Journal of Psychological Type

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1 Over twenty-five years of publishing research articles related to the theory and applications of psychological type and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument. Journal of Psychological Type 66 Issue 2 FEB 06 Female trainee primary school teachers in Wales tend to prefer Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging. This has implication for the implementation of traditional versus progressive educational methods and for teachers who may represent a minority within the predominant teaching culture. Psychological Types of Female Trainee Primary School Teachers in Wales: Teaching in a Changing Educational Climate Leslie J. Francis University of Wales ABSTRACT A sample of 183 female trainee primary school teachers in Wales completed Form G (Anglicized) of the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI ) instrument. The data demonstrated clear preferences for Extraversion (E) over Introversion (I), for Sensing (S) over Intuition (N), for Feeling (F) over Thinking (T), and for Judging (J) over Perceiving (P). The two predominant types among trainee primary school teachers in Wales were ESFJ (25.1%) and ISFJ (15.3%). INTRODUCTION In one sense, the role of the primary school teacher in England and Wales may seem to have remained constant over the past 50 years. Throughout this period, the primary school teacher has stayed committed to teaching children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. Among this age group, the emphasis has been placed less on subject specialism and more on generic teaching skills. Concern with the pupils academic attainment in the basic subject areas has been combined with a commitment to their general personal and social wellbeing and development. Throughout this period, the profession of primary school teacher has appealed much more to women than to men. (See also Reid, 1999.) Beneath this apparent and superficial stability, the professional expectations placed on the primary school Published by the Center for Applications of Psychological Type Thomas G. Carskadon, Ph.D., Editor C A P T

2 08 teacher in England and Wales have undergone two major shifts over the past 50 years. The first major shift was signaled in the early 1970s by the influential Plowden Report (1967), Children and Their Primary Schools. The Plowden Report argued persuasively for a radical shift from traditional educational methods to what have become characterized as progressive educational methods. In an attempt to distinguish between traditional and progressive educational methods clearly enough to form the basis for a sound empirical research project intended to assess their relative impact on pupils progress, Bennett (1976) developed an 11-point characterization of the two concepts. According to this typology, the progressive teaching style was characterized by the following: (1) integrated subject matter; (2) teacher as guide to educational experiences; (3) active pupil role; (4) pupil participation in curriculum planning; (5) learning predominantly by discovery techniques; (6) intrinsic motivation, where external rewards and punishments are not necessary; (7) relative lack of concern with conventional academic standards; (8) little testing; (9) accent on cooperative group work; (10) teaching not confined to classroom base; and (11) accent on creative expression. The traditional teaching style was characterized by the following: (1) separate subject matter; (2) teacher as distributor of knowledge; (3) passive pupil role; (4) pupils having no say in curriculum planning; (5) accent on memory, practice, and rote; (6) extrinsic motivation, where external rewards are used; (7) concern with academic standards; (8) regular testing; (9) accent on competition; (10) teaching confined to classroom base; and (11) little emphasis on creative expression. In a study conducted in 1982, among 338 practicing primary school teachers, Francis (1986) found that, although some teachers were clearly comfortable with the progressive methods, other teachers still preferred to rely on traditional methods. The second major shift was signaled in the late 1980s by the Education Reform Act (Flude & Hammar, 1990). The Education Reform Act introduced a much tighter structure to the educational climate of the primary school. For the first time, a National Curriculum... although some teachers were clearly comfortable with the progressive methods, other teachers still preferred to rely on traditional methods. was established for England and Wales together, with a national system of setting and assessing educational goals and achievement by testing pupil performance. Progressive methods were seen to detract from a tight focus on performance indicators and accountability. In a replication of Francis 1982 study conducted in 1996, Francis and Grindle (1998) demonstrated that, although a mixture of traditional and progressive educational methods was still preferred by different primary school teachers, the pendulum had moved significantly in the direction of government objectives. Overall, the mean scores recorded on the scale of traditional educational methods were significantly higher in 1996 than they had been in A considerable body of evidence has accrued over the years on the relationship between personality type and self-selected career choices. A number of studies point to the predominance of ISTJ and ESTJ among accountants (Descouzis, 1989; Jacoby, 1981; Satava, 1996), ISFJ and ESFJ among nurses and nursing assistants (Daub, Friedman, Cresci, & Keyser, 2000; Jain & Lall, 1996), ESTJ and ISTJ among managers (Cabral & Joyce, 1991; Ginn, 1994; Hawkins, Williams, & Hawkins, 1990; Oswick & Mahoney, 1993), and ISFJ and ESFJ among Catholic and Evangelical religious professionals (Bigelow, Fitzgerald, Busk, Girault, & Avis, 1988; Francis, Payne, & Jones, 2001; Francis, Penson, & Jones, 2001). A useful collection of research samples was provided by Macdaid, McCaulley, and Kainz (1986). Against this background, it is reasonable to speculate about how the type characteristics of people currently attracted to training to become primary school teachers may predispose them to interpret their vocational choice relative to current governmental directives for the shape of the teaching profession. The present study sets out to do this by establishing the type profile of a cohort of students beginning a 4- year primary teacher education program at a college of higher education in Wales. METHOD As part of the college induction program, two consecutive intakes of students enrolled in the 4-year Journal of Psychological Type, Volume 66, February 2006

