cognitive styles

Abstract Cognitive strategies and also social self-efficacy are the most important learning tools that are essential and influential components for student performance. Considering this, the present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the cognitive styles training on the improvement of learning and social self-efficacy among students of Farhangian university of Mazandaran. Present research was a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and control group design. To this purpose, 60 students were allocated to experimental and control groups during the year 2018-2019 using a random sampling method (30 control group and 30 experimental group) and they were asked to complete Smith and Betz’s (2000) 25-item Scale of Perceived Social Self-Efficacy (SPSSE) as pretest. The experimental group received 10 ninety-minute sessions of cognitive strategy training. At the end both groups answered the above questionnaire again. Mean, standard deviation and analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that Cognitive styles training increased students’ learning and social self-efficacy significantly (P≥0/001). Considering the effectiveness of cognitive style training, it is suggested that utilizing this method to improve students' academic status and increase social self-efficacy.

The study investigated the impacts of motivational scaffolding as one of the most effective instructional procedures on self-efficacy and learning achievement of field-dependent and field-independent English language learners. This study attempted to use both qualitative and quantitative data to get more reliable results. As qualitative part, 15 teachers in a semi-structured interview, and as quantitative part, two groups of learners participated as experimental and control groups. Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was used to determine students' self-efficacy. The Group Embedded Figures Test was administered to categorize them into groups of field-dependent and field-independent. To determine proficiency level, a pre-test and a post-test were used. As treatment, eight sessions of Bandura’s training were administered to improve self-efficacy. Analysis of the qualitative data was conducted using content analysis, and as quantitative analysis, two-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance was conducted. The results showed that learners’ interacting within motivational scaffolding improved their self-efficacy and their learning achievement, and there is no significant difference between learners in the dimensions of field-dependent, field-independent. The findings have implications for teachers and learners in educational settings to detect some factors affecting the English language learners’ language performance and their psychological status.

Many scholars have long contributed to making the instruction of oral production more effectively. This study compared three task types (information-gap, reasoning-gap, and opinion-gap tasks) and two cognitive styles (field-independence and field-dependence) regarding their effects on English as a foreign language (EFL( learners’ oral production linguistic complexity. The current study was quantitative in research methodology and followed the comparison group design. Initially, 230 Iranian learners were selected using convenience sampling. After the participants sat the proficiency test, the number of participants was reduced to 180 BA students at the university of Mohaghegh Ardabili and Islamic Azad University, Ardabil Branch. They were randomly divided into six experimental groups. Two groups were randomly assigned to field-independent (FI) and field-dependent (FD) information-gap tasks, the next two groups to FI and FD reasoning-gap tasks, and the other two groups to FI and FD opinion-gap task types. Each group consisted of 30 advanced EFL learners and was taught oral production using one of the above-mentioned task types. Michigan test of English Language Proficiency test (Phakiti, 2003) and group embedded figures test (Witkin et al., 1971) were used to determine proficiency level and measure cognitive styles. A two-way ANCOVA (analysis of covariance) procedure was run to examine the data. The results revealed significant differences among task types and cognitive styles, with FD learners and opinion-gap task being the most effective on EFL Learners' oral production linguistic complexity. The interaction between cognitive styles and task types is more likely to account for language learners’ oral performance.

This study explored the interaction of socio-psychological parameters with spin-off approaches to teaching EFL reading comprehension at elementary level. While such parameters covered cognitive style as well as personality type features, the spin-off approaches included theme-based, task-based, community language learnings, natural approach, and content-based instruction. The sample was comprised of 54 female students - studying at Jassas high school, in Dezful, Iran. A Quick Oxford Placement Test was used to homogenize the elementary participants. As for the cognitive style, Group Embedded Figures Test (Witkin et al., 1971) was employed to distinguish between field independent vs field independent and Barrat Impulsiveness Scale (Patton et al., 1995) was also utilized to divide participants into impulsive, and reflective groups. Next, the Preliminary English Test for schools (reading part) was given to the subjects as pretest and posttest. The results indicated that field independent group outperformed field dependent group, and reflective group outperformed impulsive group with regard the spin-off approach to teaching reading. This implies the current findings can contribute to both assessment and teaching theories.

The present study addressed the effects of cognitive styles on answer-switching practices across online and traditional tests. After completing Ehrman and Leaver’s (2003) cognitive style questionnaire, a sample of upper intermediate students took pen-paper and online versions (59 test-takers each) of an already validated teacher-developed test of English. The data from think-aloud and erasure analyses revealed significantly more frequent total and right-to-wrong changes in the traditional and online tests, respectively. Multiple regression values explained more than 50% of right/wrong-to-wrong, wrong-to-right, and overall answer-changing variance based on cognitive styles in the pen-paper exam. However, the regression results from online performance analyses could not prove the power of thinking styles in predicting answer-changing strategies. Fisher’s exact tests showed significantly different answer-changing strategies adopted by field-dependent, leveler, analog, concrete, and impulsive individuals in the traditional test but no significant differences between the behaviors of individuals with different cognitive styles in the online exam. Based on the present findings, online and pen-paper platforms may require different test-taking strategies. Language instructors and test developers can use these findings to align their instructional and assessment practices with various cognitive styles and testing environments.