This book provides an up-to-date, panoramic picture of the field of intellectual styles through describing, analyzing, and integrating the major theoretical and research works on the topic. Readers will gain a broad understanding of the field--its nature, origins, historical development, theories, research, and applications, as well as the interrelationships among major theoretical constructs proposed by different theorists in the past few decades. In particular, three major controversial issues in the field are addressed by both empirical findings and literature review: styles as better versus worse or as equal in merit; styles as traits versus styles as states; and styles as different constructs versus styles as similar constructs with different style labels. Educators will find ideas on how to improve their teaching and assessment of student performance. Student development specialists will be interested in the book because intellectual styles, as evidenced by recent studies, play a critical role in many aspects of student development including cognitive, affective, psychosocial, and career development. Psychologists will gain an understanding of an important facet of the field at the interface between cognition and personality. Managers in business will find the book relevant to such issues as effective supervision and staff training and development. The Nature of Intellectual Styles is intended for anyone--particularly researchers and students in the fields of education, psychology, and business management--who is interested in understanding intellectual styles and their effects on daily life.

This book provides an up-to-date, panoramic picture of the field of intellectual styles through describing, analyzing, and integrating the major theoretical and research works on the topic. Readers will gain a broad understanding of the field--its nature, origins, historical development, theories, research, and applications, as well as the interrelationships among major theoretical constructs proposed by different theorists in the past few decades. In particular, three major controversial issues in the field are addressed by both empirical findings and literature review: styles as better versus worse or as equal in merit; styles as traits versus styles as states; and styles as different constructs versus styles as similar constructs with different style labels. Educators will find ideas on how to improve their teaching and assessment of student performance. Student development specialists will be interested in the book because intellectual styles, as evidenced by recent studies, play a critical role in many aspects of student development including cognitive, affective, psychosocial, and career development. Psychologists will gain an understanding of an important facet of the field at the interface between cognition and personality. Managers in business will find the book relevant to such issues as effective supervision and staff training and development. The Nature of Intellectual Styles is intended for anyone--particularly researchers and students in the fields of education, psychology, and business management--who is interested in understanding intellectual styles and their effects on daily life.

This volume presents the most comprehensive, balanced, and up-to-date coverage of theory and research on cognitive, thinking, and learning styles, in a way that:
* represents diverse theoretical perspectives;
* includes solid empirical evidence testing the validity of these perspectives; and
* shows the application of these perspectives to school situations, as well as situations involving other kinds of organizations.
International representation is emphasized, with chapters from almost every major leader in the field of styles. Each chapter author has contributed serious theory and/or published empirical data--work that is primarily commercial or that implements the theories of others.
The book's central premise is that cognitive, learning, and thinking styles are not abilities but rather preferences in the use of abilities. Traditionally, many psychologists and educators have believed that people's successes and failures are attributable mainly to individual differences in abilities. However, for the past few decades research on the roles of thinking, learning, and cognitive styles in performance within both academic and nonacademic settings has indicated that they account for individual differences in performance that go well beyond abilities. New theories better differentiate styles from abilities and make more contact with other psychological literatures; recent research, in many cases, is more careful and conclusive than are some of the older studies.
Cognitive, learning, and thinking styles are of interest to educators because they predict academic performance in ways that go beyond abilities, and because taking styles into account can help teachers to improve both instruction and assessment and to show sensitivity to cultural and individual diversity among learners. They are also of interest in business, where instruments to assess styles are valuable in selecting and placing personnel. The state-of-the-art research and theory in this volume will be of particular interest to scholars and graduate students in cognitive and educational psychology, managers, and others concerned with intellectual styles as applied in educational, industrial, and corporate settings.

