watch a video that highlights our project.
ELC Reading Assessment Project
As part of my MA TESOL program, I completed a course on assessments, which included a hands-on project where we developed a standardized reading proficiency assessment for students at the BYU English Language Center. After students took the exam, we analyzed the resulting data using Jamovi software. Our analysis focused on several key aspects, including the distribution of scores and percent score trends, which provided insight into the reliability and validity of the exam.
Additionally, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the exam questions and distractors by evaluating factors such as item facility, point-biserial correlation, and upper-lower discrimination. These analyses helped us assess the effectiveness of each question.
Click on the button below to see the complete analysis report.
Methods for Measuring Writing Acuracy
I was part of a group that conducted a research project at Brigham Young University's English Language Center, comparing the General Accuracy Ratio (GAR) and the Error-Free Clause Ratio (EFCR) methods for measuring grammatical accuracy in student writing samples. The data consisted of timed essays written by 62 students, which were assessed for grammatical accuracy.
We measured the essays by counting the number of correct and incorrect clauses, with the GAR focusing on the overall accuracy by calculating the ratio of correct clauses to total clauses, while the EFCR measured the percentage of error-free clauses. To analyze the data, we used repeated measures ANOVA to compare the effectiveness of each method in capturing students' grammatical proficiency.
Click on the button below to see the complete analysis report.
