Relationships among Field Dependent/Independent, Convergent/Divergent Cognitive Styles and Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Rivers State- Nigeria

Abstract

This correlational study particularly investigated the relationships among field dependent/independent and convergent/divergent cognitive styles and students’ academic achievement. A sample of 1048 JSS3 students in secondary schools in Rivers State participated in the study. Three research questions and three hypotheses were designed to guide the study. The instruments for data collection were Group Embedded Figures Test and Convergent/Divergent Test. The Group Embedded Figures Test is a standard instrument used to measure field dependent/independent cognitive style. It has a coefficient of correlation of 0.75 which was established using test-retest method and Pearson product moment correlation technique. Convergent/Divergent Test is also a standard instrument for measuring convergent/divergent cognitive style of the students. Its coefficient of correlation established by test-retest method and Pearson product moment correlation technique is 0.86.The data generated from these instruments were subjected to analysis using SPSS. The results of the study revealed that (1) There was no significant relationship between field dependent/independent cognitive style and students’ academic achievement (r= 0.062; P>0.05). (2) Significant relationship between convergent/divergent cognitive style and students’ academic achievement existed (r=0.886; P<0.05). (3) There was a significant joint influence of field dependent/independent and convergent/divergent cognitive styles on the academic achievement of students (r=0.886; P<0.05). It was therefore recommended that teachers should recognize the cognitive styles of the students which impact on their academic performance with a view to tailoring their instructions in line with the students’ cognitive styles for optimum performance. Keywords: Field dependent/independent, convergent/divergent, cognitive, learning styles, mode of information processing, academic achievement