Cheung,+D

Frequency of Caffeine Consumption vs. Academic Performance

Brainstorming: Is there a correlation between caffeine usage and academic performance? Use survey if there is not enough data __ Caffeine __ Why students use it? · side effects (short & long term) ·  benefits · different types of caffeine · frequency __ Academic Performance (marks) __ · Student marks? · Does caffeine enhance in class behavior? ·  Help during tests? · Student age range
 * __ Education __**

Is there a correlation between height of a person and their longevity? __Height__ · BMI · Studies of height in different countries · Illnesses · Different genders __ Longevity __ · average lifespan · causes · different genders
 * __ Health __**

Is there correlation between participating in recreational activities and consumer income? __Recreational Activities__ <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Type of activity <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Cost <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Purpose __ Consumer Income __ <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· How much they make? <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Time spent on job contributing to income
 * __ Other __**

Question: Is there a correlation between caffeine usage and academic performance within Ancaster High School students in the Fall of 2009? Variables: ** Independent Variable ** : Frequency and amount of consumption of caffeine
 * Dependent Variable ** : Mid-Term marks of AHS students

Hypothesis: I predict that the amount and usage of caffeine will not affect the academic performance of high school students. I think there is no correlation between the two because students use caffeine as a stimulant but it doesn’t affect their academic performance (marks). I expect to find a scattered data if I were to graph these two variables. I believe most students will most likely use caffeine for a short term purpose to enhance academic performance (marks).

I chose this topic because I constantly see students consuming caffeine, whether it is drinking coffee to energy drinks. I would like to investigate if the amount and usage of caffeine can affect a student’s academic performance. From a bit of researching, caffeine is the most commonly used drug in the world which caused me to wonder if there is a possible correlation between these variables (i.e. can the side effects of caffeine can enhance our performances). Sampling Techniques: A survey was used to retrieve the data. 200 surveys were handed out to AHS students who were in Period 1 on Nov 25 – 26. I only surveyed students in Period 1 to ensure no repeats oppose to handing out the survey randomly. The sampling technique used was a stratified sample which includes 50 surveys per grade (9-12). As a result 195 surveys were validated, this includes…
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"># of Participants || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Grade || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">% of Total ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">49 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">9 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">24.5% ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">49 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">10 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">24.5% ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">47 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">11 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">23.5% ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">50 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">12 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">25% ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">5 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Voids || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2.5% ||

Survey: A series of questions was asked to students participating. Questions include were about the students age, grade, mid-term marks, usage of caffeine, what type of caffeine, etc.

To access the survey participants received click the document file. Bias or Sampling Error: There is a sampling bias to the data. Only 200 students were surveyed which does not represent the population of AHS precisely. The sample size was not large enough to produce accurate results. To fix this bias as part of the stratified sampling technique more students could be surveyed from each grade. Also within the data, no post grades were surveyed which could also affect the results. As part of the survey there were leading questions such as multiple choice regarding caffeine usage and consumption which caused pr-designated answers. Plan for One-Variable Data: Plan for Two-Variable Data: Results: Access all results from the survey→
 * Determine the mean, median, and mode for each variable
 * The standard deviation for each variable
 * Distribution of frequency usage of caffeine in each grade
 * Distribution of amount of usage in each grade
 * Organize data into graphs to correlate the variables “Caffeine Consumption(Frequency) vs. Academic Performance”
 * Analyze data to determine which type of correlation fits the data
 * If possible determine the correlation of coefficient and line of best fit

Of the 200 students surveyed 116 stated that they used caffeine products regularly, with no significant results from the different grades. 55% of grade 9s (27/49), 61% of grade 10s (30/49), 57% of grade 11s (27/47), and 64% of grade 12s (32/50) claim to use caffeine containing products regularly.

Caffeine is found in a lot common foods we consume. Mostly commonly, people use caffeine products such as Coffee, Energy Drinks, Tea, Soft Drinks and even in some chocolates. I wanted to determine if there was a possible correlation with students who used caffeine for academic purposes and their marks. From the data a lot of participants enjoyed the product for its taste. 72% of the participants (83/116) who used caffeine regularly claimed to prefer the taste of these products. The data also shows that the mostly commonly consumed caffeinated product was soft drinks (57% of students (48/84) consume soft drinks).

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; font-size: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial;"> I thought students would use caffeine to enhance their academic performance such as having a cup of coffee before class prior to the analyzing the result. This data disprove the second part to my hypothesis but shows that students of AHS use caffeinated products to because they enjoy the taste. ​ Calculations for Grouped Data: One-Variable - Mid-Term Marks for each grade
 * Grade 9 || || || || || || || ||
 * Interval || Frequency || Cumulative Frequency || Midpoint || fimi || mi-x || (mi-x)² || fi(mi-x)² ||
 * 41-50 || 0 || 0 || 45.5 || 0 || -33.7 || 1135.69 || 0 ||
 * 51-60 || 2 || 2 || 55.5 || 111 || -23.7 || 561.69 || 1123.38 ||
 * 61-70 || 3 || 5 || 65.5 || 196.5 || -13.7 || 187.69 || 563.07 ||
 * 71-80 || 8 || 13 || 75.5 || 604 || -3.7 || 13.69 || 109.52 ||
 * 81-90 || 11 || 24 || 85.5 || 940.5 || 6.6 || 43.56 || 479.16 ||
 * 91-100 || 3 || 27 || 95.5 || 286.5 || 16.3 || 265.69 || 797.07 ||
 * Total || 27 || || || 2138.5 || || || 3072.2 ||
 * Mean = 79.2 || || || || || || ||
 * Median = 75.5 || || || || || || ||
 * S.D. = 10.87 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * S.D. = 10.87 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||


