Testing the Differential Effect of a Mathematical Background on Statistics Course Performance: An Application of the Chow-Test (Economics EDUCATION ARTICLES‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Identifying appropriate prerequisite course is a key ingredient in designing the optimum curriculum program. An academic advisor's primary challenge is to match students' background knowledge with the courses they are taking. Identifying the most suitable course among the several available alternative prerequisite courses to meet students' need is a source of continuous debate among the academicians. This paper addresses the issue of students with different mathematical background perform differently in Statistics course. Higgins (1999) recognized that statistical reasoning should be considered an important component of any undergraduate program. Further discussion on statistical reasoning can be found in Garfield (2002) and DelMas et. al.(1999). Several different factors may affect students' performance (Dale & Crawford, 2000) in a course, including students' background knowledge. Therefore, understanding (Choudhury, Hubata & St. Louis, 1999) and acquiring the proper background knowledge is the primary driver of success (Bagamery, Lasik & Nixon, 2005; Sale, Cheek & Hatfield, 1999).