ABSTRACT
An alternative test to test the null hypothesis for the observed difference between two sample means is analysis of variance (ANOVA). Instead of t, it yields a statistic called F, as well as degrees of freedom (df), sum of squares, mean square, and a probability (p) value, which indicates the probability that the null hypothesis is correct. As with the t-test, the only value of interest to the typical consumer of research is the value of p.By convention, when p equals.05 or less, researchers reject the null hypothesis and declare the result to be statistically significant. Because the t-test and ANOVA are based on the same theory and assumptions, when two means are compared, both tests yield exactly the same value of p and, hence, lead to the same conclusion regarding significance. Thus, for two means, both tests are equivalent.
