Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Field sensitivity of Native American students at Oregon State University, as determined by the group embedded figures test

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  • Historically, Native American students have not achieved academic success; ethnic and racial stereotypes are common explanations for the problem. Many perceive the Native American student to be lacking either academic preparation or socio-cultural support for success. A review of the literature showed emerging research which indicates that significant differences can be shown between the learning styles of Native American students and their non-Native counterparts. It has been claimed that these differences may account for some of the differences in academic achievement. The purpose of this study was an attempt to document more thoroughly the differences between the learning styles of Native American and non-Native university students, employing the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). The GEFT measures degree of field sensitivity, a measure of the degree to which an individual is affected by the surrounding environment or situation within which learning is to take place. It has been postulated that Native American children tend to be reared in a culture which promotes field dependent learning styles. Conversely, children reared in families promoting strong individual identity tend to be more field independent. The results of administering the GEFT to a group of Native American university students and to a comparison group of non-Native students supported the theory. A numerical difference of 2.1, on a scale of 1 to 18, was found between the mean scores of the two study groups with the Native American students scoring in the more field dependent domain. The mean score for the Native American student study group was 9.7, while that for the comparison group was 11.8. In addition to ethnic differences, the data from this study showed differences from previously established norms both by age and gender. Based on the results of this study, educators may be urged to consider the style in which a student learns before categorizing him or her as academically deficient. Further study of learning styles of Native American students and concommitantly of teaching styles which are best suited to Native American students is recommended.
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file details PeltoJoanMcAlmond1991.pdf 2017-08-15 Pubblico Scaricare