Brigitta Zeender, PharmD
PGY1 Pharmacy Resident
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
Personality has been defined as, “the unique features of every human being; exhibition of characteristic adaptions, unique identifications toward life and a set of cultural differences”.1 Research has shown that personality traits can impact various aspects of a person’s life such as work performance, personal satisfaction/motivation, mood, learning style, and academic achievement.1 As a result, one may conclude that students with wide varieties of personality differences would strive in the classroom via diverse modes of learning. Students may differ with regards to how the information is perceived and its importance, and the rate at which the information is processed.
Additionally, student success in a classroom may be reflected by the professor’s teaching style. “Students whose learning styles are compatible with the teaching styles of a course instructor tend to retain information longer, apply it more effectively, and have more positive attitude toward the course”.3 Some professors may heavily focus their classes around a series of didactic lectures while others may emphasize dynamic learning via interactive activities. By only focusing on one mode of teaching, professors may be putting certain students whose personalities don’t mesh with that strategy at a disadvantage in the course. Although many professors become comfortable in their own teaching styles, it may be largely beneficial if they were to incorporate a range of opportunities within the class to appeal to a broader array of personality types and learning styles amongst the group of students.
Professors may gauge the different personality types amongst their students by evaluating their specific Myers-Briggs personalities. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a commonly used personality analysis which can be used to identify 16 individual personality types based on four continuums.2
Extraversion (E) « Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) « Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) « Feeling (F)
Judging (J) « Perceiving (P)
Once students decide on their preferences in each of the four categories, their distinct personality types are revealed and expressed as a code with four letters (ex: ENTJ).2 Professors can assess the personality types of their specific students to ultimately develop better methods and techniques in the classroom that will appeal to all participants. The following examples will be provided in reference to professors and students within a pharmacy school.
Extraversion-Introversion:
Extraversion-Introversion relates to how people focus their attention and get their energy.
Extraverted students work best when given opportunities to participate in discussions and group work. Introverted students tend to be more interested in reading material, listening to lectures, and completing written assignments.3 A professor may please both types of students by providing both lecture portions of class in addition to facilitated group discussions.
Sensing-Intuition:
Sensing-Intuition relates to how people take in information and ways they become aware.
Sensing types like clear guidelines/objectives, concrete facts suitable for memorization, and are not as focused on the complete big picture. Sensing personalities also tend to rely on their five senses to process information. Intuitive types tend to focus more on general concepts rather than minute details.3 Both of these types may benefit from hands-on experiential practice with real-life scenarios in which they can apply their knowledge. For example, students may benefit from a professor’s incorporation of patient cases or simulated interviews into a course.
Thinking-Feeling:
Thinking-Feeling relates to how people evaluate and come to conclusions about information and how they make decisions. Thinkers will logically analyze material and experiences to understand problems. Feelers seek to form connections with the people around them and relate material learned in the classroom to personal experiences.3 Professors may combine certain activities previously mentioned such as patient cases and group work to allow thinkers an opportunity to logically work through a situation while the feelers get to collaborate with a group of their peers.
Judging-Perceiving:
Judging-Perceiving relates to the type of lifestyle and work habits people prefer. Judging types are planners and thrive when presented with defined tasks and deadlines. Perceiving types appreciate variety and tend to procrastinate despite clear deadlines.3 A professor may appease both groups of students by creating a comprehensive syllabus which would include detailed expectations and instructions for an assortment of activities/assignments planned for the course.
Ultimately, there will always be aspects of a course that certain types of students do not respond well to. However, by incorporating a mixture of various teaching approaches and activities into a class, the professor is likely to satisfy students of all personality types in some way to help maximize their motivation and overall learning experience.
References:
1. Ibrahimoglu N, Unaldi I, Samancioglu M, Baglibel M. The relationship between personality traits and learning styles: a cluster analysis. Asian Journal of Management Sciences and Education. 2013; 2: 93-108.
2. Type and Learning. The Myers and Briggs Foundation. Accessed September 14, 2019.
3. Learning Styles and Personality Types. Western Nevada College Online. Accessed September 14, 2019.
No comments:
Post a Comment