Peer mentor training at a firm. Peer mentoring occurs when a more experienced employee provides one-on-one support and knowledge sharing with a less experienced employee. The Journal of Managerial Issues (Spring 2008) published a study of the impact of peer mentor training at a large software company. Participants were 222 employees who volunteered to attend a 1-day peer mentor training session. One variable of interest was the employee’s level of competence in peer mentoring (measured on a 7-point scale). The competence level of each trainee was measured at three different times in the study: 1 week before training, 2 days after training, and 2 months after training. One goal of the experiment was to compare the mean competence levels of the three time periods.

a. Explain why these data should be analyzed using a randomized block design. As part of your answer, identify the blocks and the treatments.

b. A partial ANOVA table for the experiment is shown below. Explain why there is enough information in the table to make conclusions. NW NW Source df SS MS F-Value p-Value Time Period 2 — — —