A Literature Review on Field Independence/Dependence in Second Language Acquisition

Cognitive styles are consistent individual differences in the preferred ways of organizing and processing information. One dimension of cognitive style, which has attracted the most attention in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), is that of ‘field independence’ and ‘field dependence’. Two methods of measuring field independence-dependence (FI/D) are Rod and Frame Test (RFT) and Embedded Figures Test (EFT). A number of studies have been conducted to clarify the relationship between FI/D and language test performance. However, interpretations of empirical research on the role of FI/D vary. This paper is a literature review that attempts to evaluate the significance of FI/D in SLA appropriately.