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Cognitive style and the acquisition and transfer of the ability to control variables
Author(s) -
Strawitz Barbara M.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.3660210205
Subject(s) - session (web analytics) , psychology , cognitive style , mathematics education , treatment and control groups , field (mathematics) , transfer of training , control (management) , cognition , teaching method , transfer of learning , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , computer science , statistics , mathematics , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , world wide web , pure mathematics
This study examined the effects of an instructional procedure designed to teach both field‐dependent and field‐independent sixth graders to control variables and to transfer this ability to novel tasks. Students were randomly assigned to either a treatment group taught with a special instructional procedure adapted from Case or a group where students freely explored science equipment without receiving feedback. Three posttest tasks administered approximately four weeks after the last training session served as retention and transfer measures. Results indicated that students receiving the special instructional treatment correctly tested significantly more variables on the posttest tasks than did students in the other group. Within‐group analyses revealed that the special treatment was effective for field‐dependent as well as field‐independent students, while the other treatment was effective for only field‐independent students.