Ex post facto research was conducted exploring the relationship between field-dependent and field-independent cognitive styles and persistence and performance in the instructional television curriculum of a Florida community college. The conceptual framework was the influence of field dependence and field independence as predictor variables of persistence rates and performance levels in the impersonal pedagogical approach of instructional television, an approach that is incongruent with the cognitive style of field-dependent learners, who prefer reliance on human interaction, or the "field," for analysis and structure in ambiguous information-seeking conditions. The expectation was that if a field-dependent or field-independent cognitive style were systematically associated with the instructional television program, inferences could be made about completion rates and performance levels and an explanation would be yielded for recurring high levels of attrition and unsuccessful performance. / The 103 subjects were categorized by cognitive style; by the nature of the disciplines in which they were enrolled: the natural sciences, the academic interests of field-independent learners, or the behavioral sciences, the academic interests of field-dependent learners; and by gender, age, and ethnicity. / The following conclusions emerged from this study: (1) Field-independent learners excelled field-dependent learners in successful performance. (2) Field-independent learners excelled field-dependent learners in successful performance in both the natural sciences and the behavioral sciences. (3) Field-independent females excelled both field-independent males and field-dependent females in successful performance, and field-independent males excelled field-dependent males in successful performance. (4) Field-independent learners in the under 22 age category excelled field-dependent learners in the under 22 age category in successful performance. (5) Field-dependent Caucasian learners excelled field-dependent Black learners in successful performance. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-02, Section: A, page: 0402. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75772 |
| Contributors | HIGGINS, MARGARET ANN., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 177 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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