EFFECT OF SCHOOL LOCATION ON THE ADOPTED COGNITIVE STYLE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KOGI STATE

Primary education is globally recognized as the foundation laying stage of education.Over the past few decades, researchers have devoted interest to the differences in reasoning, problem-solving, and perception that underlie cognitive style. Numerous researchers have also attributed the differences in cognitive style to various social, cultural, psychological, and demographic factors. However, the purpose of the present study is to examine school location as an environmental factor that could predict childrens cognitive styles. Sixty-four primary school students drawn from primary schools in rural and urban communities in the Kogi state participated in the study. The Group Embedded Figure Test (GEFT) was used for data collection. The result of the study revealed that the school location significantly predicted field independent/dependent cognitive style. Thus, the study concluded that the school environment is a positive determinant of adopted cognitive style.