Effects of cognitive style and teaching method on categories of achievement.

Abstract

A 2 X 2 factorial design was used to determine the effect of cognitive style and teaching method on three different aspects of subject matter achievement-factual content, conceptual-generalization content, and total content. Data from 80 college subjects indicated that a teacherstructured-presentation method of instruction was significantly superior to an independent-problem-solving method of instruction on all three dependent measures. There was no significant difference between students with an analytic cognitive style and students with a nonanalytic cognitive style on any of the dependent measures nor was there a significant interaction between cognitive style and teaching method.

Effect of two methods of instruction on level of achievement and attitude of high school home economics students

“…The guest teachers taught in somewhat different circumstances from that of other field studies reviewed as the ones reported by Sage (1971) and Coop and Brown (1970). Subjects in these studies were college stu dents possibly majoring in the area in which the research was carried out; therefore, more requirements could be placed on performance as note taking and memorization.…”

“…Coop and Brown (1970) used a test with factual and conceptual generalization items, somewhat similar to the achievement device used for this study, and found significant differences in favor of the teacherstructured method of instruction as opposed to the independent problem solving method. Kersh (1958) and others have carried their experiments a stage further than that of the study reported herein in order to test long-term retention and ability to transfer knowledge to a new situation or problem.…”

“…137 Coop and Brown (1970) attempted to control this by delaying data collec tion for a three-week period of time in which the experimental treatments were being applied. Students were not given any time to adjust to the treatments in the research reported herein.…”

“…The two researchers were responsible for each class for a 10-day period; therefore, this additional material was necessary in some instances. Coop and Brown (1970), whose study was reviewed in Chapter I, pro vided nine days for the teacher-structure-method of instruction and 14 days for the independent problem solving method to adjust for time needed for the two methods.…”

“…Students receiving the lecture method felt too much was required of them. Coop and Brown (1970) suggested, as a result of their study with 170 undergraduate psychology students, that college instructors who want their students to learn factual content or conceptual-generalization content "would do well to use the teacher-structured-presentation method of teaching as opposed to the independent-problem-solving method of instruc tion." This study also showed that the cognitive style of the students did not appear to interact with either of the teaching methods nor pre dispose the students toward learning a particular type of subject matter.…”