Teacher-Student Cognitive Style and Academic Achievement: A Review and Mini-Meta-Analysis.

The effects on academic achievement associated with match ing students and teachers on field-dependent-independent dimen sions of cognitive style are investigated. Since research in this area is still in a developmental stage and the results are often conflicting, a meta-analysis was performed on the data provided by the studies reviewed in an attempt to integrate and clarify the current status of findings relevant to this issue. The meta analysis technique used was the effect size method. A summary table of study characteristics and effect sizes is provided; implications of the results of the meta-analysis are discussed. The field dependent-independent dimension of cog nitive style has received considerable scholarly atten tion in recent years. On the intrapersonal level, the field-dependent individual has been shown to rely primarily on an external frame of reference in pro cessing information, to be more sensitive to social cues and more interested in what others say and do. On the other hand, field-independent individuals rely primarily on an internal frame of reference and show greater cognitive restructuring ability on various perceptual and cognitive tasks (Witkin, Moore, Good enough, & Cox, 1977). On the interpersonal level, studies have shown that greater interpersonal at traction and more favorable attitudes exist between individuals of similar field dependent-independent cognitive styles (DiStefano, 1970; Greene, 1972; Folman, 1973). Concerning the influence of cognitive style on academic performance, field-independent students generally have been found to perform somewhat better than field-dependent students, with field independent students more likely to use a hypothesis testing approach to problem solving, and field dependent students more likely to display a passive, spectator-like strategy to acquire information. When organizing material, the field-dependent student is apt to rely on the external structure of the material as presented by the teacher to provide organization and insights, whereas field-independent students most often use their own internalized rules developed from experience to analyze and restructure the material (Witkin et al., 1977; Annis, 1979; Frank, 1984). Cogni tive style also impacts upon the way teachers teach, as the teaching strategies that field-dependent and field-independent teachers claim to prefer seem to differ. Field-dependent teachers favor student partici pation in setting goals and directing learning, to gether with open classroom discussions and the stablishment of a warm and personal learning environment. On the other hand, field-independent teachers prefer teacher-directed learning, structured classroom activities, and teaching situations that are less personal and require less teacher-student inter action (Witkin et al., 1977). As well as looking at either student or teacher style as individual, isolated educational variables, the interactive effects of student-teacher stylistic match or mismatch have also been examined, and studies indicate that students and teachers of similar cogni tive style may have more favorable attitudes towards one another (DiStefano, 1970; Witkin et al., 1977). However, the question of impact of field-dependence independence match or mismatch on student ac ademic achievement remains unclear as this research has generally examined social interaction and ratings of satisfaction rather than the effect on actual