Field Dependence-Independence and Language Testing: Evidence from Six Pacific Island Cultures

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between field sensitivity and cloze test performance for 286 subjects between the ages of 15 and 19 in six Pacific island cultures. Hawaiian students were found to be significantly more field independent than Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Indian-Fijian, and Tahitian students. In the South Pacific samples, males were significantly more field independent than females, whereas in Hawaii there was no statistically significant relationship between sex and cognitive style. When the sample was taken as a whole, a significant relationship was found between field dependence/independence and cloze scores. Sizable group differences for subgroups within the sample, however, indicate that the relationship may not be significant for all cultures. Within cultures, the subgroups having lower scholastic achievement showed a significant relationship between cognitive style and cloze test score, while the high achievers did not.