Modeling Count Data Using Poisson and Negative Binomial Models

Abstract

I teach management at the university level, and one of the most important topics covered in the curriculum is human behavior in organizations. As an instructor, I have always been fascinated by the behavior of university students. After all, the university is an organization, and students are the largest group in it. One particular behavior that interested me was student withdrawal from courses throughout the semester. This case illustrates how I used count models to study group differences in course withdrawal. As the total number of courses from which a student withdraws during his or her time in university must be a whole number, the analysis was performed using count models. The case study will explain why such models were used and how the analysis was performed.