CC BY
11DOI: 10.12731/2070-7568-2014-5-11 UDC 159.922
COGNITIVE STYLES OF STUDENTS, STUDYING DOUBLE SPECIALTIES WITH DIFFERENT SUCCESS LEVEL
Zhbankova N.V., Lukyanchenko N.V.
The article analyses the problem of psychological determination of the successful double specialty education in higher institution. The question of peculiarities of cognitive styles affecting mastering of subjects of a certain specialty and two specialties simultaneously is posed. On the basis of the analysis of the history of cognitive style studies two approaches to understanding their nature are distinguished: as constant and not interconnected peculiarities of cognitive activity and as adaptive cognitive strategies formed by an individual to solve different problems. We introduce some research data of cognitive styles of students with different degree of success in mastering a double specialty History and English Philology: successful in learning the foreign language, successful in learning History and weak and successful in subjects of both specialties. A set of methods identifying the following parameters of cognitive styles was used in the study: «fielddependency - fieldinde-pendency», «analyticity - syntheticity», «impulsiveness - ref-lexivity», «intellectual lability» and «leading representative systems». It was brought to light that groups of respondents
possess significant differences in every parameter of the cognitive styles. On the basis of analytical interpretation of the research data the conclusion is drawn that a cognitive style can be both specialized and quite flexible, adaptive, which depends on the range of modalities used for perception and digestion of information (what modalities are used, in what quantity and combination).
Keywords: cognitive style, educational success, double specialty, fielddependency, fieldindependency, analyticity, syn-theticity, impulsiveness, reflexivity, cognitive difficulty, leading representative system, cognitive flexibility.
In modern society with the economy comprising sophisticated composition of both differentiation and integration of professional specialties, there is a great need in experts with diversified competence. This stipulates the introduction of double specialties, into the system of higher education. A special attention from graduates is paid to those variants, that give the opportunity to learn any foreign language. along with a major specialty.
The introduction of double specialties allows higher educational institution to widen its opportunities and to meet students' educational demands. Alongside with that, the practice showed that qualitative mastering of a different manifold disciplines can task for students and, as a result, for higher educational institution. The Historical Faculty of Krasnoyarsk state Teachers' Training University can be taken as an example. Analyzing success training index there have been determined four groups of students:
- more successful in learning English language than History;
- more successful in learning History than English language;
- weak in both specialties (the smallest group);
- successful in both History and English language.
History and foreign language, as educational disciplines, are defined by varied organization of professional oriented materiel. We assumed, that cognitive activity of students from above mentioned groups is defined by varied style features.
The coincidence degree of these features with the character of success of learning. For this reason, analyzing the problem of educational success on double specialties, we referred to psychological researches pertaining to the problem of cognitive styles.
«Cognitive style, - according to the definition of M.A. Kholod-naya, - is individually unique ways of information digestion, that characterize specific mind character of a certain person and distinctive features of his/her intellectual behavior» [15: p. 13]. In spite of the comprehensibility of the definition «cognitive style», its interpretation has undergone a certain evolution.
Initially cognitive style was considered from the point of view of differential-analytical approach and was defined as a steady individually-typological characteristic of a person [17, 18].
Being innate, the features of this characteristic is getting on early stages of ontogeny [19].
Different authors emphasized more than dozen bipolar parameters of cognitive style. Researches drew the most attention to:
- «analyticity-syntheticity»;
- «fieldundependent-fielddependent»;
- «reflexivity-impulsiveness».
The parameters were widely discussed in the context of educational problems [5, 7, 9]. Discussing teaching practice, Betty Lou Leaver adds to already known parameters of cognitive styles one-more «a leading modality of information perception» (visual, audial, kines-thetik). All parameters were considered as related, as independent, as constant.
In later works, devoted to the problem of cognitive styles, the display of personal-oriented approach intensified. Cognitive features were considered as an integral part of a personality, taken as a complex formation, in which natural and social qualities, organism and personality closely interact and performed as a unified whole [2, 6, 10].
«Having analyzed research results of cognitive styles M.A. Kho-lodnaya came to the conclusion, that a person is not specialized in cognitive style, ,as it was initially declared. In turned out that under different circumstances people could use polar style characteristics. Hence, style poles are not mutually excepting.
One of the founders of neurolinguistic programming R. Bendler offered to view cognitive styles as international strategies. A strategy in this case is a set of fools (ways) and rules of their usage, forming a certain unconscious succession of information processing. All strategies consist of similar structural elements, but differently combined. In this case, an individual cognitive style can be a free combination of separate elements of gnostic strategies [3].
Thus different researches outline two positions in the nature of cognitive styles.
According to the first position, a style is a permanent characteristic of gnostic sphere. Style performances are univocal and their opposite characteristics exclude each other. The second position assumes the possibility of variability of style parameters through a certain level of cognitive flexibility.
Success characteristics in teaching students of performed above groups proves relevancy of both points of view. It is possible that cognitive style is the demonstration of a certain specialization for students who make progress in one specialties. And those who are successful in studying two specialties, the cognitive style is defined by the potential of adaptive variability, the flexibility of cognitive activity.
Alongside with that there appear the following questions: which characteristics of cognitive styles do contribute to successful mastering of disciplines within certain specialties? How do «flexible» styles differ from «specialized»?
The question regarding peculiarities of information digestion by «totally lagging behind» students is also important.
To answer these questions there has been conducted a survey, in which there took part 127 students studying at the faculty of «History - English Philology».
