Comparing the Utility of Two Procedures for Admitting Students to Liberal Arts
An Application of Decision-Theoretic Models
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20281292 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gershon Ben-Shakhar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Gershon Ben‐shakhar (0000-0002-4865-0331, Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Ilana Kiderman (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Michal Beller (Open University of Israel) |
| Year | 1996 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 90-107 |
| Publication date | 1996-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational and Psychological Measurement (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-1644 • E-ISSN: 1552-3888 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0013164496056001006 |
| OpenAlex | W1987392356 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 19 |
The present study applied a threshold utility model to assess the utility of adding a scholastic aptitude test to a selection system, based on achievement tests, designed to screen applicants for university studies in liberal arts. The threshold model was chosen because admitting students to liberal arts is characterized by an undefined quota. The present analysis avoided the exact estimation of the decision-maker's utility function and estimated the range of utility ratios (i.e., the ratio between the costs of false positives and false negatives) for which the additional predictor is useful. A nonselected sample of applicants, including a random group sampled from the applicants who would have been rejected under regular circumstances, was used to obtain the ranges of utility ratios for which the additional test would add to the expected utility under three definitions of success in academic studies. The results revealed that the gains associated with the additional information depend on the definition of success one wishes to adopt. If the goal is to recruit students who can achieve minimal passing grades, no gains are expected. If, however, the goal is to identify potentially excellent students, then the gains associated with the scholastic aptitude test are significant
Actuarial science · Aptitude · Econometrics · Economics · Expected utility hypothesis · False positive paradox · False positives and false negatives · Higher education · Liberal arts education · Mathematical economics · Mathematics education · Outcome (game theory) · Sample (material) · Statistics · Test (biology) · Deception detection and forensic psychology · Mathematics · Psychology · Social Psychology · Survey Sampling and Estimation Techniques · Water Quality and Resources Studies
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.03 |
| Citation span | 1996 - 1996 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |