EFFECTS OF CONTEXT MULTIPLICITY AND COGNITIVE STYLE ON TRANSFER AND DECONTEXTUALIZATION AMONG ANCHORED INSTRUCTION

Dr. Ozden Demirkan
Gazi University

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of context multiplicity and cognitive style on transfer and decontextualization among anchored learning groups. In this study, the effects of context multiplicity are compared in terms of transfer and decontextualization within the limits of 3x2 factorial design; by doing so, whether the results of this comporison change according to cognitive style is tested. This research has been carried out on 78 participants consisting of students who study at Gazi University, Faculty of Vocational Education, Department of Clothing Industry and Fashion Design Education, and who have attended the course of “Instructional Technologies and Materials Design” in the first semester programme of the third grade. Cognitive styles of the attendants have been taken into consideration when choosing them and three experimental groups, each consisting of 26 participants, have been made up. According to the results, it has been determined that in anchored instruction, context multplicity has a meaningful effects on the variables of transfer and decontextualization. On the other hand, cognitive style has been determined to have no effect on transfer and decontextualization in anchored instruction. It also shows that the points have no effect on the reciprocal interaction between context multiplicity and cognitive style and the variables of transfer and decontextualization. This finding shows that the points obtained from the variables of transfer and decontextualization do not change depending on the condition of having field-dependent or field-independent cognitive style in anchored instruction. There is no common interaction and this situation exactly puts forward the effects of context multiplicity. The effect of contexts multiplicity on transfer and decontextualization is independent from cognitive style. Limited to the application of anchored instruction; cognitive style has no effect on the effect of context multiplicity on transfer and decontextualization. When context multiplicity is provided, transfer and decontextualization improve no matter what the participants’ cognitive styles are whether field-dependent or field-independent.

Keywords

Anchored instruction, context multiplicity cognitive style, transfer, decontextualization.