Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Field dependent and field independent cognitive styles are contrasting ways of perceiving and processing information. This study investigated how the cognitive styles of field dependence (FD) and field independence (FI) affect the achievement levels of distance learners. Cognitive style refers to the manner in which an individual perceives and processes information. As described by Allport style is the "particular manner of execution which permeates any highly integrated volitional activity" (Allport, 1937, p. 494). In distance education, spontaneous learner-instructor interaction is frequently neither as flexible nor as timely as it would be in conventional instruction. This research examined the effects of matching or mismatching the design of asynchronous distance education to the field dependent and the field independent learner. Horn's construction of Information Mapping© (Horn, R.E., 1989) was employed to add structure compatible with the Field Dependent learner. Subjects were administered the GEFT, a measure of field dependence-independence. Only those in the first and fourth quartiles of the resulting distribution participated the study. The first quartile was comprised of Field Dependent (FD) subjects and the fourth quartile was comprised of Field Independent (FI) subjects. Half of each group was randomly selected to receive asynchronous online instruction designed to match their cognitive style, and half received asynchronous online instruction designed to mismatch their cognitive style. Analysis of the results showed that matching the cognitive style of the FD asynchronous distance learner resulted in significant differences between the pre and post test scores. However, an analysis of the test results for the FI learners whose instruction was designed to match their cognitive style showed no significant differences from pre to post test. The FI learners whose instruction was designed to mismatch their cognitive style did show a significant difference from pre to post test. A two-by-two factor analysis showed a significant effect for the design of the modules, but no effect for cognitive style or the interaction of cognitive style and module design. Matching the FD cognitive style, in asynchronous distance education had a positive impact on achievement for both Field Dependent and Field Independent learners as measured from pre to post test. / 2031-01-02

The purpose of this study was to examine the means of scores on three forms of a standardized reading comprehension test taken by community college students in developmental reading classes. The three forms of the test were administered as a timed multiple-choice test, a constructed response test, and an un-timed multiple-choice test. Scores on the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) were used to classify the students who participated in the study as having field dependent (LOW GEFT), mid-field dependent/independent (MID GEFT), or fieldindependent (HIGH GEFT) tendencies. The paired samples test was used to analyze the scores among the students classified as LOW GEFT, MID GEFT, and HIGH GEFT for mean differences in scores on the three test formats. The data revealed that for LOW GEFT students, the format of the test impacted their scores, with the mean of the scores of the un-timed multiple-choice test being significantly higher than the timed multiple-choice test and the constructed response format. The data also showed that for the MID GEFT students the mean of the scores for the un-timed multiple-choice test was significantly higher than the means for the timed multiple-choice test scores and the constructed response test scores. However, no significant mean difference was found between the timed multiple-choice test scores and the constructed response test scores. For the HIGH GEFT students, significant mean difference existed only between the un-timed multiple-choice and the timed multiple choice scores. The means of reading comprehension test scores on the three formats between the LOW GEFT, MID GEFT, and HIGH GEFT students indicated significant mean difference between the timed multiple choice test scores but not between the means of the scores for the constructed response and the un-timed multiple-choice test scores. Demographically, when the means of the reading test scores were analyzed with ethnicity as the controlling variable, the Hispanic students had a significantly higher mean on the scores for the constructed response test format. No other significant mean differences were found between the scores of the African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, or Native American students. When the means of the reading test scores were analyzed with gender as the controlling variable, no significant mean difference was found between the reading comprehension scores of the men and women. This study indicated that cognitive style had more impact on students’ performance on a standardized test of reading comprehension than did ethnicity or gender. The un-timed multiple-choice format also had an equalizing effect on the means of the scores for these students.

This study investigates the effect of Witkin's cognitive-style variable on training success in two different orientations to counseling. Field-dependent individuals exhibit more social orientation, social compliance, and emotional warmth than field-independent individuals. Conversely, field-independent individuals exhibit more internal directedness, achievement orientation, emotional distance, and analytical task orientation than field-dependent individuals. Traits associated with field dependence appeared more complementary to an interpersonal-skills counseling approach, while traits associated with field independence appeared more complementary to behavior-modification techniques. Thus it was hypothesized that field-dependent individuals would be significantly more successful and satisfied with interpersonal skills training than would field-independent individuals, and that field-independent individuals would be more successful and satisfied with behavior modification training.

The purpose of the investigation was to determine the effectiveness of Zen meditation practice in facilitating positive change on the personality variables time competence, inner direction, locus of control, and field independence, as well as to investigate the subjective experiences of novice meditators. Two population groups were included in the study: a student group and a clinical group. The student-population group consisted of forty-six undergraduate college students. The student subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: experimental group (Zen meditation group taught to focus attention on the breath, as well as a formal Zen posture), placebo group (formal Zen posture only), or control group (no treatment). The clinical-population group consisted of thirty-seven in-patient volunteers from the alcoholic-drug unit of a psychiatric state hospital. The clinical subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (Zen meditation group which practiced focused attention on the breath, as well as a formal Zen meditation posture) or a control group (no treatment).

