Field Dependence and Independence and the Effect of Level of Guidance on Learning Performance for Associate Degree Nursing Students

Abstract

Because of the continued need for nurses skilled at calculating drug dosages and the assumed responsibility of nurse educators for student competency, this study was conducted to determine the effects of minimum and maximum guided drug calculation instruction in relation to the student's cognitive style: field dependent (FD) or field independent (FI). The cognitive styles of 24 female nursing students, who were enrolled in the first year of an associate degree nursing program at a Midwestern community college, were tested using the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). Students participated in pretest and posttest sessions to evaluate pharmacology calculation skills as well as in five intervention sessions. First, the pretest scores did not vary between the FD and FI groups. Second, the achievement scores between the matched groups, FD students with maximum guidance and FI students with minimum guidance were not significantly higher than the nonmatched groups, the FD students with minimum guidance and FI students with maximum guidance Third, the nonmatched groups were significantly more satisfied with the teaching method than were the matched groups (p<.05)