This volume presents the most comprehensive, balanced, and up-to-date coverage of theory and research on cognitive, thinking, and learning styles, in a way that:
* represents diverse theoretical perspectives;
* includes solid empirical evidence testing the validity of these perspectives; and
* shows the application of these perspectives to school situations, as well as situations involving other kinds of organizations.
International representation is emphasized, with chapters from almost every major leader in the field of styles. Each chapter author has contributed serious theory and/or published empirical data--work that is primarily commercial or that implements the theories of others.
The book's central premise is that cognitive, learning, and thinking styles are not abilities but rather preferences in the use of abilities. Traditionally, many psychologists and educators have believed that people's successes and failures are attributable mainly to individual differences in abilities. However, for the past few decades research on the roles of thinking, learning, and cognitive styles in performance within both academic and nonacademic settings has indicated that they account for individual differences in performance that go well beyond abilities. New theories better differentiate styles from abilities and make more contact with other psychological literatures; recent research, in many cases, is more careful and conclusive than are some of the older studies.
Cognitive, learning, and thinking styles are of interest to educators because they predict academic performance in ways that go beyond abilities, and because taking styles into account can help teachers to improve both instruction and assessment and to show sensitivity to cultural and individual diversity among learners. They are also of interest in business, where instruments to assess styles are valuable in selecting and placing personnel. The state-of-the-art research and theory in this volume will be of particular interest to scholars and graduate students in cognitive and educational psychology, managers, and others concerned with intellectual styles as applied in educational, industrial, and corporate settings.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology is the first reference work on educational psychology that can truly be said to be comprehensive, systematic, theory-driven, and evidence-based. This collection of full-length articles by leading scholars specializing in a wide array of topics signifying the diverse origins and theoretical and philosophical foundations of the field situates educational psychology within the larger contexts of psychology and education. The Encyclopedia also distinguishes itself by its strong international representation - in terms of not only its contributors but also the sources of the literature. Contributors from different parts of the world have incorporated relevant theoretical perspectives and empirical work conducted in diverse cultures into the broader context of the topics they examined. The articles are not simply reflections of individual contributors' perspectives; rather, they are systematic and in-depth reviews of various domains of educational psychology. The Encyclopedia has advanced the field of educational psychology by offering new insights into the intricate relationships among the various mechanisms operating in educational psychology by integrating existing empirical work grounded in contemporary and classical theoretical constructs and perspectives from multiple academic fields, and by incorporating new knowledge created as a result of new social, economic, and technological developments. At the same time, the material presented in this work should have practical implications for practitioners in education and beyond in their efforts to foster positive educational outcomes and to design congenial work environments and improve organizational effectiveness. Indeed, all individuals who are engaged in learning, whether it be school learning or everyday learning, should find aspects of the underlying learning principles and empirical findings documented in this Encyclopedia interesting, relevant, and useful.

Intellectual styles are individuals' preferred ways of using the abilities that they possess. The extent to which one can change his or her intellectual style is a question of interest to both researchers and the general public. This book presents the first comprehensive and systematic review of existing research on the malleability of intellectual styles. By critically analyzing research findings derived from both cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations performed over the past seven decades, Li-fang Zhang demonstrates that intellectual styles can be modified through both socialization and purposeful training. Professor Zhang elucidates the heuristic value of these findings for the development of adaptive intellectual styles in both academic and non-academic settings. She proposes further avenues of research that might advance scholarly understanding of the nature of and the potential for modifying intellectual styles.

Intellectual styles are individuals' preferred ways of using the abilities that they possess. The extent to which one can change his or her intellectual style is a question of interest to both researchers and the general public. This book presents the first comprehensive and systematic review of existing research on the malleability of intellectual styles. By critically analyzing research findings derived from both cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations performed over the past seven decades, Li-fang Zhang demonstrates that intellectual styles can be modified through both socialization and purposeful training. Professor Zhang elucidates the heuristic value of these findings for the development of adaptive intellectual styles in both academic and non-academic settings. She proposes further avenues of research that might advance scholarly understanding of the nature of and the potential for modifying intellectual styles.

" B]ecause of the thoroughness of the literature reviews and the comprehensive coverage of the chapter topics, this book] should be required reading for any scholar working in related areas of personality or intelligence."--PsycCRITIQUES

"This book is a masterly attempt to bring order and cohesion to a field that for many years has been riven with claims and counterclaims. The editors and authors are to be congratulated for addressing a very complex task so helpfully."

John Biggs, PhD
Honorary Professor of Psychology
University of Hong Kong

"If you are interested in intellectual styles-people's preferred ways of processing information-then this book belongs on your bookshelf."

Richard E. Mayer, PhD
Professor of Psychology
University of California, Santa Barbara

"For more than half a century, the construct of style-whether designated as cognitive, thinking or learning-has been in or out of fashion in the history of psychology and education. The editors of the present Handbook have invigorated the style construct in the form of intellectual styles, and have brought together a distinguished international panel of chapter authors who offer up-to-date surveys of the assessment, development, correlates, and educational and organizational applications of intellectual styles. For those seeking to familiarize themselves with current theory and research in an intellectually exciting field, the present Handbook is essential."

Nathan Kogan, PhD
Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology
New School for Social Research, New York, NY

The concept of intellectual styles has had a controversial history based on diverse philosophical and theoretical foundations. Most recently, the idea of intellectual styles-an umbrella term that covers such closely related constructs as "cognitive styles," "learning styles," "teaching styles," and "thinking styles"-has gained momentum as an explanation for why different people succeed in different professional and organizational settings. Previously, it was thought that high-achievers simply had more innate abilities than their less successful peers, but research has shown that individuals have different intellectual styles that are better suited for varying types of contexts and problems.

Based on the most current and expansive research, this handbook is the first to provide a comprehensive review of research on the construct of intellectual style, from its foundations and development, to its relations to allied constructs, its roles in school and job performance, its applications in various populations, and its future.. This understanding of intellectual styles as a valid concept for both individuals and groups has far-reaching implications for researchers in cross-cultural psychology, multicultural education, organizational behavior and work performance, and many other academic disciplines, as well as practitioners in education and beyond. Key Features:

Provides a comprehensive review of intellectual styles from multiple perspectives Written for students and scholars in diverse academic arenas, as well as practitioners in education and other fields Includes contributions from researchers from diverse disciplines, such as psychology, business, education, and health sciences