A professor teaches two different subjects (history and sociology) in an ethnically diverse college. She wants to know how much interest students have in prominent political figures. She reasons that knowing this will help her plan for future lectures.
She asked students to rate each person listed with a Lickert scale (a continuum with five being high and 1 being of low interest). Upon looking at the data results, she concluded that there is no need to emphasize any political figure more than the others. Indeed, she reckoned, students in each subject area rated the figures similarly, so she can pace her lessons just as she has in the past.
History students’ scores:
John Maynard Keynes 3.6
Jesus 4.1
Martin Luther King Jr. 4.0
Karl Marx 2.5
Patricia Ireland 2.6
Abraham Lincoln 4.5
Sociology students’ scores:
John Maynard Keynes 3.7
Jesus 4.2
Martin Luther King Jr. 3.9
Karl Marx 4.1
Patricia Ireland 4.0
Abraham Lincoln 3.8
Is her conclusion solid? Please provide a statistical assessment using Spearman rs to evaluate her decision. Explain the practical significance of the test as well as its implications, if any, for her decision.