DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN ONE-
WAY AND TWO-
WAY ANOVA
ONE-WAY ANOVA
• a type of statistical test that compares the
variance in the group means within a sample
whilst considering only one independent
variable or factor
• It is a hypothesis-based test, meaning that it
aims to evaluate multiple mutually exclusive
theories about our data.
• Before we can generate a hypothesis, we need
to have a question about our data that we want
an answer to
ONE-WAY ANOVA
• For example, a researcher studying the
effectiveness of online learning might ask
“Do students learned more as they get used
to online classes?” Here, the independent
variable or factor (the two terms mean the
same thing) is “calendar year”. In an ANOVA,
our independent variables are organized in
categorical groups. For example, if the
researchers looked at GWA of students in
2020, 2021, and 2022, there would be three
years analyzed, and therefore three groups
to the analysis.
ONE-WAY ANOVA
• Compares three or more than
three categorical groups to
establish whether there is a
difference between them.
Within each group there should
be three or more observations
(here, this online classes), and
the means of the samples are
compared.
HYPOTHESI • In a one-way ANOVA there are two
possible hypotheses.
S IN ONE-
WAY ANOVA • The null hypothesis (H0) is that there
is no difference between the groups
and equality between means (GWA
of students are the same in three
years).
• The alternative hypothesis (H1) is
that there is a difference between
the means and groups (GWA of
students differ each year) .
WHAT ARE Normality – that each sample is taken from a
THE normally distributed population
ASSUMPTION Sample independence – that each sample
has been drawn independently of the other
S AND samples
LIMITATIONS Variance equality – that the variance of data
in the different groups should be the same
OF A ONE-
Your dependent variable – here, “GWA”,
WAY ANOVA should be continuous – that is, measured on a
scale which can be subdivided using
increments (percentages)
TWO-WAY ANOVA
However, in the two-
A two-way ANOVA is, way ANOVA each
like a one-way sample is defined in
ANOVA, a two ways, and
hypothesis-based resultingly put into
test two categorical
groups.
TWO-WAY ANOVA
• Thinking again of the students, researchers might use a two-way ANOVA if their
question is: “Do students learned more as they get used to online classes and
does it depend on their sex?” In this example, both year and sex – meaning in
total, there are two factors. Once again, each factor’s number of groups must
be considered – for “sex” there will only two groups “male” and “female”.
• The two-way ANOVA therefore examines the effect of two factors (year and sex)
on a dependent variable – in this GWA, and also examines whether the two
factors affect each other to influence the continuous variable.
WHAT ARE • Your dependent variable – here, “GWA”, should
THE be continuous – that is, measured on a scale
ASSUMPTION which can be subdivided using increments
S AND (percentages)
LIMITATIONS
OF A TWO- • Your two independent variables – here, “year”
WAY ANOVA and “sex”, should be in categorical, independent
groups.
• Sample independence – that each sample has
been drawn independently of the other samples
• Variance Equality – That the variance of data in
the different groups should be the same
• Normality – That each sample is taken from a
normally distributed population
WHAT ARE • Because the two-way ANOVA
THE consider the effect of two
categorical factors, and the
HYPOTHESI effect of the categorical factors
S OF A on each other, there are three
TWO-WAY pairs of null or alternative
ANOVA? hypotheses for the two-way
ANOVA. Here, we present them
for our sample research study,
where year and sex are the two
independent variables.
WHAT ARE
THE
HYPOTHESIS • H0: The means of all year groups are equal
OF A TWO- • H1: The mean of at least one year group is
WAY
different
ANOVA?
• H0: The means of the sex groups are equal
• H1: The means of the sex groups are different
• H0: There is no interaction between the year and
sex
• H1: There is interaction between the year and sex
INTERACTIONS IN TWO-WAY ANOVA
• These last two hypotheses, of there being (or not being) interactions in a two-way ANOVA,
refer to how the two variables in the study affect each other.
• This is most easily explained by going back to the research on students.
• If the researchers found that female students’ GWA significantly increased from 2020 to 2022,
but male students’ GWA remained steady or slightly increased, subsequent statistical analysis
may conclude that there was an interaction between the two independent variables of year
and sex.
• These effects are not to be ignored. If we put the interactions to one side, with the results
mentioned above, an incomplete analysis might conclude that students’ GWA in general
increased through the years of online classes, which would ignore a reality that a decrease
may be driven by changes to responsibilities taken by males during the duration of online
classes.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ONE-WAY AND
TWO-WAY ANOVA
ONE-WAY ANOVA TWO-WAY ANOVA
Designed to enable the equality testing Designed to assess the interrelationship
between three or more means of two independent variables on a
dependent variable
Only involves one factor or independent Involves two independent variables
variable
The one factor or independent variable Compares multiple groups of two
analyzed has three or more categorical factors
groups
Need to satisfy only two principles of Meets all three principles of design of
design of experiments, i.e. replication experiments which are replication,
and randomization randomization and local control
