The field independent/field dependent tendencies of one-hundred and forty-three (143) Mexican American pupils in two rural, South Texas high schools was assessed. Teachers were given training in the educational implications of cognitive style on the learning process, and training to operate a classroom model designed to accommodate a specific cognitive style: global or analytical. Pupils participated in a one-week How To Study Unit which both matched and mismatched pupils with teacher style and with the preferred and non-preferred mode of delivery of instruction by teachers. A pre and post test of the How To Study Unit content was analyzed for variance, and it was found that teacher-pupils style matching did not account for differences in cognitive performance. Significant differences were found to be related to the preferred or non-preferred mode of delivery of instruction by teachers at the .035 level. The study has implications for instructional programs serving rural, Mexican American pupils. (Author)