Field Independence

Casanova, Troy John C.

 Field Independence

• It is the ability to perceive a particular, relevant item or

factor in a field of distracting items.
• This style enables you to distinguish parts from a whole.
 Field Dependence

• Is conversely, tendency to be dependent on

the total field so that the parts is perceive
more clearly as a unified whole.
• Too much Field Independence has negative effect
- They may have Cognitive Tunnel Vision

• Field Dependence has a positive effect.

- We perceive the whole picture
 The literature on FI/D
• FI increases as a child matures
• FI/D is relatively stable trait on adulthood
• Male tend to be more FI
 How does all this relate to second language
learning ?
• First we could conclude that FI is closely related to classroom learning that
involves analysis, attention to details and mastering exercises, drill and other
focused activities.

• The second hypothesis proposes that the primarily FD person will, by virtue
of their empathy, social outreach and perception of other people, be
successful in learning the communicative aspects of a second language.
 Chapelle and Roberts (1986)

• Found support for the correlation of FI style with

language success as measured both by traditional,
analytic, paper-and-pencil tests and by an oral
interview
 Abraham(1985)

• Second language learners who were FI performed

better in deductive lesson design, while those with
FD styles were more successful with inductive
lesson design
Carrol Chapelle(Chapelle and Green 1992)

• More balance and optimistic viewpoint on the

relevance of FI to communicative language ability
Left and Right Brain
Functioning
 “Hemisphere Operate Together as a Team”

• Corpus Collosum - message are sent back and

forth so that both hemispheres are involve in the
most neurological activity of the brain.
• Left/Right Brain construct helps to define another
useful learning style continuum with implication
for second language learning and teaching.
 Danesi(1988) Neurological Bimodality

• Teaching methods have failed: by appealing

too strongly to left-brain-processes
 Krashen, Seliger and Hartnett(1944)

• They support the hypothesis that left-brain-

dominant second language learner and preferred a
deductive style of teaching.
• They also said that right-brain-dominant learners
appeared to become more successful in an
inductive classroom environment
 Stevick (1982)
• He conclude that left-brain-dominant second language learner are
better for producing separate words, gatherings the specific of
language, carrying out sequences of operations and dealing with
abstractions, classifications, labeling, and re organization.
• Right-brain-dominant learners appear to deal better with whole
images, with generalization and metaphor and with emotional
reaction and artistic expression .
Left-Brain Dominance Right-Brain Dominance

• Intellectual • Intuitive
• Remembers names • Remember Faces
• Response to verbal instructions and explanations • Respond to demonstrated, illustrated, or
• Experiment systematically and with control symbolic instructions
• Makes objective judgment • Make subjective judgment
• Planned and structured • Fluid and spontaneous
• Prefers established, certain information • Prepare elusive, uncertain information
• Analytic reader • Synthesizing reader
• Reliance on language in thinking and • Reliance on image in thinking and remembering
remembering • Prefers drawing and manipulating objects
• Prefers talking and writing • Prefer open-minded questions
• Prefer multiple choice test • More free with feelings
• Control feelings • Good at interpreting body language
• Not good at interpreting body language • Frequently uses metaphor
• Rarely uses metaphor • Favors intuitive problem solvings
• Favor logical problem solving
Thank you for Listening