University of Mohaghegh Ardabili Faculty of Literature and Humanities
Department of English
Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Title:
The Relationship between Big-Five Personality Traits and Students’ Attitudes toward Classroom Activities
By:
Nasim Ghasemzadeh
Supervisor:
Vali Mohammadi, Ph.D.
Advisor:
Afsaneh Saeedakhtar, Ph.D.
February 2020
Title and Author: The Relationship between Big-Five Personality Traits and Students’ Attitudes toward Classroom Activities / Nasim Ghasemzadeh
Supervisor: Vali Mohammadi, Ph.D.
Graduation date:
Number of pages: 122
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward classroom activities. It also explored the difference between the attitudes of female and male students toward classroom activities.
The participants included 110 students, 62 female and 48 male, and were selected from variety of majors, grades, universities, and institutes but most of them were ELT students at Mohaghegh Ardabili University and Azad University of Ardabil and all of them were familiar with the activities done in English language classes. The instruments employed in this study included two questionnaires. The first questionnaire was the NEO-FFI-3 and the second one was based on Ely’s questionnaire. Pearson product-moment correlation and Chi-Square tests were utilized as the main statistical techniques. The correlational results showed that there were significant positive correlations between openness and extroversion and asking personal questions, answering personal questions, and speaking in pairs. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between extroversion and reading aloud.
In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between neuroticism and highly structured grammar practices. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between openness and written expressions. However, no significant correlations were found between speaking exercises and none of the Big-Five personality traits. On the other hand, there was a significant negative correlation between agreeableness and asking personal questions and reading aloud. The results obtained from Chi-Square tests showed that students’ attitudes do not change toward classroom activities in relation to their gender. This study can be helpful for teachers and students. Based on the results some implications were drawn for policy and practice.
Keywords: Attitude, Big-Five personality traits, Classroom activities
2 Chapter One
Introduction
1.1. Preliminary Remarks
In the 20th century, psychology started to develop and numerous studies were conducted in order to explore peoples’ mind and personality. Our personality impacts our everyday life, and who we are justifies our actions and the way we do something. Nowadays, globalization, economic development, students and workers mobility have made language learning an imperative.
Language learning is broadly defined as developing the ability to communicate in the second/foreign language (L2/FL). By the development of the world and due to the expanding needs of people they seek for this ability. Learning a FL might open many
international doors that one would not dare to open without knowing how to communicate in that specific language. People want to learn a new language for different purposes. Putting aside the different purposes of language learning, we as teachers are responsible to pave
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 3 the way for our learners and help them at least to reach a medium of understanding, expression, and communication. One’s personality affects his/her language learning it is one of the individual differences (IDs) affecting an individual’s learning and the overall process of education.
Psychology has always tried to understand some general principles that are shared by humankind on the one hand, but has explored the uniqueness of individuals on the other, since, there are no two human beings that are the same. Dissimilarity is a principle of nature, all the individuals differ from each other in many respects.
This differential psychology is linked with the study of IDs˗˗Wundt, Cattle, Kraepelin, Jastrow and Ebbinghaus are the exponents of differential psychology. Differential psychology studies the ways in which individuals differ in their behavior and the processes that underlie it. This is a discipline that develops the classifications of psychological IDs.
Dörnyei (2005) gives seemingly simple definition when he states that, IDs “concern anything that marks a person as a distinct and unique human being” (p. 4). IDs are essential whenever we wish
PERSONALITYTRAITSANDCLASSROOMACTIVITIES 4 to explain individuals differ in their behavior in any study. There are numerous IDs that could be listed. Descriptive words that were initially listed and argued to present IDs have been put into different categories, so, nowadays we distinguish between the core variables and optional ones. Still, the research on IDs ranges from the analyses of genetically coded to the study of sexual, social, ethic, and cultural differences and includes research on cognitive abilities, interpersonal styles, and emotional reactivity (Dörnyei, 2005, p. 7). This statement shows us the actual broadness of this field and implies that there must be difficulties and obstacles when trying to give some theoretical basis which could enable studying the IDs in practice.
