In this interview, Al Canfield relates his professional experiences; defines "characteristic treatment intervention"; summarizes research about learning styles and their assessment and its implications for instruction; answers criticisms about learning styles research; considers the desirability of changing a student's learning style;…

Assessment approaches are described which avoid the attribution of an ability/achievement discrepancy to a learning deficiency, while emphasizing the interaction between the individual and environment. The Guide to the Child's Learning Skills, learning styles inventory, and contract activity packages are discussed. (CL)

The effectiveness of testing instruments for field dependence-independence in spatial-visual ability in children is questioned, since they may not measure the same dimensions as those for older children and adults. The effects of training on performance of spatial-visual tasks are discussed, with a warning to monitor training programs carefully.…

Second- and sixth-grade impulsive and reflective children were administered a conceptual style task with a modification that children were reinforced specifically for either global or analytic processing. Results indicated that both reflectives and impulsives were capable of offering either a global or an analytic hypothesis under appropriate…

Discusses foreign language pronunciation from phonetic difference and phonetic learning viewpoints. Proposes phonological translation hypothesis based on assumption that neither physiological maturation nor neurological reorganization is as important for adults learning a foreign language without an accent as the tendency of mature speakers to…

Adequacy coefficients can be derived by calculating the cosines of the angles between factors' actual and theoretically expected locations within factor space. The use of adequacy coefficients during instrument development is discussed. The development of an instrument to measure thinking interests provides a heuristic framework for the…

The effect of field independence-dependence match or mismatch within the context of a communication task was examined. Results showed field-independent matched dyads performed better than field-dependent matched dyads, with the mismatched conditions' performance falling between the matched ones. (Author/GK)

Procedures for identifying learning styles are described and possible cultural influences on learning styles are noted. Practical guidelines for instructional placement are suggested. (Author/DB)

Findings from two experiments showed that students can effectively manage their learning needs in a computer-assisted instructional (CAI) system when provided continuous, updated advisement information about their achievement (diagnosis) and instructional needs (prescription) in relation to the objective. (Author/DWH)

The interaction of two aptitude variables, field independence and general reasoning, with treatments that differed in sequence of instruction, was investigated using either an inductive or deductive appraoch to the learning of properties of equivalence relations. Significant interactions were found. (Author/MK)

Encourages teachers and trainers to investigate instructional design alternatives in order to find approaches that fit varied student learning needs and constraints. The Instructional Design Library, a series of 40 guides to different types of designs, is recommended as one avenue for exploring a systematic approach to instruction. (MER)

Ausubel asserts that his work is impugned in various ways in Anderson, Spiro, and Anderson. This paper argues that a more careful reading of the original paper obviates most of Ausubel's concerns. (Author/GK)

The Group Embedded Figures Test was administered to 416 randomly selected college students in science, liberal arts, business, or mathematics classes. No sex differences in performance or improvement were found when differences in curriculum were taken into account. (SJL)

Subjects, all full-time British polytechnic students studying engineering, science and education (91 males, 27 females), took the modified rod-and-frame test. Higher scores, indicating greater field dependence among females than males, were obtained, but correlations were much lower for Series Three than for Series One and Two. (Author/SJL)

The relationship between cognitive restructuring and perception of the upright (tests of which may be used to measure field dependence-independence [FDI]) was investigated. Data analysis of 34 tests administered to high school seniors, including 12 measures of FDI, resulted in five dimensions, including two associated with FDI. (Author/AEF)