ANLY482 AY2016-17 T2 Group15

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

FINDINGS

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DOCUMENTATION

Summary

PSLE and GCE 'O' Level examinations are a major part in every student’s education life in Singapore. These examinations will heavily affect the path that is available to the student in the future. Choosing a subject combination for 'O' Levels will subsequently affect the future career path of a student, be it whether the student ends up going to a Polytechnic or a Junior College. If a student want to study Pure Biology in a Junior College in the future, studying either Pure Biology or Combined Biology is definitely a must in secondary school O levels. Also, to take into account that there is a lower entry requirement for pure science as compared to combined science (e.g. to study Biology in Junior College, you might need to just pass a Pure Biology in O Levels but maybe at least a B4 for Combined Biology in O Levels). We want to come up with an analysis that will help the parents and students in choosing a subject combination that is both manageable (considering the student’s capability) and desirable (for the future of the student). We want to avoid the regret later on where a student’s future path is limited by his/her poor subject combination choices back in O Levels.

Motivation

For many Secondary 2 students in Singapore, choosing and selecting a subject combination for the next two years leading to O Levels can be a tough decision. It is sometimes difficult for teachers to decide whether or not to encourage / let students take on the combination of double science or combined science (should they consider based on overall grades, or should they base their decisions on individual science grades). Many parents want and feel that their children are able to qualify for double (or even triple science), which makes it difficult for teachers to convince them that either options would be a better choice for their child.

Objectives

Utilizing past data of students’ academic grades from the school’s database, we would like to discover useful and practical insights which will allow teachers to better decide and advise students on choosing their Secondary 2 subject combination, particularly on whether they should take combined science or double science. We will attempt to measure the trends of student’s academic performance by examining their past subject grades, subject combination and their extra-curricular activities. In addition, with the school’s introduction of literature to students’ curriculum, we will also attempt to find out the impact that literature has on student’s academic performance.