Relationship of field dependence and color coding to female students' achievement

This study examined the relationship of field dependence and differentially color coded instructional materials (black-and-white and colored) with 126 female students' achievement. Significant differences were found between field-independent and field-dependent students with the field-dependent students scoring higher on the Total Criterion measure. No significant interaction betWeen color coding and field dependence was found on the Total Criterion Test scores. Significant differences in achievement were found in favor of women who received the color-coded version of the Total Criterion Test. These results confirm previous findings relating to the importance of field dependence in visual information and points to the necessity for further systematic analysis of the unique contributions color-coded instructional strategies might have in facilitating the achievement of female students.