The Influence Of Field-independence/Field-dependence On Listening And Reading

The intention of this study is to explore the influence of field-independence (FI) /field-dependence (FD) on second language learning, especially listening and reading. The concept of FI/FD was firstly presented by Herman Witkin (Skehan, 1998). And FI and FD are the major focus in the research of cognitive or learning styles. According to Witkin (1977), when presented a dominated field, the more independent individuals tend to distinguish figures as discrete from their backgrounds and restructure perceived information into a different framework compared to FD individuals who have a tendency to experience events in an undifferentiated way. That is to say, FI individuals are not easily influenced by the external environment or the opinions of others and show greater interest and ability in the abstract and impersonalizing aspect of all types of behaviors and the external environment. On the contrary, FD individuals are easily influenced by the external environment and the opinions of the others people and have the comparative advantages in the personalizing and socializing aspects. They tend to consider the external environment as a whole.Among cognitive styles, the distinction between FI and FD has attracted much attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). More and more researches concerning FI/D cognitive styles lay emphasis on the relationship between FI/D and EFL/ESL success.Based on literature studies and observation, the author of this dissertation supposes that 1) language learners with different cognitive styles behave differently in classroom; 2) language learners with different cognitive styles should be influenced by different cognitive styles mostly in listening and reading. In order to improve second language learners' ability, teaching methods, techniques and classroom activities should be coordinated according to the cognitive styles of the learners in the class; on the other hand, the cognitive styles should be trained and transformed to help language learners study more easily and more successfully.This dissertation consists of five chapters.Chapter One is the introduction, including the rationale for the research, significance of the research and outline of the thesis.Chapter Two presents a fruitful review of the literature of the research concerned with the current study, which focuses on the concept, characteristics of field-independence and field-dependence as well as the measurements and factors affecting field-independence and field-dependence.Chapter Three focuses on the influence of learning style on second language learning. This chapter mostly discusses not only the relationship between field-independence/dependence and second language acquisition but also on the relationship between field-independence/dependence and learning strategies. It also puts emphasis on the influence of field-independence/dependence on listening and reading.Chapter Four contains an empirical study with the help of Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and classroom observation. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 13.0 is used to analyze the data got from the tests to find the correlations and descriptive statistics of the listening and reading scores the subjects got in CET-4 and the score they got in GEFT to testify the hypotheses.Chapter Five draws a conclusion, presenting a summary of the major consequence of the study, the implication of the research for teaching style and learning style, and the proposal for further study.