A comparison of internal and external dimensions of thinking styles in blind and sighted students

The main objective of this study was to compare the internal and external dimensions of thinking styles in blind and normal students. The statistical population of the present research comprised all students aged between 12 and 18 years enrolled in junior and high schools in Ardabil city during the academic year 1378-88. A sample of 60 blind students (30 boys and 30 girls) and 60 sighted students (30 boys and 30 girls) was selected. Subscales of the short form of the Sternberg & Wagner Thinking styles Inventory were administered individually to gather data. The research design was casual-comparative and data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. Results showed that there was significant difference between thinking styles in blind and normal students. Mean scores of blind students in internal thinking style were greater than those of sighted students, while sighted students scored higher than their blind counterparts in external thinking style. Significant differences between thinking styles (internal-external) of male and female students were also observed. Results of this study suggest that education professionals proceed with planning and implementation of combined therapeutic programs for blind students with emotional disorders.