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A case study of cognitive style in a collaboratively structured management class
Abstract
The use of collaborative methods in the college classroom is increasing in popularity due to an interest in more active forms of learning, increased recognition of the value of the experience of adult students, and the demand by organizations for workers who can work productively in a group. The purpose of this case study was to look at collaborative learning from the perspective of one aspect of student differences--cognitive style as defined by Witkin's field-independence and field-dependence. This research involved the analysis of data obtained from interviews, classroom observations, student evaluations, and questionnaires from 28 management students from Quinsigamond Community College. Analysis of the data, through qualitative and quantitative methods, revealed that in this study cognitive style did not make a difference in student perceptions of the effectiveness of the instructor or of a group based learning methodology. Field-independent students described their behavior more in terms of task roles, while field-dependent students reported themselves more in terms of maintenance roles. While field-dependent students in this study seemed to place a value on the sharing of tangible resources and the social aspects of the collaborative experience, the field-independent students were more apt to lead the discussion by asking questions that stimulated the collaborative conversations. There was no statistical difference between five prior years of non-collaborative student evaluations of this teacher and those of the collaborative class, nor did cognitive style seem to make a difference in the way that the students evaluated the instructor. The data on cognitive style and the students' satisfaction with the method of reaching consensus were inconclusive due to a lack of agreement on the construct of consensus within collaborative learning and limitations in the methodology. Field-dependent, field-independent and mixed cognitive style students all rated the field-dependent students as the most helpful to their own learning. Replication on a larger scale or with an emphasis on other aspects of individual student differences such as race, gender, age, grade point average etc., was recommended.
Subject Area
Business education|Higher education|Management|Community college education
Recommended Citation
Harvey, Carol P, "A case study of cognitive style in a collaboratively structured management class" (1991). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9132861.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9132861