There are various causes which are responsible in bringing IDs such as: heredity, race, sex, age, and education. Since, education is one of the factors causing IDs, and L2 learning is a kind of
education, educational implications of IDs should be considered. For example, the teacher has to adopt different types of methods of teaching considering IDs related to interest, need, etc… IDs research typically includes: personality, temperament, motivation, intelligence,
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 5 Ability, Intelligence Quotient (IQ) (to name just a few) since this study deals with the connection between language learning and some aspects of personality, Dörnyei’s definition in which he states that
“IDs are most consistent predictor of L2 learning success” (Dörnyei, 2005, p. 7) presents the initial assumption of the importance of one’s personality traits in mastering a FL or L2.
In so many ways, personality is the key ID, and indeed in his 2007 Hans Eysenck Memorial lecture, Philip Corr (2007) rightly highlighted the lay perception that psychology is essentially the study of personality: While professional psychologists may be specialized in professional issues such as social or clinical aspects, to the lay observer the field of psychology is all about the understanding of personality. Furthermore, even within psychology, the study of personality has a special status; as Pervin and John (2001, p. 3) put it,
“personality is the part of the field of psychology that most considers people in their entirety as individuals and as complex beings”. There are different kinds of personality traits. This study focuses on Big- Five personality traits which are: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 6 1.2. Statement of the Problem
People have always wondered to what extent our personality defines us and how it impacts our everyday life, our education, or any other aspect of life. Scientists in the field of personality psychology refer to personality as to the complexity of psychological system that contributes to unity and continuity in the individual’s conduct and experience, both as it is expressed and as it is perceived by the individuals and others (Caprara & Cervone, 2009). Personality is the part of the field of psychology that considers people in their entirety as individuals and as complex beings.
The relatively limited interest in IDs in personality and second language acquisition (SLA) stands in sharp contrast with the field of personality psychology, where several journals focus on IDs , such as personality and individual differences and individual differences in learning. Considering the massive amount of research on aptitude and motivation on SLA, it is rather surprising that so little has been published on the effect of personality notably Big-Five personality traits on SLA (Goldberg, 1992). Dörnyei (2005) suggests that this maybe because from an educational perspective, the role and impact
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 7 of personality factors are of less importance than those of some other IDs such as aptitude and motivation.
However, I believe that, among all external factors influencing one’s language learning (educational opportunities, social context,…) one’s personality can also affect it. Since, classroom is a suitable context for learning to take place, improving the quality of classroom and activities done there are surely regarded as effective factors paving the way for language learning. Hence, the improvement of classroom activities can be one of the basic goals of educational planning in order to learn a language successfully. On the other hand, learners are different across a vast range of variables such as family background, age, gender, and also personality characteristics. So, as students have distinctive personality characteristics, they can exhibit different attitudes toward anything and behave differently in various social and educational settings such as exhibiting different attitudes toward different classroom activities. Taking these differences into account can help educators recognize their students’ personality and IDs and provide suitable classroom activities for them in order to help students’ language acquisition.
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 8 1.3. Significance of the Study
FL learning is usually set in a classroom, therefore, everything that takes place in the classroom influences learners’ proficiency. It is known that learners do not usually enjoy the same activities. So, knowing to what extent can a teacher ascribe students’ actions, participation, liking/disliking some classroom activities to their personality might help them provide suitable classroom activities for each student based on their personality types and IDs. Therefore, students will feel more comfortable in a classroom setting and for sure it will affect their language learning.
1.4. Purpose of the Study
The present study aimed at investigating the relationship between Big-Five personality traits (openness to experience,
conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and students’ attitudes toward certain classroom activities and whether students with special personality prefer structured or unstructured classroom activities. Since personality may affect attitude, the
purpose of this study was to see whether each of Big-Five personality traits was positively or negatively correlated with certain classroom
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 9 activities and find out the role of gender in students’ attitudes toward these activities.
1.5. Research Questions
Accordingly, these eight research questions were formulated:
1. Is there any relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward asking personal questions?
2. Is there any relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward answering personal questions?
3. Is there any relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward speaking in pairs?
4. Is there any relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward reading aloud?
5. Is there any relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward highly structured grammar practice?
6. Is there any relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward written expression?
7. Is there any relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward speaking exercises?
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 10 8. Is there any significant difference between the attitudes of
female and male students toward classroom activities?
1.6. Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses are formulated for the given research questions:
1. There is no significant relationship between students’
personality types and their attitudes toward asking personal questions.
