Chicano Children's Cognitive Styles: A Review of the Literature and Effects of a Pretest Intervention.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Chicano Children's Cognitive Styles: A Review of the Literature and Effects of a Pretest Intervention.
Language: English
Authors: Navarro, M. Susana
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 1978
Document Type: Reports - Research
Information Analyses
Descriptors: Advance Organizers, Anglo Americans, Cognitive Style, Comparative Analysis, Females, Grade 4, Intermediate Grades, Literature Reviews, Mexican Americans, Test Wiseness
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Human Figure Drawing Test, Block Design Test, Childrens Embedded Figures Test, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Abstract: This study was designed to examine Chicano and Anglo children's performance on several measures of field dependence/independence (FDI), including the Portable Rod and Frame Test (PRFT), the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), the Human Figure Drawing Task (HFDT), and the Block Design Test. Also examined was the relationship between FDI performance and performance on the verbal and analytical subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R). The effect of a test warm-up, or tuning procedure on FDI measures was assessed. Main findings of the study were: (1) no ethnicity by tuning interactions occurred, indicating that treatment effects did not differ between Chicanos and Anglos; (2) tuned Anglos scored higher than tuned Chicanos on Block Design and CEFT but the groups did not differ on PRFT or HFDT; (3) control Chicanos and Anglos did not differ on CEFT, PRFT or HFDT but did differ on Block Design; (4) Aptitude/tuning interactions emerged; and (5) Correlations between PRFT, CEFT, and HFDT averaged around .25 among controls and around .40 among tuned subjects--correlations with Block Design averaged .45. Research results identifying Chicanos as field dependent were not supported by this study. Tuning data suggest pretest procedures for adequate measurement of Chicano children's abilities. (Author/GK)
Entry Date: 1982
Accession Number: ED217075
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This study was designed to examine Chicano and Anglo children's performance on several measures of field dependence/independence (FDI), including the Portable Rod and Frame Test (PRFT), the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), the Human Figure Drawing Task (HFDT), and the Block Design Test. Also examined was the relationship between FDI performance and performance on the verbal and analytical subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R). The effect of a test warm-up, or tuning procedure on FDI measures was assessed. Main findings of the study were: (1) no ethnicity by tuning interactions occurred, indicating that treatment effects did not differ between Chicanos and Anglos; (2) tuned Anglos scored higher than tuned Chicanos on Block Design and CEFT but the groups did not differ on PRFT or HFDT; (3) control Chicanos and Anglos did not differ on CEFT, PRFT or HFDT but did differ on Block Design; (4) Aptitude/tuning interactions emerged; and (5) Correlations between PRFT, CEFT, and HFDT averaged around .25 among controls and around .40 among tuned subjects--correlations with Block Design averaged .45. Research results identifying Chicanos as field dependent were not supported by this study. Tuning data suggest pretest procedures for adequate measurement of Chicano children's abilities. (Author/GK)