cognitive style between a student and the faculty member instructing the course

contributed to the explanation of student perceived stress. Finding a relationship in the

appropriate direction would provide evidence to support Kirton's Adaption-Innovation

theory. Demographic variables included as independent variables in data analysis were

gender, age, number of similar courses the student had taken and college classification.

 Additionally, backward stepwise multiple regression was used to explain student

motivation from cognitive style gap between student and faculty member. This data

analysis procedure was utilized to determine if dissimilar cognitive style between a

student and the faculty member instructing the course contributed to the explanation of

student motivation. Finding a relationship in the appropriate direction would provide

evidence that students were using coping behavior (Kirton, 2003) to operate at a

cognitive style closer to the faculty member instructing the course. Demographic

variables included as independent variables in data analysis included gender, age, number

of similar courses student had taken and college classification. Gender was the only

categorical variable and was dummy coded one for males and two for females.

 For data analysis cognitive style gap was calculated by subtracting the faculty

member cognitive style score from the student cognitive style score. Before employing

backward stepwise multiple regression to analyze data in each class, the researcher

examined the possibility of cognitive style gap constructs having a curvilinear

relationship with total stress and with total motivation. However, no curvilinear

relationships contributed more explanation of the dependent variable stress or motivation.

Furthermore, the researcher examined the possibility of interaction effects between