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{\it Katie Bobinski, Abby Mitchell, Julie Van Saun -- No Title}
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Your presentation to the class was very good.  I understand that
you might have been experiencing some time pressure since the 
other group that day went a little long.  The main thing I
would have liked to see there that you didn't do was to go 
a bit deeper into the technical details of how you analyzed
the survey data and how your conclusions there related to
the other sections of the presentation.

The paper also has a number of good features on the content
side.  The reviews of past studies show some interesting
points about whether environmental awareness can be
fostered by educational efforts.  You did some good
work in analyzing the results from the other group's
survey.  However, there are several major flaws too.  
The first is that the paper itself seems
to have been ``slapped together'' quickly with not enough 
oversight from everyone involved.  I know collaborating on
a project like this might be a new experience for you and that
you tried to address it by a division of labor.  But
coordinating how the sections fit together and how well the
work stands as a single paper is important too.  

For instance,
the file I received had no title, and your names never
appeared anywhere in it(!)  

More importantly, there were a large number of citations in the text 
of the paper that did not correspond to any of the entries in the 
bibliography (works cited).  Moreover, the citations don't give page numbers
or some other indication of where in the source you are taking
the information from.   I can guess how all that probably happened, but
that just is not acceptable for a research paper like this.  
(Be aware, too, that in a lot of courses here at HC, such problems with
citations would carry extremely steep penalties
on the overall grade for the paper.)  

Finally, there are a number of small but glaring language
errors that recur throughout the paper.  For instance, 
{\it please} figure out the difference between the words 
``since'' and ``sense'' and the difference between
``there'' and ``their'' and learn which is appropriate 
where!  These kinds of errors can destroy your credibility,
even when you have something valuable to say.  

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\noindent
{\it Specific Comments}
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\item{1)}  This first sentence does not really ``work.'' 
It is not the {\it studies} that are varying from person
to person, it is the {\it attitudes} that vary.
\item{2)}  Strictly speaking, you are claiming much too much
about what you did in the second paragraph.  How did your
work ``test whether or not a person's scientific knowledge
would affect their ability to comprehend that the environment
is progressing toward an uninhabitable place?''  It's not
the {\it ability to comprehend} that is the issue here.
(The methods used in the Kahan, et. al. article
and the HC survey don't address that either.)
The issue is whether people's {\it attitudes} about 
environmental questions are correlated with their 
level of general scientific and quantitative knowledge.
\item{2.5)} Note that the Ballantyne, et. al. study is
really addressing a somewhat different question than
your main question.  You could summarize their main question
as ``do environmental education programs increase communication
about environmental issues between parents and children?''
This might address how attitudes are formed, so it's 
definitely related to your main issue, but you never
really identify the way in which it is related.  
\item{3)}  Lots of sources cited here that don't appear
in the bibliography at the end!
\item{4)}  This list of steps could apply to just 
about any scientific study.  So I am not sure
why you chose to include it here.  Also, what does
point (10) ``defining its slope'' mean?
\item{5)}  Saying ``the average level of agreement in this
group was 25.87'' does not convey much information
to the reader unless you have described in more
detail how the questions where constructed and how
this level was computed.  
\item{6)}  The description of the Sebasto-Cavern 
study is not too good.  First, explain what the 
acronyms NJSOC and NJMS mean.  Then, I think
you meant to say that since the study was
not able to use a random sample, they used
what is called a {\it sample of convenience}
(you wrote ``sample of convince'' which 
is meaningless).  Finally What does it mean to say
the group of students was ``expectable?''  I have
no idea what you were trying to say there.
\item{7)}  ``No true conclusion was found'' 
is rather vague in describing the overall results
of the Sebasto-Cavern study.  It would be more
precise to say that their data showed that
the only case where there was a significant difference
between the pre-test and post-test scores was
one where the students had received
extensive preparation and post-trip processing
of the experience. 
\item{8)}  Your characterization of 
the Kahan, et. al. results -- ``people with
higher scientific intellect had a lower perception
of the risk of climate change'' is not very precise.
They did not try to measure ``scientific intellect''
(even assuming one could do that).  They were
concerned with scientific and mathematical
{\it literacy} -- the level of knowledge of basic
facts and concepts.  
\item{9)}  Be more careful about how you interpret
the $p$ value of a statistical test of hypotheses.
Saying a $p$ value of $.05$ shows that ``there
was a $95\%$ chance that math and science abilities
did in fact affect a student's views on environmental
issues'' is {\bf INCORRECT} and a serious misunderstanding
of the statistical method.  The real meaning of $p = .05$
is that {\it if the null hypothesis is true, then there is 
a $95\%$ chance that we would see a ``less extreme'' value
of the test statistic than the one we observed.}  The $p$
value is essentially a measure of the strength of the 
evidence for rejecting or accepting the null hypothesis.  
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\noindent
{\it Final Project Grades}
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\noindent
{\it Presentation:}  A- (92)
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\noindent
{\it Paper Content:}  B+  (88)
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\noindent
{\it Paper Form:}  B  (85)
\bye