3 09 primary teacher education program at a college of higher education in Wales were invited to complete the 126-item Form G (Anglicized) of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument (Myers & McCaulley, 1985). Over 90% of the students accepted this invitation, providing responses from 183 females and 44 males. In light of the difficulty of making generalizations based on only 44 cases, the following analysis concentrated on the female respondents. The majority of the female respondents (80%) were aged 18 or 19, 10% were aged 20 or 21, and the remaining 10% were over the age of 21 years. RESULTS The type distribution of the 183 female trainee primary school teachers is presented in TABLE 1. (SEE PAGE 10.) These data demonstrate clear preferences for Extraversion over Introversion (67% 33%), for Sensing over Intuition (72% 28%), for Feeling over Thinking (78% 22%), and for Judging over Perceiving (63% 37%). The two predominant types were ESFJ (25.1%) and ISFJ (15.3%). DISCUSSION This is the first study to have reported on the psychological types of primary school teachers or trainee primary school teachers in the U.K. The predominance of SFJ in this profession is consistent with data generated in the United States on elementary school teachers. (See Reid, 1999; Schurr, Henriksen, Moore, & Wittig, 1993; Sears, Kennedy, & Kaye, 1997.) For example, in her study of 189 female elementary school teachers, Reid found that 43% of the participants were SFJ, although in this study ISFJ (30%) outnumbered ESFJ (13%). There are three key ways of reflecting on these new data in order to generate practical insights into the characteristics of the current cohort of young people entering the profession of primary school teachers. These three ways focus on the binary distinctions provided by the type indicator, the distinctive strengths of the predominant type and the way these strengths help to shape the professional culture of the primary classroom, and the frustrations to which the minority types might be subject within this professional culture. The predominance of SFJ in this profession is consistent with data generated in the United States on elementary school teachers. The binary distinctions provide four points of contrast. First, the majority (67%) of the trainee primary teachers preferred Extraversion, compared with 33% who preferred Introversion. This preference may lead to the normative primary classroom favoring an Extravert culture. In this Extravert culture, a variety of activities will be encouraged. For example, children will be encouraged to talk about what they are doing, thinking, and feeling. A level of background noise and social interaction will be assumed as good practice. Children will not be expected to work in silence. In such an environment, progressive educational methods could flourish but are unlikely to do so given other preferred characteristics of this cohort of trainee teachers. Governmental policy to stimulate traditional educational methods need not be threatened by recruiting Extraverts into the classroom. Introverted pupils who long for the space to be, for the peace to think, and for an escape from social interaction would be the potential losers. Second, the majority (72%) of the trainee primary teachers preferred Sensing, compared with 28% who preferred Intuition. This preference may lead to the normative primary classroom favoring a Sensing culture. In this Sensing culture, a love for the conventional will be fostered. A lot of attention will be given to the environment, which will tend to be neat and tidy. Lessons will be planned in advance and the criteria of the National Curriculum clearly met. Governmental policy to stimulate traditional education methods will be positively promoted by recruiting Ss into the classroom. Intuitive pupils who fail to be contained within the carefully constructed Sensing environment and whose individuality frustrates the teachers quest for conformity are the potential losers. Third, the majority (78%) of the trainee primary teachers preferred Feeling, compared with 22% who preferred Thinking. This preference may lead to the normative primary classroom favoring a Feeling culture. In this Feeling culture, the individuality and individual needs of each child count, at least as far as the teacher perceives these needs. The teacher will take time to relate to each child as an individual human being and to show an interest in the opportunities and constraints afforded by the child s home background. Time will be Psychological Types of Female Trainee Primary School Teachers in Wales: Teaching in a Changing Educational Climate

