The Relationship of Field Dependent‐independent Cognitive Styles to Foreign Language Achievement

Psychological literature on field independence indicates that a field‐independent person possesses enhanced cognitive restructuring abilities, while a field‐dependent individual is likely to possess well‐developed interpersonal skills It was hypothesized that field independence would be related to the acquisition of linguistic competence, and that field dependence would be related to the acquisition of communicative competence. Approximately 300 students enrolled in a first semester college Spanish class were administered the Group Embedded Figures Test of field dependence‐independence. Those scores were then correlated with scores on tests of linguistic, communicative, and integrative competence Student sex and scholastic aptitude were included in the design as moderator variables. The results indicate that field independence plays a role in second language learning. This role was particularly noticeable in the acquisition of linguistic competence and integrative competence It was only barely noticeable in the acquisition of communicative competence. Some classroom implications are discussed.