Instructional Variables Affecting Educational Outcomes

This research studies both students ' and teachers' divergent anti convergent abilities and their interaction within the normal classroom. Divergence and convergence were operationally defined and measured by paper and pencil tests. After reviewing the literature on divergence and convergence and on divergence and classroom achievement, the authors present their own research conducted with 450 high'school students sand 20 of their teachers. Results indicate that the divergent student is not considered less appealing than his convergent peer in the classroom; in fact, the diverger distinguishes himself by participating more often and offering more original ideas. In terms of the teachers, classroom climate appears to be highly dependent on their cognitive styles. The authors feel that educational researchers must consider the classroom within the multivariate-interactive model, since a simple univariat