SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Teacher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1634732
Cognitive Style and Students' Academic Achievement: A Meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
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This study investigates the relationship between field independence and dependence on cognitive style and student academic achievement. A meta-analysis was conducted on 42 studies related to this topic. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between field independence and dependence on cognitive style and academic achievement among primary and middle school students (r = .308, p < .01). Subgroup analyses further indicate that factors such as the cognitive style measurement instrument (QB = 111.347, p < .01), subject area (QB = 71.652, p < .01), and academic achievement type (QB = 35.083, p < .01) significantly moderate this relationship. However, gender (QB = 2.771, p > .01) and educational stage (QB = 5.952, p > .01) do not appear to have a significant impact on the effect size. These findings highlight the importance of considering methodological and contextual factors when examining the influence of cognitive style on academic performance. Future research should explore potential mechanisms underlying these relationships to inform more effective educational strategies.
Keywords: cognitive style, Field Independence, Field dependence, Academic Achievement, Meta-analysis
Received: 25 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kaihua Yang, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
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