2. There is no significant relationship between students’
personality types and their attitudes toward answering personal questions.
3. There is no significant relationship between students’
personality types and their attitudes toward speaking in pairs.
4. There is no significant relationship between students’
personality types and their attitudes toward reading aloud.
5. There is no significant relationship between students’
personality types and their attitudes toward highly structured grammar practice.
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 11 6. There is no significant relationship between students’
personality types and their attitudes toward written expression.
7. There is no significant relationship between students’
personality types and their attitudes toward speaking exercises.
8. There is no significant difference between the attitudes of female and male students toward classroom activities.
1.7. Definition of Key Term
Personality: The Collins COBUILD Dictionary defines personality as one’s whole character and nature, and according to Pervin and John’s (2001) standard definition personality represents those characteristics of the person that accounts for consistent patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving.
Big-Five personality traits: As the name suggests, the Big- five model consists of five basic personality dimensions. Two of these- extroversion versus introversion and neuroticism emotionality versus emotional stability have derived from Eysenck’s (1985) three- factor model of personality, to which the new model added the
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 12 three new dimensions of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and
openness to experience (Dörnyei, 2015, p. 18).
Classroom activities: Classroom activities are activities done by students inside the class as part of applying or doing the practical part of the lesson after listening to the theoretical part which is presented by the teacher
1.8. Limitations and Delimitations
The first limitation of this study was that the study might have shown more significant results if it had been conducted just with young students. Since the classroom activities I have chosen in my questionnaire might not be suitable for adults. In addition, most of the adults know their personalities and choose to do what they have to regardless of their personality.
The second limitation was that, this study was performed in the context of Ardabil province, so there may be some criticisms on its generalizability. Further research is recommended across different provinces to achieve more generalizable results.
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 13 The third limitation was that, I had to select a shorter form of IPIP questionnaire because participants don’t want to answer long questionnaires.
One of the delimitations of this study was that samples were selected from different age groups.
The other delimitations was that the number of participant must be far more in order to be able to generalize the study to broader populations.
Chapter Two Review of the
Literature
15
Chapter Two
Review of the Literature
2.1. Introduction
The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Big-Five personality traits and students’ attitudes toward certain classroom activities. This chapter first presents the theoretical framework on personality and provides a review of literature on the Big-Five model, Myers-Briggs type indicator, personality variables in SLA research, and personality and FLL. Then, it provides empirical studies about personality traits and classroom activities.
2.2. Theoretical Argumentations
2.2.1. Personality. Barenbaum and Winter (2008) explain that the field of personality psychology actually began under the guise of the term character, but partly because of the moral dimension attached to this term, it gradually fell out of favor to be abandoned and
replaced by the more neutral personality. A further basic definitional clarification concerns how ‘temperament’ connects to ‘personality.’
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 16 As Clark and Watson (2008) note, the concept of temperament has its origins in ancient history and is typically to refer to a “characteristic emotional style” (p. 265), rooted in the biological substrate of
behavior and usually considered highly heritable (Snow et al., 1996).
It involves the kind of characteristics whose traces we can already detect in early childhood. Thus, temperament and personality can be seen as broadly overlapping domains, with temperament providing the primarily biological basis for the developing personality (Hogan, Harkness, & Lubinski, 2000). Interestingly, several scholars (e.g., Arikha, 2007; Cark & Watson, 2008; Leaver, Ehrman, & Shekhtman, 2005) acknowledge the lasting influence of the Classic Greek
taxonomy of personality proposed over 2,000 years ago by Hippocrates and Galen, consisting of four temperamental types:
phlegmatic (unflappable and slow to take actions), sanguine (easily
but not strongly excited and having short-lived interests), choleric (impetuous and impulsive, often ambitious and perfectionist), and melancholic (inclined to reflection) (Dörnyei, 2015, p. 17).
Personality represents those characteristics of a person that, accounts for consistent patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 17 (Pervin & John, as cited in Dörnyei, 2005). Cambridge dictionary also defines personality as “the type of person you are, shown by the way you behave, feel, and think”. Dörnyei defines personality as “the most individual characteristics of people” (Dörnyei, 2005, p. 10) and according to Caprara and Cervone (2000) these individual
characteristics that distinguish people from one another is represented by “consistent, stable patterns of experience and action” that people exhibit (p. 65). Those stable patterns are actually our feelings, thoughts, and behavior in different situations. Scientists and experts imply that each person has different feelings and thoughts, behaves differently in a similar situation and that is what makes them unique.
