Analysing student performance on the major field test in business at a Canadian University

Abstract

The Major Field Test in Business (MFTB) is a nationally administered student evaluation that measures the accumulated knowledge of undergraduates enrolled in a four-year degree program. Research to date has focused primarily on understanding how different variables correlate with performance on this standardized test - such as student grades, gender and ethnicity. The research objectives of this essay are to analyse the ambiguous results found in previous studies and to highlight how interaction effects among variables can be used to better explain test success. Using data on student performance collected over 11 semesters at a Canadian university, this essay uses a multi-variable regression model to understand the factors affecting scores on the MFTB. The model results suggest that examining the interaction between variables provides important insights and can help to better explain the ambiguity in prior studies. This study is unique in that it uses a statistical measure known as the extra sum of squares F-test to demonstrate the significance of interaction variables.