Eco-Cultural Orientation and Students’ Cognitive Styles for Enhancing the Academic Learning Process in the South West Region of Cameroon

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between eco-cultural orientation and students' cognitive styles; and to infer the implications for the academic learning process in the South West Region of Cameroon. The study focused on perception as an aspect of cognitive styles. Underpinned by the process induction, an ethnographic research design was chosen for the study. Nonetheless a methodological triangulation with the used of both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection was employed in the study. A total sample of 80 students, 24 parents and 12 teachers both rural and urban settlements in the South West Region of Cameroon were used for the study. The qualitative data were analysed using the systematic process of content analysis while descriptive and inferential statistics were used for quantitative data. The qualitative findings of the study showed that the population eco-cultural orientation posits a preservationist environmental adaptation, oral mode of communication and collective/interpersonal social pattern. The findings correlated with students' cognitive styles as the results of the study proved that in both rural and urban settlements students were more field dependent than field independent, nevertheless this difference was not significant. Furthermore, as regards to categorization, students were more global than analytical, with significant difference for setting types, gender, class or age. The conclusion, recommendations and significance of the study were based on the fact that if a student displays a cognitive preference that is common and accepted within his/her cultural group, it should be viewed as a “difference” from what the mainstream society promotes in schools; not as a “deficiency” or “failure”. Hence, while taking cognizance of students' FD cultural perceptual styles, teachers and educational administrators should provide strategies for transfer and acquisition of other FI ways of perception in students