This study was concerned with investigating patterns of verbal interaction of teachers and students who were matched and mismatched in field dependent and field independent cognitive styles. The first objective was to answer the general research question: Is there a difference in the patterns of dyadic classroom interaction when the teacher and the student are similar and dissimilar in cognitive style? Teacher-student similarity in cognitive style was examined in relation to: frequency and initiation of dyadic classroom contact; quality of interaction; dyadic classroom activity; conceptual level of questions; praise and criticism of behavior; quality of feedback; and sustaining the interaction. The second objective was to search for possible interactions between the cognitive styles of teachers and students and the context of the interaction, i.e. public or private. (Author/JD)