3 Data Analysis
The primary data were obtained from two sets of test. The first one was the teacher-made test, administered in
the mid-semester examination period prior to training sessions, while the second one was the researcher-made
test, administered at the end of the training sessions. The data from the teacher-made test were used to control
any possible initial differences between the two groups of students since no random assignment was
administered. The second test, moreover, was used to measure the effectiveness of reading strategies training
compared to the traditional teaching of reading.
Thus, the two sets of data were analyzed using a statistical technique called Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA).
Pallant (2005) mentions that ANCOVA is a handy statistical analysis to be used when the researcher cannot
assign subjects randomly into groups. As such, he has to use the existing groups instead, such as classes of
students. The analysis was computerized using SPSS 20 for Window’s program