A researcher would like to know where there is a consistent, predictable relationship between verbal skills and math skills for high school students. A sample of 200 students is obtained and each student is given a standardized English test and a standardized math test. Based on the test results, students are classified as high or low for verbal skills and for math skills. The results are summarized in the following frequency distribution: High Verbal Low Verbal Total
High Math 59 41 100
Low Math 31 69 100
Total 90 110 200
a. Based on these results, can the researcher conclude that there is a significant relationship between verbal skills and math skills? Test at the a = 0.05 level of significance.
b. Compute the phi-coefficient to measure the strength of the relationship. Provide the result the explain what it means.