The following characteristics were brought out and analyzed:
- leading representative systems (modalities) (test: »I can see, hear, feel....») [4, 15];
- «analyticity-syntheticity» (test «Progressive Raven's matrices, such criteria as time of task execution and number of mistakes
were used, as well as «Questionnaire for Diagnostics of Cognitive Styles [1]»);
- «impulsiveness-reflexivity» (test selection oftwin figure [13]);
- «fielddependent-fieldundependent» (test «Figures in Hots-chalds covering configuration» [11]);
- «ability to change cognitive strategy (test «Intellectual lia-bility» [11]);
- «productiveness of academic-educational activity (was defined by expert assessment of success on major disciplines of double specialty),
Data got from empirical survey, were exposed to the procedure of credible differences identification. The results have been used to characterize students' cognitive sphere from four groups.
Students of the first group: Students successful in learning foreign language.
Students of this group often use audio and visual modality. Probably, these modalities, as they say, «work in a bunch»: verbally framed audio information is simultaneously represented for them in the shape of visual images. Pronounced fielddependency characterizes students of this group which lies in the ability to isolate and hold focus on isolated information units. In solving some difficult issues logic, not feelings dominate.
In the style characteristic dichotomy of «analyticity - synthetic-ity» inclination to the analytical pole is registered.
In their mental activity these students are more reflective rather than impulsive, i.e. they consistently and thoroughly conduct inner data processing before giving an answer or acting.
The intellectual lability index of the representatives of this group is lower than that of the fourth group.
Students of the second group: Students successful in learning history.
Representatives of this group rely more on visual and kinesthetic modality in the process of learning. Their perception of information is fielddependent, i.e. leaning towards identification of the general structure, not isolated information units. They easily involve feelings and intuition in the thinking process. Their thinking activity is mostly «synthetic». Their intellectual activity is characterized by impulsiveness. Students of this group think and act simultaneously or adapt to the pace outside. Their thinking speed is high but the risk of errors is high too. The index of ability to change the learning strategy depending on the situation is not very high.
Students of third group: Students with low success rate at two specialties.
These respondents possess audio and kinesthetic modalities as dominant. Their information perception is fieldindependent. Their thinking style is analytical. Synthesizing processes in learning are impeded. Information processing strategy gravitates toward reflective. However, at the same time, despite their slow pace of thinking activity, a lot of errors occur, which they do not notice or correct. The intellectual lability index is the lowest among the groups.
Students of fourth group: Students successful in both specialties.
Respondents of this group use information «packed» in different modalities: visual, audio and kinesthetic. They also can change the grasp of information field, moving freely from specification to
the whole picture. They can use both formal logic and feelings while evaluating information. Their thinking is analytical-synthetical. The speed of thinking activity is high. They deal with tasks against time quicker than other groups in making decisions under the conditions of uncertainty and make the least mistakes. Their index of ability to change learning strategies is very high.
On the basis of analysis on specific features of students' cognitive styles while learning both specialties there can be drawn the conclusion that these features are not independent. And as a leading style parameters there can be distinguished the modality of perception.
Abovementioned groups differ from each other on usage of modality: which modality is used, in what range and in what combination.
The basis for such a conclusion is the participation of each modality in information digestion.
Visual modality allows to «draw» information field in front of inner sight to look as if from outside giving the opportunity to abstract information from sensual relation.
Audial modality is characterized by the discreteness of the presented information which allows to select separate informational units and to concentrate on them following lineal transition logic from one part to another.
Kinesthetic modality is connected with sensual personal estimate on the level of inner states.
All the information, with that, is «caught» as a whole. Each modality brings in its specific contribution in the process of gnosis. Taking into account this specific nature, one can understand the revealed features of students' cognitive styles. Thus, students being successful at
learning foreign languages, use two modalities: audial and visual. This complex gives the opportunity to work with the information «from outside», focusing on its separate parts and following lineal logic.
Non-involvement of kinesthetic modality confines the opportunities of immediate comprehension, intuitive gasp of wholeness.
Students, being successful at History, use the combination of visual and kinesthetic modalities. This gives the opportunity to see information field as if from outside. But this combines with sensual estimate, which adds wholeness and commonness. This allows or form generalized pictures of a process or a phenomenon (e.g. an image of a historical epoch as a whole).
Weak students use audial and kinesthetic modalities. Their cognitive processes are focused on private aspects, which get sensual estimate. Non-involvement of a visual modality deprives of the opportunity to abstract information, to see it as a reality, which is objective and differentiated from sensual «presence». Cognitive efforts of such students «stick» on isolated private aspects if information assembly. This determines low velocity of cognitive process.
Students, successful in learning manifold disciplines, use a whole range of modalities. As a result their cognitive activity includes many aspects of functionality: ability to unite information field and to review it; ability to distinguish partial aspects and to differentiate them; ability for immediate sensual perception and estimation of information multiplicity.
Thus, the analysis of research results shows that cognitive style can be specialized as well as flexible, variative, which depends on modality repertoire, used to percept and transform information.
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DATA ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Zhbankova Natalia Vazikhovna, associate professor of Department of Foreign Languages of Siberian Federal University, Candidate of psychology sciences
Siberian Federal University
82, Svobodny Prospect, Krasnoyarsk, 660046, Russia e-mail: shbannat2000@mail.ru
Lukyanchenko Natalya Vladimirovna, doctoral of Siberian State Technological University, Candidate of psychology sciences
Siberian State Technological University 82, Mira Street, Krasnoyarsk, 660049, Russia e-mail: Luk.nv@mail.ru
