ERIC Number: EJ864440
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jul
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1443-1394
EISSN: N/A
North, South, Least, Best: Geographical Location and the Thinking Styles of Italian University Students
Sofo, Francesco; Berzins, Michelle; Colapinto, Cinzia; Ammirato, Salvatore
Australian Journal of Adult Learning, v49 n2 p269-293 Jul 2009
There are economic and socio-cultural differences that characterise the north and south of Italy. A stereotype is that university students from rural southern Italy are more disadvantaged and isolated than those from the urban north. Past research has hypothesised that differences in socio-economic status impact on student learning, which is a factor of thinking style. This study set out to explore if university students from a northern and a southern Italian university report markedly different thinking style preferences. Samples of 170 students from the University of Calabria and 263 students from the University of Milan were surveyed using Sofo's (2005) Thinking Style Inventory. If economic and socio-cultural differences impact on preferred ways of thinking of university students, the impacts may very well be mediated through various pedagogical or informational methods and communication technology. The results of the study did not produce all the expected differences. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Geographic Regions, Regional Characteristics, Differences, Cultural Differences, Economic Status, Student Attitudes, Hypothesis Testing, College Students, Cognitive Style, Measures (Individuals)
Adult Learning Australia. Level 1, 32 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra, ACT 2603, Australia. Tel: +61-02-6274-9515; Fax: +61-02-6274-9513; Web site: http://www.ala.asn.au
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy; Italy (Milan)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A