Cognitive Style and Self-Confidence among Secondary School Students: A Theoretical & Methodological Analysis

The present study was undertaken to examine the self-confidence of secondary school students in relation to cognitive style. Self-Confidence was treated as a dependent variable whereas cognitive style (Integrated, Intuitive, Split, Systematic and Undifferentiated) along with demographic variable i.e. gender (Male & Female) were treated as independent variables. A descriptive survey method was employed for the present study. A sample of 400 students studying in 10th class was taken using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Cognitive Style Inventory (CSI) developed by Jha (2011)[13] and Self-confidence inventory (PSCI) developed by Pandey (2007)[19] were used to collect the data and Two Way ANOVA with the 5×2 factorial design was used to analyze the data. Levene's Test of Homogeneity of Variance was also applied to test the assumption of homogeneity of variance for ANOVA. The main effect of cognitive style and gender on the self-confidence of secondary school students was found to be significant. On the other side, the double interaction effect of cognitive style and gender on the self-confidence of secondary school students was also found to be significant. The findings of the present study have an implication for the teachers that they should plan their teaching accordingly by adopting effective teaching methods, proper teaching strategies and by guiding students for promoting their academic excellence and self-confidence. For this, seminar and guest lecturers may be organized for the students who are lagging behind the poor selection of cognitive style