4 10 Table 1. Type Distribution for the Total Sample. The Sixteen Complete Types ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ n = 8 n = 28 n = 5 n = 1 (4.4%) (15.3%) (2.7%) (0.5%) Dichotomous Preferences E n = 122 (66.7%) I n = 161 (33.3%) S n = 132 (72.1%) N n = 151 (27.9%) T n = 139 (21.3%) F n = 144 (78.7%) J n = 115 (62.8%) P n = 168 (37.2%) ISTP ISFP INFP INTP n = 2 n = 10 n = 6 n = 1 (1.1%) (5.5%) (3.3%) (0.5%) + ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP n = 6 n = 17 n = 21 n = 5 (3.3%) (9.3%) (11.5%) (2.7%) ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ n = 15 n = 46 n = 11 n = 1 (8.2%) (25.1%) (6.0%) (0.5%) Pairs and Temperaments IJ n = 142 (23.0%) IP n = 119 (10.4%) EP n = 149 (26.8%) EJ n = 173 (39.9%) ST n = 131 (16.9%) SF n = 101 (55.2%) NF n = 143 (23.5%) NT n = 118 (04.4%) SJ n = 197 (53.0%) SP n = 135 (19.1%) NP n = 133 (18.0%) NJ n = 118 (09.8%) TJ n = 125 (13.7%) TP n = 114 (07.7%) FP n = 154 (29.5%) FJ n = 190 (49.2%) IN n = 117 (09.3%) EN n = 134 (18.6%) IS n = 144 (24.0%) ES n = 188 (48.1%) ET n = 127 (14.8%) EF n = 195 (51.9%) IF n = 149 (26.8%) IT n = 112 (06.6%) Jungian Types (E) Jungian Types (I) Dominant Types n % n % n % E TJ I TP Dt. T E FJ I FP Dt. F ES P IS J Dt. S EN P IN J Dt. N N = = 1% of N Leslie J. Francis, Psychological Types of Female Trainee Primary School Teachers in Wales. Journal of Psychological Type, Volume 66, February 2006

