Week 7: One-Way ANOVA
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
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social statistics for a diverse society (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Chapter 11, “Analysis of Variance” (pp. 303-324)
Wagner, III, W. E. (2020). Using IBM® SPSS® statistics for research methods and social science statistics (7th 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)
Walden University Library. (n.d.). Course Guide and Assignment Help for RSCH 8210. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/rsch8210
For help with this week’s research, see this Course Guide and related weekly assignment resources.
Document: Walden University: Research Design Alignment Table
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.
Document: Data Set Afrobarometer (dataset file)
Use this dataset to complete this week’s Assignment.
Note: You will need the SPSS software to open this dataset.
Document: High School Longitudinal Study 2009 Dataset (dataset file)
Use this dataset to complete this week’s Assignment.
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.
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.
Skill Builder: Interpreting One-Way ANOVA Results
To access these Skill Builders, navigate back to your Blackboard Course Home page, and locate “Skill Builders” in the left navigation pane. From there, click on the relevant Skill Builder link for this week.
You are encouraged to click through these and all Skill Builders to gain additional practice with these concepts. Doing so will bolster your knowledge of the concepts you’re learning this week and throughout the course.
Assignment: Testing for One-Way ANOVA
You had the chance earlier in the week to perform an article critique on ANOVA testing and obtain peer feedback. Now it is time to put all of that good practice to use and answer a social research question with the one-way ANOVA. As you head into the assignment, be sure and pay close attention to the assumptions of the test. Specifically, make sure the dependent and independent variables (factor) are amenable to use in the ANOVA (i.e., be sure to note levels of measurement).
For this Assignment, you will examine the one-way ANOVA based on a research question.
To prepare for this Assignment:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and media program related to one-way ANOVA testing.
- Using the SPSS software, open the Afrobarometer dataset or the High School Longitudinal Study dataset (whichever you choose) found in the Learning Resources for this week.
- Based on the dataset you chose, construct a research question that can be answered with a one-way ANOVA.
- Once you perform your one-way ANOVA analysis, review Chapter 11 of the Wagner text to understand how to copy and paste your output into your Word document.
For this Assignment:
Write a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of your one-way ANOVA results for your research question. Do not forget to evaluate if the assumptions of the test are met. Include any post-hoc tests with an analysis of the strength of any relationship found (effect size). Also, in your analysis, display the data for the output. Based on your results, provide an explanation of what the implications of social change might be.
Use proper APA format, citations, and referencing for your analysis, research question, and display of output.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor in charge of creating college assignments and answers for medical college students, understanding statistical analysis is crucial. This week, the focus is on one-way ANOVA testing. It is a useful tool when comparing more than two groups. This tool is beneficial in multiple instances, such as testing the differences in socioeconomic status across racial identity or determining the impact of educational intervention. The learning objectives this week include analyzing one-way ANOVA testing, evaluating research design, and evaluating research related to one-way ANOVA tests.
Answer to Content:
The one-way ANOVA analysis is useful in determining whether there are differences between multiple groups. Before performing the analysis, it is essential to ensure that the assumptions of the test are met, such as ensuring that the dependent and independent variables are amenable to the ANOVA. After performing the analysis, it is crucial to evaluate the strength of any relationship found by analyzing the effect size. The implications of social change for the findings should also be considered. For example, if significant differences are found in disease risk factors across levels of education attainment, policymakers can use this information to develop more targeted interventions for specific populations. Overall, one-way ANOVA testing provides a valuable tool for researchers to draw meaningful conclusions from multiple group comparisons.
