in language learning, a process by which unknown forms are constructed
according to the pattern of other forms that the learner knows. For exam-
ple, knowing that the past tense of singis sang, a learner might guess by
analogy that the past tense of flingis flang.analysis of covariance n
a statistical procedure (similar to analysis of variance) used to statisti-
cally equate groups in order to control the effects of one or more variables,
called covariateSin this type of analysis. For example, if we were com-
paring the effect of a teaching method on three groups of participants, and
one group had a higher mean iq than the others, analysis of covariance
could be used to make the groups equivalent by adjusting the effects of IQ.
see also analysis of variance
analysis of variance n
a statistical procedure for testing whether the difference among the means
of two or more groups is significant, for example, to compare the effective-
ness of a teaching method on three different age groups.
see also analysis of covariance
analytic approach n
see synthetic approach
analytic induction n
(in qualitative research), the process of taking one case of data, devel-
oping a working hypothesis to explain it, examining additional cases to see
if the hypothesis explains them, revising the hypothesis as appropriate, and
searching for negative cases to disprove the hypothesis. Although not all
qualitative research follows this approach, this inductive cyclical approach
to data analysis and theory building has been highly influential.
analytic language n
another term for isolating language
analytic scoringn
in testing, a method of scoring that separates and weights different features
of the test taker’s performance on a writing or speaking task and assigns
separate scores to each feature. The commonly analyzed features in writing
tasks include content, organization, cohesion, style, register, vocabulary,
grammar, spelling, and mechanics, whereas those in speaking tasks include
pronunciation, fluency, accuracy, and appropriateness.
see also holistic scoring
analytic scoring