OLIVIA NATIVIDAD SARACHO is Professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Maryland at College Park. For several decades, Dr. Saracho has conducted research related to cognitive style, including young children. She is coauthor of Right from the Start (1994), Dealing with Individual Differences in the Early Childhood Classroom (1994), and Foundations of Early Childhood Education (1991).

• Background Information Cognitive Style: Its Importance in Teaching and Learning Field Dependence Independence: An Important Dimension of Cognitive Style Assessment Instruments Students' Learning Portraits of Field Dependent Independent Children Students' Learning Behaviors The Role of Field Dependence Independence in the Early Childhood Curriculum Field Dependent Independent Characteristics in Young Children's Social Behaviors Teachers' Instruction Portraits of Field Dependent Independent Teachers Teachers' Instructional Behaviors Matching Teachers and Students Future Directions Preparation of Early Childhood Teachers Potential Roles of Cognitive Style in Educational Practice References Index