an analysis of covariance in which there is a single independent variable and one or more covariates whose potential influence needs to be accounted for statistically. For example, assume a researcher is evaluating how three types of instructional methods (three levels of the independent variable) affect scores on an academic achievement test (the dependent variable). If the researcher believes general intelligence, gender, and other unmeasured factors could also affect scores, he or she might use a one-way analysis of covariance to control for such covariates when assessing the experimental data.