5 11 taken to settle individual children to the tasks in hand. It is from this Feeling culture that governmental policy stands to experience its greatest threat. The teacher who prefers Feeling may regard the regimented constraints of the National Curriculum and the regular demands of performance indicators as unwelcome intrusions of scientific objectivity (so favored by Ts) that interrupt the true educational process envisaged by Fs. Pupils who prefer Thinking, whose incisive logic and pursuit of truth and justice may be rejected as insensitive or inappropriate by the Feeling teacher, are the potential losers. Fourth, the majority (63%) of the trainee primary teachers preferred Judging, compared with 37% who preferred Perceiving. This preference may lead to the normative primary classroom favoring a Judging culture. In this Judging culture, the school day is carefully planned and well organized from beginning to end. The week will be divided into a recognized and recurring pattern. Every Monday follows the same routine. The days will be divided into clear lesson slots. Everyone will know when math will be over and when physical education will begin. Books will be clearly classified and well organized on the class library shelves, and the children s desks or tables will remain in fixed locations. The Government s guidelines for a structured curriculum and clearly specified learning outcomes provide just the kind of framework that will appeal to the teacher who prefers Judging. The potential losers will be the Perceiving pupils who become so absorbed in the interest of the moment that they habitually arrive late for class or who fail to notice that the transition has taken place from silent reading to classroom math. In the predominant type among this cohort of trainee primary teachers, these preferences for Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging meet in the ESFJ (25.1%). For the ESFJ, the dominant and most easily recognizable characteristic is extraverted Feeling with introverted Sensing. Myers (1987, p. 7) ascribed the following characteristics to the ESFJ: Warm-hearted, talkative, popular, conscientious, born co-operators, active committee members. Need harmony and may be good at creating it. Always doing something nice for someone. Work best with encouragement and praise. Main interest is in things that directly and visibly affect people s lives. In a culture shaped and dominated by ESFJ preferences, the INFP teacher may experience particular difficulty. The INFP is likely to be attracted to the teaching profession because of the desire to exercise the Feeling function in this caring way. The INFP teacher, however, is likely to experience difficulty in having her preference for Introversion valued in a predominantly Extravert culture. Pupils conditioned to respond to Extravert teachers may find the INFP s quieter approach to be strange and unfamiliar. The INFP teacher is likely to find her preference for Intuition largely rejected in a predominantly Sensing culture. Fellow teachers conditioned to expect Sensingtype contributions to staff meetings may find the INFP s unpredictable and unquenchable thirst for proposing new, untried, and unproven strategies disconcerting and threatening. The INFP teacher is likely to find her preference for Perceiving largely to be misunderstood in a predominantly Judging culture. Pupils conditioned to expect a highly structured environment may find the INFP teacher s commitment to openness and flexibility disorienting. Fellow teachers conditioned to find Judging-type conditions in the classroom may misunderstand and misrepresent the INFP teacher s commitment to a Perceiving-type environment as indicative of incompetence, mismanagement, and irresponsibility. Although these difficulties would also confront the INTP within the primary school environment, the implications may be more serious and more profound for the INFP teacher. Like all feeling types, the INFP needs to feel appreciated and valued. She is, therefore, less able than her INTP colleague to set an objective distance between herself and the reaction she receives from her teaching colleagues. Appreciated for who she is, the INFP primary school teacher may have many gifts to bring to her chosen profession. Myers (1987, p. 7) ascribed the following characteristics to the INFP: Quiet observers, idealistic, loyal. Important that outer life be congruent with inner values. Curious, quick to see possibilities, often serve as catalysts to implement ideas. Adaptable, flexible and accepting unless a value is threatened. Want to understand people and ways of fulfilling human potential. Little concern for possessions or surroundings. Psychological Types of Female Trainee Primary School Teachers in Wales: Teaching in a Changing Educational Climate