 * Grade 10 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Interval || Frequency || Cumulative Frequency || Midpoint || fimi || mi-x || (mi-x)² || fi(mi-x)² ||
 * 41-50 || 2 || 2 || 45.5 || 91 || -33.66 || 1132.996 || 2265.991 ||
 * 51-60 || 1 || 3 || 55.5 || 55.5 || -23.66 || 559.7956 || 559.7956 ||
 * 61-70 || 3 || 6 || 65.5 || 196.5 || -13.66 || 186.5956 || 559.7868 ||
 * 71-80 || 7 || 13 || 75.5 || 528.5 || -3.66 || 13.3956 || 93.7692 ||
 * 81-90 || 12 || 25 || 85.5 || 1026 || 6.34 || 40.1956 || 482.3472 ||
 * 91-100 || 5 || 30 || 95.5 || 477.5 || 16.34 || 266.9956 || 1334.978 ||
 * Total || 30 ||  ||   || 2375 ||   ||   || 5296.668 ||
 * Mean = 79.16 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Median = 85.5 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * S.D. = 13.5 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * S.D. = 13.5 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||


 * Grade 11 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Interval || Frequency || Cumulative Frequency || Midpoint || fimi || mi-x || (mi-x)² || fi(mi-x)² ||
 * 41-50 || 0 || 0 || 45.5 || 0 || -33.7 || 1135.69 || 0 ||
 * 51-60 || 1 || 1 || 55.5 || 55.5 || -23.7 || 561.69 || 561.69 ||
 * 61-70 || 7 || 8 || 65.5 || 458.5 || -13.7 || 187.69 || 1313.83 ||
 * 71-80 || 7 || 15 || 75.5 || 528.5 || -3.7 || 13.69 || 95.83 ||
 * 81-90 || 9 || 24 || 85.5 || 769.5 || 6.3 || 39.69 || 357.21 ||
 * 91-100 || 3 || 27 || 95.5 || 286.5 || 16.3 || 265.69 || 797.07 ||
 * Total || 27 ||  ||   || 2098.5 ||   ||   || 3125.63 ||
 * Mean = 79.2 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Median = 65.5 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * S.D. = 10.96 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * S.D. = 10.96 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||


 * Grade 12 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Interval || Frequency || Cumulative Frequency || Midpoint || fimi || mi-x || (mi-x)² || fi(mi-x)² ||
 * 41-50 || 1 || 1 || 45.5 || 45.5 || -29.68 || 880.9024 || 880.9024 ||
 * 51-60 || 1 || 2 || 55.5 || 55.5 || -19.68 || 387.3024 || 387.3024 ||
 * 61-70 || 3 || 5 || 65.5 || 196.5 || -9.68 || 93.7024 || 281.1072 ||
 * 71-80 || 21 || 26 || 75.5 || 1585.5 || 0.32 || 0.1024 || 2.1504 ||
 * 81-90 || 5 || 31 || 85.5 || 427.5 || 10.32 || 106.5024 || 532.512 ||
 * 91-100 || 1 || 32 || 95.5 || 95.5 || 20.32 || 412.9024 || 412.9024 ||
 * Total || 32 ||  ||   || 2406 ||   ||   || 2496.877 ||
 * Mean = 75.18 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Median = 75.5 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * S.D. = 8.97 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * S.D. = 8.97 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||

I graphed the data to determine if there was a correlation between the frequency of consumption to the mid-term marks student acquired. Each graph is determined by the frequency usage of caffeine while it shows the mark breakdown in its interval compared to each grade.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">​ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> From analyzing the graphs it shows that the data varies to much. Since both frequency and marks were retrieved using intervals instead of having exact values for both the indepent and dependent variables this affected the overall comparison for both of these variables. Correlation Coefficient: From retrieving the data a lot of information is lacking when trying to calculate the correlation coeffiecient. There is a lack of data when it came to calculating the correlation coefficient because when I analyzed the data, the information was set to pre-designated intervals such as the grades. Overall, I didn't have exact data values to determine the correlation coefficient. From observing the charts and data I can deteremine an educated guess that the coefficient would be less than 0.33±​.

Supporting Evidence A survey similar to mine was conducted by Le N. Pham who was analyzing results of "The Relationship between caffeine consumption and study habits". Using similar varibles and methods to retrieve the data he/she "found that participants who consumed caffeine while preparing for an exam show no significant difference from participants who had not consumed caffeine while preparing for an exam. Exam preparation seemed to be unrelated to caffeine consumption, (r=.0648)" stated by Le, P. N. (2000, December 5). //THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION AND STUDY HABITS//. Retrieved January 4, 2010 Conclusion:

I am partially correct on my hypothesis but cannot fully determine my results since I lack the calculation for the correlation coefficient. Through observing the results I can come to the conclusion that the frequency usage of caffeine doesn't affect your academic performance. Caffeine has short-term affects that might stimulate the user but it also has different effects on each person.

Reference:

Cadena, C. (2007, July 1). //Children Using Caffeine to Boost Academic & Physical Performance//. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from []

Hazard, A. (2009, January). //CAFFEINE Reality Check//. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from EBSCO.

Le, P. N. (2000, December 5). //THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION AND STUDY HABITS//. Retrieved January 4, 2010, from []

Struwig, D. (n.d.). //Medical students’ use of caffeine for ‘academic purposes’ and their knowledge of its benefits, side-effects and withdrawal symptoms//. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from []<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">