The relationship between field dependence / field independence and English achievement test results. The outcomes of the pilot panel study

Anna Jantarska

Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach

Abstract

The following article presents the results of the pilot panel study, conducted within three successive years (2011, 2012, 2013) on a sample of 25 participants. The researcher has analyzed the nature and strength of the relationship between the cognitive style of field dependence / field independence (an independent variable of the study) and English achievement test results (a dependent variable of the study). The use of a panel study structure has enabled the researcher to evaluate whether and to what extent the relationship between the main variables of the study is modified by age and sex of the subjects. Conclusions were drawn on the basis of the correlational diagrams and statistical analyses. In accordance with the pilot study procedures the findings are partial and initial. However, they may confirm the importance of individualized foreign language teaching.

Keywords:

foreign language acquisition, individual learner differences, cognitive / learning style, field dependence, field independence, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, the use of grammar and lexical structures, correlational study, panel study, pilot study