本研究旨在討論台灣國中師生認知風格與學生英文學習表現的關係。此研究目的是要探討(1)不同認知風格的學生在英文學習表現上是否有顯著性的相關，(2)不同認知風格的老師在教學成效方面是否有顯著性的相關，(3)師生認知風格相符合的學生群和不相符合的學生群在英文學習表現方面是否有顯著性的相關。 研究樣本以新竹一所國中242位學生及4位老師為研究對象。藏圖測驗用來區分研究對象之認知風格是否為場地獨立型或場地依賴型之學習者。此242位學生皆參與全民英檢之聽、讀、寫測驗;此外，研究者亦對師生進行個別訪談以獲得更進一步的解釋。 本研究採描述統計及Pearson積差相關進行資料分析。研究結果顯示(1)場地獨立型學生在聽、讀、寫的學習表現上較場地依賴型學生佳，並有顯著性相關；(2)場地獨立型老師所教的學生在聽、讀、寫的學習表現上雖較場地依賴型老師所教的學生佳，卻無顯著性相關；然而當男女學生分開進行檢測時，場地獨立型老師所教的女學生在聽力的學習表現方面較場地依賴型老師所教的女學生佳，並有顯著性相關；(3)師生認知風格不相符合的學生群在聽、讀、寫的學習表現上雖較師生認知風格相符合的學生群佳，卻無顯著性相關；而當進行更進一步的數據檢測時，師生場地依賴型風格不相符合的學生群在聽力及寫作的學習表現方面較師生場地依賴型風格相符合的學生群佳，並有顯著性相關；此外，其老師為場地依賴型的場地獨立型學生在閱讀的學習表現上較師生場地依頼型風格相符合的學生群佳，並有顯著性相關。訪談的結果發現，師生場地獨立型風格相符合的學生群能受惠於教師的教學，而師生場地依賴型風格相符合的學生群能夠在與教師的人際互動中受益。 最後，研究者根據研究發現提出數點建議。首先，對於師生認知風格的確認在教學上有其必要性。其次，教師的教學應力求多樣化，並且對於不同認知風格的學生能施予不同的教學法。再者，師資培育者應提供相關的教學訓練，幫助英語教師在教學上能依據學生不同的認知風格予以不同的教法。最後，本研究建議未來能有更多的研究探討場地獨立型或場地依賴型的師生在英語教學或學習中所扮演的角色，並提供更多更有建設性的貢獻。 / The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between student-teacher field-independence-dependence cognitive styles and students’ English performance in a Taiwanese junior high school. The purpose of this study was to explore: (a) different language tasks achieved successfully by students with different cognitive styles, (b) the teaching effectiveness of teachers with different cognitive styles, and (c) language performance under matching cognitive styles between students and teachers. Two hundred forty-two student participants and four teacher participants from a junior high school in Hsin-chu city were chosen in this study. The Hidden Figures Test (HFT) was conducted to measure the participants’ cognitive styles to be field independence (FI) or field dependence (FD). These 242 students took the General English Proficiency Tests (GEPT) with regard to listening, reading and writing. Interview was also given to both the student and teacher participants. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Pearson product-moment correlations. The results show: (a) FI students performed better than FD students in the listening, reading and writing test, and there was a significant correlation between FI students and students’ English performance in the listening, reading and writing test; (b) students with FI teachers outperformed students with FD teachers in the listening, reading and writing test, but there was no significant correlation between teachers’ cognitive styles and students’ performance in the listening, reading and writing test; but when the data were re-tested between female groups and male groups, female students with FI teachers were found to perform better than those with FD teachers in the listening test, and there was a significant correlation between female with FI teachers and students’ performance in the listening test; (c) student-teacher FI/FD mismatch groups performed better than student-teacher FI/FD match groups in the listening, reading and writing test, but there was no significant correlation between student-teacher FI/FD mismatch groups and students English performance in the listening, reading and writing test; however, the further examination indicated that FD mismatch groups performed better than FD match groups in the listening and writing test, and there was a significant correlation between FD mismatch groups and students’ performance in the listening and writing test; and the further examination also revealed that FI students with FD teachers outperformed FD students with FD teachers in the reading test, and there was a significant correlation between FI students with FD teachers and students’ English performance in the reading test. The result of the interview revealed that FI match groups benefited from the teacher instruction while FD match groups benefited from the interpersonal aspect of the teachers. Pedagogically, the findings of the study suggested the necessity of the awareness of students’ and teachers’ cognitive styles; in addition, teachers were suggested to be cognitive-flexible, and teacher education programs were also advised to offer related language training to assist teachers in achieving cognitive flexibility. Further research should be conducted to understand to what extent field independence/dependence plays a role in how students learn and how teachers teach, hence providing more constructive insights for English language education.