Final answer:
An observational study is the type of statistical design appropriate for comparing student exam grades based on their seating position in the classroom. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA tests would be used to analyze the differences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of statistical design appropriate for a study that compares the exam grades of students based on where they sit in the classroom (front, middle, or back row) is an observational study.
This design fits because it involves grouping the participants into categories based on a naturally occurring variable, which in this case is their seating position in the classroom. It differs from an experimental design, where participants would be randomly assigned to different seating positions.
Each group in the study – front, middle, and back – would be observed without any manipulation of variables. The professor would then use descriptive statistics to examine the differences in the grades among these groups. To determine if these differences are statistically significant, inferential statistical tests such as an ANOVA (analysis of variance) may be employed, provided that the assumptions for this test are met.