Embedded-Figures Performance and Telecourse Achievement

Abstract This study was conducted to determine if there is a relationship between the cognitive style of community college students and their achievement in a broadcast telecourse. The subjects were 134 community college students enrolled in one of six telecourses. Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was used to ascertain whether the students' cognitive style was field dependent or field independent. Achievement was defined by the grade the student earned in the telecourse. Results of chi-square tests indicated that students with a field-independent cognitive style earned higher grades, had a higher telecourse completion rate, and were more satisfied with the experience.