They agree personality incorporates one’s temperament, character, and that is fairly stable and constant feature of a person. Experts and also authors believe that since the term personality has many
implications and is very general, a simple, short, and accurate
definition of personality can not be provided. Medved Krajnović and Juraga (2008) explain that “wise authors simply use it as a title of a chapter and avoid providing a clear-cut, one-sentence definition (p.
350). Dörnyei (2005) points out how different perceptions of the term
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES 122
هدکشناد یناسنا مولع و تایبدا
زومآ هوگر یسیلگن
ا نابز یش
دشرا یسانشراک هجرد تفایرد یارب همان نایاپ هتشر شزومآ نابز شزومآ شیارگ یسیلگنا
یب ی هطبار شیارگ و یتیصخش یاه یگژیو ن
نازومآ شناد یسلاک یاه تیلاعف هب
رگشهوژپ :
هداز مساق میسن امنهار داتسا :
یدمحم یلو رتکد رواشم داتسا :
رتخا دیعس هناسفا رتکد مهب ن 98
ناونع و مان
:روآدیدپ و یتیصخش یاه یگژیو نیب ی هطبار
هب نازومآ شناد شیارگ یسلاک یاه تیلاعف
/ میسن
داز مساق ه
داتسا نا امنهار : یدمحم یلو رتکد
داتسا :رواشم نا رتخا دیعس هناسفا رتکد
خیرات :عافد نمهب
98
حفصدادعت :تا 122
هحفص
نایاپ هرامش :همان
:هدیکچ نیا قیقحت هطبار ی نیب یگژیو یاه یتیصخش و
شیارگ شناد نازومآ هب تیلاعف یاه یسلاک ار
دروم هعلاطم رارق هداد تسا . نینجمه توافت نیب شیارگ شناد نازومآ درم و نز ار دروم
یسررب رارق هداد تسا . تکرش هدننک اه لماش 110 شناد وزومآ 62 نز و 48 درم دندوب هک زا
هتشر اه , هیاپ اه , هاگشناد اه و تاسسوم فلتخم
باختنا هدش دنا اما رثکا اهنآ یوجشناد شزومآ
نابز یسیلگنا رد هاگشناد ققحم یلیبدرا و هاگشناد دازآ دندوب و همه ی اهنآ اب سلاک یاه نابز
و تیلاعف یاه ماجنا هدش رد اهسلاک ییانشآ دنتشاد . رازبا دروم هدافتسا لماش 2 شسرپ همان تسا
هک یلوا همانشسرپ وئن
فا فا یآ و یمود همانشسرپ یلا
تسا . کینکت یاه یلصا یتابساحم
دروم هدافتسا رد نیا هعلاطم یگتسبمه نوسریپ
و رامآ روذجم یاک دندوب . جیاتن یگتسبمه ناشن
داد هک هطبار ی تبثم ینعم راد نیب یب یگدرپ و نورب ییارگ و ندیسرپ لاوس یاه یصخش و
باوج نداد هب لاوس یاه یصخش و هملاکم ی ود هب ود دوجو دراد . نینچمه هطبار ی تبثم
ینعم راد نیب نورب ییارگ و ناور یناوخ دوجو دراد . هب هولاع هطبار ی تبثم ینعم راد نیب
ناور یروجنر و
تیباعف یاه یرمارگ دوجو دراد . هولاع رب نبا هطبار ی تبثم ینعم راد نیب
یب یگدرپ و تیلاعف یاه یراتشون دوجو
دراد . هچرگا چیه هطبار ی ینعم یراد نیب تیلاعف
یاه هملاکم یا و چیه مادک زا یگژیو یاه یتیصخش تفای
دشن . زا یفرط رگید هطبار ی یفنم
ینعم یراد نیب یراگزاس و
ندیسرپ لاوس یاه یصخش و ناور یناوخ دوجو تشاد . جیاتن هب
تسد هدمآ زا بساحم ا ت روذجم یاک ناشن داد هک شیارگ شناد نازومآ هب تیلاعف یاه یسلاک اب
هجوت هب تیسنج اهنآ رییغت دنکیمن .
