In Week 6, you gained an understanding of how t tests can assist with determining whether differences exist between samples. The t test has significant utility in hypothesis testing, but its inherent weakness is that it cannot compare more than two groups in one test. As a social researcher, you often have multiple samples/groups to compare. For instance, you might want to test for differences in socioeconomic status across racial identity, determine which educational intervention has the greatest potential across different treatment groups, or determine whether there are differences in disease risk factors across levels of education attainment. These are all examples where you likely have three or more groups that you want to compare. To perform this task, we call upon the one-way ANOVA.
In this week, you will examine one-way ANOVA. In your examination, you will construct research questions, evaluate research design, and analyze results related to one-way ANOVA testing.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Construct research questions
- Evaluate research design through research questions
- Analyze one-way ANOVA testing
- Analyze measures for one-way ANOVA testing
- Evaluate significance of one-way ANOVA testing
- Analyze results for one-way ANOVA testing
- Analyze assumptions of one-way ANOVA
- Analyze implications for social change
- Evaluate research related to one-way ANOVA tests
Photo Credit: [vinnstock]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2015). Social statistics for a diverse society (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Chapter 12, “Analysis of Variance” (pp. 388–412)
Wagner, W. E. (2016). Using IBM® SPSS® statistics for research methods and social science statistics (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Chapter 10, “Analysis of Variance”
- Chapter 11, “Editing Output” (previously read in Week 2, 3, 4, 5. and 6)
Datasets
Document: Data Set 2014 General Social Survey (dataset file)
Use this dataset to complete this week’s Discussion.
Note: You will need the SPSS software to open this dataset.
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2016h). One-way ANOVA demonstration [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.
In this media program, Dr. Matt Jones demonstrates one-way ANOVA using the SPSS software.
Accessible player
Optional Resources
Klingenberg, B. (2016). ANOVA: Analysis of variance. Retrieved from https://istats.shinyapps.io/ANOVA/
Use the following app/weblink to enter your own data and obtain an interactive visual display.
Discussion: Research Design for One-Way ANOVA
Similar to the previous week’s Discussion, this Discussion assists in solidifying your understanding of statistical testing by engaging in some data analysis. This week, you will once again work with a real, secondary dataset to construct a research question, perform a one-way ANOVA, and interpret the results.
Whether in a scholarly or practitioner setting, good research and data analysis should have the benefit of peer feedback. For this Discussion, you will post your response to the hypothesis test, along with the results. Be sure and remember that the goal is to obtain constructive feedback to improve the research and its interpretation, so please view this as an opportunity to learn from one another.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and media program related to one-way ANOVA testing.
- Using the SPSS software, open the General Social Survey dataset found in this week’s Learning Resources.
- Using the General Social Survey dataset, construct a research question that can be answered by a one-way ANOVA.
Post
Use SPSS to answer the research question. Post your response to the following:
- What is your research question?
- What is the null hypothesis for your question?
- What research design would align with this question?
- What dependent variable was used and how is it measured?
- What independent variable is used and how is it measured?
- If you found significance, what is the strength of the effect?
- Explain your results for a lay audience and further explain what the answer is to your research question.
Be sure to support your Main Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.
