image 13.36 The effects of peer pressure on mathematics achievement. Researchers were interested in comparing the relationship between high achievement in mathematics and peer pressure across several countries.20 They hypothesized that in countries where high achievement is not valued highly, considerable peer pressure may exist. A questionnaire was distributed to 14-year-olds from three countries (Germany, Canada, and Israel). One of the questions asked students to rate how often they fear being called a nerd or teacher’s pet on a four-point scale (1 = never, 4 = frequently). The following table summarizes the response:

CountrySexn
GermanyFemale3361.62
GermanyMale3051.39
IsraelFemale2051.87
IsraelMale2141.63
CanadaFemale3011.91
CanadaMale3041.88
  1. (a) The P-values for the interaction and the main effects for country and for sex are 0.016, 0.068, and 0.108, respectively. Using the table and P-values, summarize the results both graphically and numerically.

  2. (b) The researchers contend that Germany does not value achievement as highly as Canada and Israel. Do the results from part (a) allow you to address their primary hypothesis? Explain.

  3. (c) The students were also asked to indicate their current grade in mathematics on a six-point scale (1 = excellent, 6 = insufficient). How might both responses be used to address the researchers’ primary hypothesis?