Describes a study that examined five influences on college students' schemata to determine what affected their ability to make effective use of instructional thematic maps. Topics include use of the Group Embedded Figures Test to determine field dependence/independence; sex differences; student preferences for data representation types; and…

In library instruction, as in any instructional setting, individual learning styles should be addressed to ensure better learning and retention. Historical examination of learning styles research suggests that in order to appreciate the diversity of students' learning styles and to apply this understanding in a library or information environment,…

Pairs of undergraduate students were instructed to engage in metacognitive activities, elaborative activities, or neither while listening to prose passages. Results of a recall test suggested that metacognitive activity facilitated cooperative learning, while elaborative activity transferred to a later individual learning activity. (Author/GDC)

Free recall and cued recognition performance were studied in 53 field independent and 55 field dependent undergraduate education majors who were with or without structure at the time of learning and at the time of recall. Results indicated that field dependent learners recalled more of the textual material when provided with structure during both…

Cognitive style is an important variable that can affect the educational process in several ways. This study, a continuation of previous research, considers two learning styles--field dependent (FD) and field independent (FI). FD learners are attuned to social interaction; they favor structure, teacher direction, and feedback; and they benefit…