One-Way ANCOVA

The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) can be thought of as an extension of the one-way ANOVA to
incorporate a covariate variable. This covariate is linearly related to the dependent variable and its
inclusion into the analysis can increase the ability to detect differences between groups of an independent
variable. An ANCOVA is used to determine whether there are any statistically significant differences
between the adjusted population means of two or more independent (unrelated) groups.

For example, you could use a one-way ANCOVA to determine whether exam performance differed based
on test anxiety levels amongst students whilst controlling for revision time (i.e., your dependent variable
would be “exam performance”, measured from 0-100, your independent variable would be “test anxiety
level”, which has three groups – “low-stressed students”, “moderately-stressed students” and “highly-
stressed students” – and your covariate would be “revision time”, measured in hours). You want to control
for revision time because you believe that the effect of test anxiety levels on exam performance will
depend, to some degree, on the amount of time students spent revising.

Steps

How to analyze One Way ANCOVA test in SPSS 16 Progtam

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Analyzing a One-Way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS 16 involves comparing the
means of a dependent variable across multiple groups while controlling for one or more
continuous covariates. ANCOVA is an extension of the One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
that takes into account the effect of covariates. Here are the steps to perform this analysis in
SPSS 16:

1. Data Entry:
 Enter your data into SPSS with the following variables:
 Dependent Variable (DV): The variable you want to test.
 Independent Variable (IV): The grouping variable with at least three levels.
 Covariate(s): One or more continuous variables that you want to control
for.
2. Descriptive Statistics:
 Before running ANCOVA, it's a good practice to check the descriptive statistics for
your variables:
 Go to "Statistics" > "Summarize" > "Descriptives."
 Select your DV and any covariates.
 Click "OK" to view summary statistics.
3. Assumption Checks:
 Ensure that your data meet the assumptions of ANCOVA, which include
homogeneity of regression slopes, homogeneity of variances, and normality of
residuals. SPSS doesn't provide specific tests for these assumptions, so you may
need to use other statistical software or graphical methods.
 4. Running the ANCOVA:
 Go to "Analyze" > "General Linear Model" > "Univariate."
 In the "Univariate" dialog:
 Move your DV to the "Dependent Variable" box.
 Move your IV to the "Fixed Factor(s)" box.
 Move your covariate(s) to the "Covariate(s)" box.
 Click the "Options" button to specify additional settings:
 In the "Options" dialog, you can customize the display of means,
confidence intervals, and other settings as needed.
 Click "Continue."
 Click "OK" to run the analysis.
5. Interpreting the Results:
 The output will display the ANCOVA results. Pay attention to the following key
sections:
 "Tests of Between-Subjects Effects" table:
 Look at the "Sig." (p-value) for the IV to determine if there are
significant differences between the groups.
 The "Adjusted Mean" column displays the group means adjusted
for the covariates.
 "Multivariate Tests" table:
 Wilks' Lambda or Pillai's Trace may be reported for the overall
effect. These tests assess the combined significance of the IV and
covariates.
 "Tests of Between-Subjects Contrasts" table (if applicable):
 This table provides information on specific contrasts if you
specified any.
6. Post-Hoc Tests (if needed):
 If the ANCOVA indicates significant differences, you can perform post-hoc tests
to determine which specific group(s) differ from each other. These tests include
Bonferroni, Tukey, or LSD (Least Significant Difference), among others.
7. Reporting and Interpretation:
 In your report or paper, interpret the results, including the main effects of the
independent variable and any significant covariate(s). Discuss the practical
significance of your findings.

Interpreting Results of One-Way ANCOVA

After running the one-way ANCOVA procedures and testing that your data meet the assumptions of a one-
way ANCOVA in the previous sections, SPSS Statistics will have generated a number of tables that
contain all the information you need to report the results of your one-way ANCOVA. We show you how to
interpret these results.

The one-way ANCOVA has two main objectives: (1) to determine whether the independent variable is
statistically significant in terms of the dependent variable; and (2) if so, determine where any differences in
the groups of the independent variable lie. Both of these objectives will be answered in the following
sections:
 Descriptive statistics and estimates: You can start your analysis by getting an overall impression
of what your data is showing through the descriptive statistics and estimates (the “Descriptive
Statistics” and “Estimates” tables). The Descriptive Statistics table presents the mean, standard
deviation and sample size for the dependent variable, post, for the different groups of the
independent variable, group. You can use this table to understand certain aspects of your data,
such as: (a) whether there are an equal number of participants in each of your groups; (b) which
groups had the higher/lower mean score (and what this means for your results); and (c) if the
variation in each group is similar. However, these values do not include any adjustments made by
the use of a covariate in the analysis, which is important. Therefore, you need to consult
the Estimates table where the mean values of the groups of the independent variable have been
adjusted by the covariate, pre. These values are called adjusted means because they have been
adjusted by the covariate.
 One-way ANCOVA results: In evaluating the main one-way ANCOVA results, you can start by
determining the overall statistical significance of the model; that is, whether the (adjusted) group
means are statistically significantly different (i.e., is the independent variable statistically
significant?). In our example, we want to determine whether there was an overall statistically
significant difference in post-intervention cholesterol concentration (post) between the different
interventions (group) once their means had been adjusted for pre-intervention cholesterol
concentrations (pre). This is achieved by interpreting the Tests of Between-Subjects
Effects table, which contains the main results of the one-way ANCOVA.
 Post hoc tests: If there is a statistically significant difference between the adjusted means (i.e.,
your independent variable is statistically significant), you can use a Bonferroni post hoc test to
determine where exactly the differences lie. By inspecting the Pairwise Comparisons table, you
can determine whether cholesterol concentration was, for example, statistically significantly
greater or smaller in the control group compared to the low-intensity exercise group, as well as
determining what the mean difference was (including 95% confidence intervals). If you contact
us, we will explain how to interpret the Bonferroni post hoc test results.