6 12 Such gifts may both enrich the primary school environment and also offer a proper challenge to a government intent on overstructuring and overmanaging primary education by means of defining a National Curriculum, setting learning outcomes, implementing performance indicators, and publishing league tables of school achievement. These theoretical speculations regarding the responses of INFP and INTP teachers to working within an educational environment largely shaped by ESFJ practices and expectations now need to be fully examined by subsequent empirical research. REFERENCES Bennett, N. (1976). Teaching styles and pupil progress. London: Open Books. Bigelow, E., Fitzgerald, R., Busk, P., Girault, E., & Avis, J. (1988). Psychological characteristics of Catholic sisters: Relationships between the MBTI and other measures. Journal of Psychological Type, 14, Cabral, G., & Joyce, M. H. (1991). Managers and psychological type in an industrial setting: Sex differences and similarities, managerial level and age. Journal of Psychological Type, 21, Daub, C., Friedman, S. M., Cresci, K., & Keyser, R. (2000). Frequencies of MBTI types among nursing assistants providing care to nursing home eligible individuals. Journal of Psychological Type, 54, Descouzis, D. P. (1989). Psychological types of tax preparers. Journal of Psychological Type, 17, Flude, M., & Hammar, M. (Eds.) (1990). The Education Reform Act 1988: Its origins and implications. London: Falmer Press. Francis, L. J. (1986). Partnership in rural education: Church schools and teacher attitudes. London: Collins Liturgical Publications. Francis, L. J., & Grindle, Z. (1998). Whatever happened to progressive education? A comparison of primary school teachers attitudes in 1982 and Educational Studies, 24, Francis, L. J., Payne, V. J., & Jones, S. H. (2001). Psychological types of male Anglican clergy in Wales. Journal of Psychological Type, 56, Francis, L. J., Penson, A. W., & Jones, S. H. (2001). Psychological types of male and female Bible College students in England. Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, 4(1), Ginn, C. W. (1994). Psychological profiles of commercial airport directors. Journal of Psychological Type, 28, Hawkins, C. A., Williams, M. S., & Hawkins, R. C. (1990). Psychological types of social service managers. Journal of Psychological Type, 19, Jacoby, P. F. (1981). Psychological types and career success in the accounting profession. Research in Psychological Type, 4, Jain, V. K., & Lall, R. (1996). Nurses personality types based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Psychological Reports, 78, 938. Macdaid, G. P., McCaulley, M. H., & Kainz, R. I. (1986). Myers- Briggs Type Indicator: Atlas of type tables. Gainesville, FL: Center for Applications of Psychological Type, Inc. Myers, I. B., (1987). Introduction to type. Oxford: Oxford Psychologists Press. Myers, I. B., & McCaulley, M. H. (1985). Manual: A guide to the development and use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Oswick, C., & Mahoney, J. P. (1993). Psychological types of firstline supervisors in the United Kingdom: A comparison to U.S. and U.K. managers. Journal of Psychological Type, 25, Plowden Report. (1967). Children and their primary schools. London: HMSO. Reid, J. B. (1999). The relationship among personality type, coping strategies, and burnout in elementary teachers. Journal of Psychological Type, 51, Satava, D. (1996). Personality types of CPAs: National vs. local firms. Journal of Psychological Type, 36, Schurr, K. T., Henricksen, L. W., Moore, D. E., & Wittig, A. F. (1993). A comparison of teacher effectiveness and NTE Core Battery scores for SJ and a combined group of NJ, NP, and SP first-year teachers. Journal of Psychological Type, 25, Sears, S. J., Kennedy, J. J., & Kaye, G. L. (1997). Myers-Briggs personality profiles of prospective educators. Journal of Educational Research, 90(4), Journal of Psychological Type, Volume 66, February 2006

7 13 The Reverend Dr. Leslie J. Francis holds research degrees in theology from the University of Oxford (B.D., D.D.) and in psychology from the University of Cambridge (Ph.D., Sci.D.). He is Professor of Practical Theology at the University of Wales, Bangor, and Director of the Welsh National Centre for Religious Education. His books include the following: Personality Type and Scripture: Exploring Mark s Gospel (1997), Exploring Luke s Gospel: Personality Type and Scripture (2000), and The Values Debate: A Voice From the Pupils (2000). Currently he is involved in studying the relationship between personality type and burnout among the clergy. CONTACT Leslie J. Francis, Ph.D., Director Welsh National Centre for Religious Education University of Wales, Bangor, Normal Site Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2PX UK L.J.Francis@Bangor.ac.uk This Journal is being made available through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Tom Carskadon, Editor of the Journal of Psychological Type, and the Center for Applications of Psychological Type, Inc., CAPT, worldwide publisher. Journal of Psychological Type is a trademark or registered trademark of Thomas G. Carskadon in the United States and other countries. CAPT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the meaningful application and ethical use of psychological type as measured through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Myers-Briggs, and MBTI are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust in the United States and other countries. Center for Applications of Psychological Type, Inc. and CAPT are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Center for Applications of Psychological Type in the United States and other countries. Copyright 2005 by Thomas G. Carskadon, Editor. ISSN Psychological Types of Female Trainee Primary School Teachers in Wales: Teaching in a Changing Educational Climate

People who prefer Extraversion tend to focus their attention on the outer world of people and things.

People who prefer Extraversion tend to focus their attention on the outer world of people and things. JANE SAMPLE / ENFP Profile October 24, 2006 This profile is designed to help you understand your results on the (MBTI ) assessment. Based on your individual responses, the MBTI instrument produces results