Effects of Teacher-Student Cognitive Style on Patterns of Dyadic Classroom Interaction
This study investigated the effects of cognitive style matching on interaction patterns in 48 teacher-student dyads. A test of cognitive style—field dependence-independence—was administered to 47 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers and 357 students. From these, 48 teacher-student dyads were formed so that teachers and students were matched or mismatched on cognitive style and sex, in conformity with a 2 X 2 X 2 X 2 factorial design. Each dyad was observed for two hours, from which 31 process measures were derived. Cognitive similarity or dissimilarity in and of itself did not appear to be closely associated with the interaction patterns. Rather, dyadic interaction seemed to be affected by a combination of factors including cognitive style and sex of both teachers and students, as well as certain contextual factors, the most important of which being whole class vs. individual instruction.