Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio State University, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-55). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-101).

Thesis--M. Phil., University of Hong Kong, 1980.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Degree granted on cover marked M. Ed.

This research aimed to investigate whether or not intellectual styles are value-laden and if they are malleable. This aim was achieved through understanding the types of intellectual styles that teachers and students prefer each other to use in the teaching-learning process. It was further achieved by examining whether or not teaching styles affect students’ learning styles and their career interests. This research employed a mixture of experimental and longitudinal designs as well as a combination of quantitative and qualitative procedures. It was composed of one pilot study and three main studies. The pilot study was intended to evaluate the two inventories (the Preferred Thinking Styles in Learning Inventory, PTSLI, and the Preferred Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory, PTSTI) used in the first study. The purpose of Study One was to identify teachers’ preferences for students’ learning styles and students’ preferences for teachers’ teaching styles. A total of 226 teachers and 268 students participated in Study One. A series of data analyses revealed that the PTSLI and the PTSTI were applicable to Chinese secondary school teachers and students. The pilot study and Study One consistently revealed that teachers and students preferred each other to use Type I styles in learning and teaching, respectively. These findings also indicated that styles are value-laden. Study Two was an experimental study to examine the impact of teaching styles on students’ learning styles and on their career interests. A total of seven teachers and 464 students participated in the control group, whereas the experimental group was composed of six teachers and 219 students. Classroom instruction was implemented in each participating teacher’s school for one semester (6 months). A pre-test and post-test were conducted before and after the classroom instruction. Students’ learning styles were measured by the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II in both tests. At the time of post-test, students also completed the Self-Directed Search that assessed their career interests. In a series of repeated-measures MANOVA, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and paired t-tests conducted in Study Two, changes in students’ learning styles in both the control and the experimental groups were identified. Students in the experimental group demonstrated a trend towards Type I learning styles, whereas students in the control group increased their use of Type II learning styles after the instruction period. Furthermore, teachers’ teaching styles had a direct impact on students’ development of particular types of career interests. Students in the experimental group developed a wider range of career interests than students in the control group. Study Three was a qualitative study conducted among 16 students to explore how and why their learning styles underwent changes. Findings from Studies Two and Three supported the contention that styles are malleable. Results demonstrated that students in the control group showed more features of using Type II learning styles, whereas students in the experimental group gradually increased their use of Type I learning styles after the instruction period. Contributions and implications of the findings are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

There are three controversial issues in the field of intellectual styles: whether or not certain relationships exist among different style constructs (style overlap); whether or not styles are value-laden; and whether or not styles could change. The present research mainly aimed at further addressing these three controversial issues respectively by: 1) exploring the relationships between two style constructs (field dependent-independent styles and thinking styles); 2) investigating the influence of intellectual styles on quality of university life and university self-efficacy; and 3) examining how personal factors (ability and conceptions of learning) and university experiences impacted intellectual styles among university students with and without hearing impairment from art and design academic disciplines. The present research adopted quantitatively-driven mixed methods, including a pilot study, a main study with a test at Time 1 and a test at Time 2with the duration of one academic-year, and a qualitative study. The pilot study validated all the inventories among 213 students with hearing impairment and 274 students without hearing impairment. The main study examined the interrelationships among the six main research variables and how personal factors impacted intellectual styles among 256students with hearing impairment and 286students without hearing impairment. Based on results of the main study, 36 participants (16 with hearing impairment and 20 without hearing impairment) were selected for the follow-up semi-structured interviews which explored how university experiences influenced intellectual styles, partially verified quantitative findings regarding style changes, and explained some unexpected results in the main study. Results of the main study generally supported the research hypotheses. To be specific, for all the participants, results of the present research showed that: 1) thinking styles overlapped field dependent-independent styles; 2) Type II intellectual styles tended to be positively related to quality of university life in the first academic year, while Type I intellectual styles tended to be positively related to quality of university life in the second academic year; and 3) students with Type I intellectual styles tended to have higher levels of university self-efficacy, while those with Type II intellectual styles tended to have lower levels of university self-efficacy. These findings suggested that intellectual styles overlap with each other, and that intellectual styles are value-laden. It was also identified that, after studying art and design courses for one academic year, students without hearing impairment tended to score higher on Type I intellectual styles and lower on Type II intellectual styles, while students with hearing impairment tended to score higher on both Type I and Type II intellectual styles. For all the participants, both personal factors (ability and conceptions of learning) and university experiences significantly influenced their intellectual styles. These results indicated that intellectual styles are malleable. Apart from these, intellectual styles were found to mediate the relationships between personal factors and student developmental outcomes among all the participants. Discussions focus on contributions of the research findings to the styles literature and on the implications of the findings for higher education of student with and without hearing impairment. Recommendations for future studies are also made. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Architecture / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

This study is concerned with patterns of information search and utilisation, and the effect these have on the areas of academic interest and the level of achievement within these areas as a result a fit between the individual and his environment. In particular, the study deals with the scholar's level of cognitive complexity as described by Harvey, Hunt and Schroder (1961) and the effect such complexity level has upon subject preference in the final school year and whether this in turn effects the level of competence and achievement of the pupil. It will be argued that individual differences in cognitive style or information processing strategies act as moderator variables, resulting in a preference for and relative success in some rather than other domains of intellectual activity. A distinction is drawn between styles that encourage the consideration of a fairly wide range of variables, and those that favour a more restricted range in any given situation. Furthermore, it is argued that the natural sciences, in nature and educational aims, favour individuals with restricted styles, while the arts and humanities favour the "broader" cognitive styles. A link is drawn between these styles and the complexity of the individual's cognitive structure, and the hypothesis is tested that a preference for and success in the arts as against the sciences is a function of an increase in complexity. Results in support of the hypothesis is presented and implications of the findings are discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1973.