Field independence in higher education and the case of distance learning

Abstract

It has been postulated that student autonomy in distance education could be operationalized in terms of the cognitive style of field independence. While distance learning students often obtain high scores on field independence, this is also true of campus-based students. Field independence is not positively related to students’ course evaluations, their preference for independent learning, their course completion in distance education, nor their level of autonomy. Consequently, field independence is not useful for understanding experiences or attainment in distance education.