In Example 9.4 (Section 9.2), we used the two-sample t-statistic to compare the mean reading scores of two groups of “slow learners” who had been taught to read by two different methods. The data are repeated in Table 9.10 for convenience. The LO3 use of the t-statistic was based on the assumption that the population variances of the test scores were equal for the two methods. Conduct a test of hypothesis to check this assumption at a = .10.

Table 9.10 Reading Test Scores for “Slow Learners”
New Method Standard Method 80 80 79 81 79 62 70 68 76 66 71 76 73 76 86 73 70 85 72 68 75 66