Comparative Analysis of Field-Dependence and Field-Independence as Determinants of Students Achievement in Geometry

Abstract

The study was aimed at comparing field-dependence and field-independence as determinants of students’ achievement in geometry which constitutes a large percentage of the mathematics curriculum for secondary school students in Nigeria. A total of 200 SSII students from two schools in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria, were used for the study. A pre-test comprising 50 multiple choice questions, the group Embedded Figure Test (GEFT) comprising 10 items, and a post-test comprising 50 multiple choice questions were all employed for data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The result obtained showed that field-dependence and field-independence were determinants of students’ achievement in geometry, however, indicating that significant differences in achievement between field-dependent and field-independent students was determined by the method of treatment used in the study. The results also showed that whereas maximum guidance was very effective for both subsets of students, minimum guidance tended to favour the field-independent students, putting the field-dependent students at a disadvantage. Based on the findings, it was recommended that educators, curriculum planners, teachers and students should all translate the results of this study into viable educational programmes that will enable mathematics students to achieve maximum success in examinations. Keywords: Cognitive style, field-dependence, field-independence, maximum guidance, minimum guidance. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-17-08 Publication date: June 30 th 2022