MATCHING OF STUDENT - TEACHER COGNITIVE STYLE AS A FACTOR IN STUDENT SUCCESS IN AN INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS COURSE Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 20,1993 134 MATCHING OF STUDENT - TEACHER COGNITIVE STYLE AS A FACTOR IN STUDENT SUCCESS IN AN INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS COURSE Richard G. Platt, University of West Florida ABSTRACT Computer education has become a mandatory component within virtually every higher education discipline. Failure to complete computer courses successfully causes some students to react negatively towards information technology, as well as repeating the course. This study investigates factors involved in successfully completing an Introduction to Information Systems (Intro to IS) course by comparing performance when the cognitive style of the student matches the cognitive style of the instructor. INTRODUCTION During the last decade, microprocessor usage spread into all areas of the workplace. To satisfy the needs of today’s business school graduates, many schools of business added the requirement for a course on basic computer concepts. This study took place at a major university (The University) in the southwest United States where the College of Business requires all undergraduate students to complete the Intro to IS course. Many students at The University find Intro to IS a difficult course and frequently require more than one attempt to complete the course successfully. Other students do not display this same level of difficulty. Further, prior academic performance alone does not completely explain poor performance in the Intro to IS course. RESEARCH DESIGN Sample Population The sample population for the experiment comes directly from the target population for the study. They are students in the College of Business at The University and were attending the Intro to IS course during the period of the experiment. The sample consisted of volunteers from the sections of Intro to IS taught by the participating instructors. Each student participating in the experiment received replacement credit for two quiz scores as a motivation factor. However, this incentive does place a limitation on the validity of the experiment. Hypotheses This experiment investigated the relationship between the cognitive style of a student, the student’s success n a course, and the cognitive style of the students instructor. There are two proposed hypotheses: H01: Student performance in Intro to IS will be the same regardless of cognitive style. H02: The performance in Intro to IS will be the same regardless of instructor cognitive style. Research Variables The experiment divided the independent variables (IV) into two sets. The first set of IVs contains demographic variables. The second set of IVs includes measures of individual differences, specifically cognitive style. Subjects took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) to provide the measures of individual differences. The MBTI measures the basic differences in psychological type according to Jung’s theory of type. It contains four separate scales for measuring each of the four basic Jungian preferences. The GEFT measures the level of perception. This test is a measure of field dependence-independence, which relates to a wide array of perceptual situations that share the requirement of perceptual disembedding. The dependent variable (DV) in this study is performance in Intro to IS, The surrogate for this variable is a test score, The averaged score on two departmentally prepared and administered examinations provide the measure for the DV surrogate. RESULTS Analysis One hundred sixty seven students completed the test instruments. The study utilized SAS to do statistical calculations. For each observation, the SAS procedure created four classification variables representing the matching of student and instructor on one of the cognitive style variables. The statistical calculations consisted of running four regression models with the data, grouping the data according to one of the four classification variables. The analysis used backwards, stepwise regression with the test average as the DV. The IVs were the demographic responses, the student MBTI and GEFT scores, the instructor MBTI and GEFT scores, and the four classification dummy variables. Discussion Four instructors teaching Intro to IS participated in the experiment. For these four instructors, there was at least one with each of the eight MBTI scale values. There were 149 students included in the study calculations. There are several interesting observations from the regression statistics. First, there is evidence that the cognitive style variables play a role in student performance. This supports the first research hypothesis. In each of the regressions, the significant variables represent a different set of variables. Further, each of the cognitive style variables is highly significant beyond a p-value of 0,05. Second, the student GEFT score appears in each of the regressions for unmatched student and instructor scales, except unmatched JP. The GEFT measures the individuals ability to pick out embedded information, frequently represented as a component of computer knowledge. Therefore, the GEFT may represent the student’s ability to disembed the steps to solve a problem from the problem itself, Third, there is an instructor effect on cognitive style. Two results support this conclusion. Different variables are significant for matched and unmatched groups of students, and the instructor cognitive style variables and the classification dummy variables appear in several of the regression equations. These facts support the second research hypothesis. There are several limitations to this study. First, the sample used in the study is a convenience sample. There is no validity that this sample accurately represents the parent population. A second limitation deals with