The Navy is interested in finding low-cost, low intervention, methods of improving the reading skills of sailors. Enlisted sailors from the USS LEXINGTON participated in a series of thirty-six captioned TV sessions between February 11 and April 19, 1991. The captioned TV sessions consisted of viewing and reading the audio portion of a regularly televised TV program. The session procedure consisted of turning on the television program and, after a few seconds, turning down the volume so it was inaudible. This procedure encouraged subjects to read the visual presentation of the normally audible soundtrack. All subjects were volunteers.

One hundred and forty-three subjects were identified as Field Independent or Field Dependent based on their performance on the Group Embedded Figures Test, a measure of cognitive style. Results indicated that Field Independent students performed significantly better on course tests and had higher academic potential as measured by the ACT, than Field Dependent students. A regression analysis was conducted to determine which measures would contribute variance to a course test (number correct) criterion. Although both the GEFT and the ACT were significantly related to course test performance, only the ACT contributed significant variance to the regression, F(1,141) = 12.99, r=.29, p <.01. A Principal Components Factor Analysis applied to the GEFT, ACT, and course test data identified two factors. The course tests were associated with factor 1 while the GEFT and ACT were more closely associated with factor 2. The regression and factor analysis results suggest that the ACT and GEFT tests are measuring similar or related constructs for this sample of subjects.

Experimental subjects were assigned to study in groups based on their cognitive style as measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). Whyte, Knirk, Casey and Willard found that when computer-based instruction is used, enhanced academic performance resulted from cooperative learning groups consisting of field independent and mixed (field independent, field dependent) students [ 11. However, they found that lower academic performance results from learning groups consisting only of field dependent learners. In another study Dwyer and Moore reported that field independent students performed more efficiently on a series of visually and verbally oriented tests than did field department subjects [2]. Experimental subjects scoring above average on the G E m were designated field independent. Subjects scoring below the GEFT mean were identified as field dependent. Subjects were assigned to one of three groups (field independent, field dependent, and mixed, i.e., both field independent and field dependent). A group of controls received the identical instruction as that of the experimental students but did not participate in any cooperative tutoring. Instead, control group subjects were directed to study independently. Experimental and control student performance was compared on a series of multiple choice exams. Results indicated enhanced performance for the peer tutoring subjects. There was no evidence of improved performance resulting from group assignment based on cognitive style.