the number of instructors. The study included four of six possible instructors. However, this leaves some of the cognitive style variables represented by only one individual. More instructors need to be included in the experiment. Table of Contents Volume 20, 1993 Dominant Personality Types and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Shelf Wars: A Grocery Channel Simulation Shared Cultural Perspectives: An Experiential Exercise Utilizing International Students to Globalize the Classroom An Instrument for Investigating the Effectiveness of Teaching Methods in the Business Policy and Strategy Formulation Course Providing Better Trained Graduates for Accounting Employers The Ambition Gradient Approach to Evaluation of Computer Simulation Game Team Performance Alphatec: A Negotiation Exercise with Logrolling and Bridging Potential Using the Ideafisher Idea Generation System as a Decision Support System in Marketing Strategy Courses A Dynamic Market Share Allocation Model For Computerized Business Simulations Multi-Cultural Adaptability Using Experiential Learning in a Graduate Course Development of Experiential Applications in HRM: Practicing What Preach and Preaching for Practice Linking Students and Business Leaders Through Portfolios Debriefing International Experiential Learning Exercises: Road Signs for Effectiveness Sales Manager: A Simulation Modeling Interactive Effects in Mathematical Functions for Business Simulations: A Critique of Goosen's Interpolation Reducing the Complexity of Interactive Variable Modeling in Business Simulations Through Interpolation Antecedent Biases of Experiential Learners: Trainee Occupation and Subgroup Diversity Pax in Terra Sancta: Simulating the Middle East Peace Negotiations A Multiple Regression Case In Experiential Learning Changes in Ethnocentric/Geocentric Orientation by Business Students after Exposure to a One Summer Course in International Marketing's A Systematic Approach to the Development and Evaluation of Experiential Exercises Entrepreneurs Evaluate Experiential Education A Linear Programming Approach to Open System Total Enterprise Simulations Reflecting Leader Behavior from the Looking Glass, Inc. Simulation Linking Cognitive Styles, Teaching Methods, Educational Objectives and Assessment: A Decision Tree Approach Restructuring Management Education in Post-Communist Countries: How Western Experts Can Help Managerial and Cultural Pre-Conditions for Superior Performance in a Global Setting: An Experimental Study with the Aid of Business Games Multiple Industries in Computerized Business Gaming Simulations Content or Process? - Content and Process! Some Observations and Reflections About Management Education in Central Europe Out-of-Class Experiences to Promote Volunteerism Enacting the Linguistic Consciousness of the Modern Managerial Mind: Post-Modernism and Experiential Learning Intergrating Experiential Exercises into the College Curriculum: The Case of Internationalizing the Business Curriculum Simulation Marketing Oversights Incorporating Advertising Creative Strategy into Computer-Based Business Simulations The Dynamics of a Partnership Between Business and Education Collaborative Education Done Globally Experiential Systems Analysis CADPLAN: A Simulation for Comparative Advertising A Doctoral Symposium: Preparing Students for Conference Behavior Comparing the Simulation with the Case Approach: Again! Total Quality Management: A Model for Continuous Quality Improvement The Quality Audit: An Experiential Exercise for Business Students Extending the Reach of Simulations: DECIDE Heads for the Inner City Lessons Learned from a Customized Management Development Simulation The Foreign Exchange Spot Trading Simulation Using Lotus 1-2-3 to complete a Triple Play in a Simulated Competition International Business Education: Is Enough Being Done? Matching of Student-Teacher Cognitive Style as a Factor in Student Success in an Introduction to Information Systems Course Breathing (More) Life into the Case Approach Lord of the Flies: A Live Case Approach to Leadership Cooperative Case Studies: Experiential Tools for Teaching Business Problem Solving Tools Strategy Simulations in Context: An Evaluation of Key Dimensions The Distribution Channel Game Evaluation of a Simulation Game as an Education Tool for Utility Professionals The Relationship Between Total Enterprise Simulation Performance and Learning Total Quality Management does not Happen by Magic, but it can be Taught Using a Pedagogical Methodology that Utilizes Magic Effectively Preparing Students for Careers in a Global Environment by Integrating Total Quality Management Thoughout the Business Curriculum An Empirical Investigation of Cognitive and Performance Consistency in a Marketing Simulation Game Environment Using MARSGAP with LAPTOP: (A Marketing Simulation Game Analysis Program) with LAPTOP: A Marketing Simulation Adapting TQM Implementation to Organizational Level An MBA Business Simulation: Executive Interaction Experiential Exercises and Pedagogy Track Workshop: Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom (and the Hotel Meeting Room) Closing the Gap between Corporate and National Culture The Dynamic Manufacturing Company The Use of Experiential Techniques in Corporate Training The State of Simulation Gaming in Easter European Countries- Principally Russia An Experiential Exercise in Cross-Cultural Training Valuing Differences: A Conceptual Framework Demonstration of an Experiential Exercise Effectively Using Experiential Learning to Impart TQM Concepts in a High Technology Environment The Older Worker Questionnaire: An Exercise Concerning Older Worker Stereotypes and Behaviors The Crime Fighting Task Force: An Exercise in Organizational Politics Welcome to the Party! An Expression of Vocational Preference Experiential Exercise for Imparting Cross-Cultural Appreciation Six Swift Simulations on Globalization Overview of BASF Delegate Program