Correlating students' personality types with their rating of topics covered in business...

In a spirit of continuous improvement, business communication instructors are often on the lookout for ways to measure and enhance what they do in the classroom. Along these lines, I decided to see if a student's personality type, as indicated by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, correlated with

the student's rating of a topic covered in the class as valuable or not valuable. Topics included listening skills, customer communication, the job search, interpersonal communication, and the like. In the end, no statistically significant correlation emerged. But along the way, I did learn how one sample of students rated the topics covered in one business communication class. And I learned about the distribution of personality types in that class. This article briefly summarizes the study and provides suggestions for further classroom investigations.

Identifying Personality Types

For measuring an individual's personal dispositions and preferences, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most widely used tools (Bowman, 1990; Heimlich, 1990; Luh, 1990). Based on self-reporting, it classifies people along four interlocking dimensions: extroversion-introversion, sensation-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judgment-perception. Myers and McCaulley (1989) explain each:

E-I Index: The E-I index reflects whether an individual is extraverted or introverted. Extraverts (E) are oriented primarily to the outer world of people and things. Introverts (I) are oriented more toward the inner world of concepts and ideas.

S-N Index: The S-N index reflects how a person chooses to gather information or perceive the world. Sensing (S) people prefer to rely most heavily on the five senses to observe facts or happenings. Intuitives (I) prefer to perceive the world as possibilities, meanings and relationships, relying more on personal hunches or insights rather than on the five senses.

T-F Index: The T-F index reflects how a person prefers to make judgments or decisions. A person who prefers using the thinking (T) function makes decisions based more upon logic or objective fact. A person who prefers to use the feeling (F) function makes decisions based more on personal or social values and subjective beliefs.

J-P Index: The J-P index indicates how an individual prefers to deal with the world. A person who prefers judgment (J) uses one of the judging functions (either thinking or feeling), usually seeks closure, and is more orderly and planned in behavior. A person preferring perception (P) uses one of the perceptive functions (either sensing or feeling) and is usually more spontaneous, open, and adaptable in life style.

Many researchers (Allen, 1988; Kiersey & Bates, 1984; Myers & McCaulley, 1989) have supported the application of the MBTI in educational settings.

Correlating Personality Types and Topic Preferences

The study surveyed 199 students enrolled in business and interpersonal communication courses at the Eberly College of Business, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Here are the demographics of the group:

Gender          Males accounted for 48.2% (N = 96)
                Females comprised 51.8% (N = 103)

Age             164 or 82.4% were between the ages of 18 and 22
                23 or 11.5% were between the ages of 23 and 27
                4 or 2.0% were between the ages of 28 and 32
                0 students were between the ages of 33 and 37
                6 or 3.0% were between the ages of 38 and 42
                2 or 1.0% were between the ages of 43 and 47

Level           Juniors, 104 or 52.3%
                Seniors, 90 or 45.2%
                Sophomores, 2 or 1%
                Other, 3 or 1.5% respectively

Major           Accounting, 42 or 21.1%
                Management, 39 or 19.6%
                Other, majors other than in the School of
                 Business, 40 or 20.1%
                Marketing, 28 or 14.1%
                Finance, 21 or 10.6%
                MIS, 14 or 7.0%
                Office Systems, 9 or 4.5%
                Business Education, 6 or 3.0%

Each student completed an MBTI test. In addition, students completed a questionnaire that used a Likert scale to measure their attitudes toward course topics. After reviewing several textbooks and research studies, I asked a panel of seven business communication faculty and practitioners to rank those business communication topics they believed most appropriate in a business communication class. Forty-nine topics were selected by at least half the panel members, and most of the panel members believed these selected topics to be the most appropriate for use in such classes.

Table 1 shows the frequency distribution of the personality types in the class. The typical respondent was a male between the ages of 18 and 22, of junior status, an accounting major, with an ESTJ personality type, a full-time student who works part-time with a GPA between 2.6-3.0. The student is also a Catholic who likes business, is right-handed, single, a non-smoker, who eats meat and regularly exercises. The student also started working at the age of 16 and does not volunteer. Some 27 students, or 13.6%, are categorized as ESTJ personality types. Tables 2 and 3 show how students ranked class topics. Twelve topics were ranked "valuable" by nearly 50% of the population. Eight topics were ranked "least valuable" by 25% or less of the population.

Table 1

Distribution of Personality Types in the Class

                 Frequency           Percent

ISTJ                 20                 10.1
ISFJ                 18                  9.0
INFJ                  2                  1.0
INTJ                  5                  2.5
ISTP                  9                  4.5
ISFP                  8                  4.0
INFP                  8                  4.0
INTP                  7                  3.5
ESTP                 17                  8.5
ESFP                 14                  7.0
ENTP                 16                  8.0
ESTJ                 27                 13.6
ESFJ                 19                  9.5
ENFJ                  5                  2.5
ENTJ                 10                  5.0
Total               199                100.0
Table 2

Topics Ranked by Nearly 50 percent of the Population as "Valuable"

Topics                                            Percent    Number

Preparing effective resumes and cover letters       82.9       165

Employee communication                              76.4       152

Employment skills                                   73.9       147

Listening skills                                    69.8       139

Customer communication                              64.3       128

Conducting a job search                             63.8       127

Effectively interpreting, organizing, and
presenting report information                       58.8       117

Interpersonal communication                         53.8       107

Planning and gathering information for
effective reports                                   52.8       105

Communication in managing and supervising           51.8       103

Improving the English, mechanical, and
technical aspects of writing                        50.8       101

Job applications                                    50.8       101
Table 3

Topics Ranked by 25 Percent or Less of the Population as "Least
Valuable"

Topics                                    Percent      Number

Video teleconferencing                     23.6          47
Writing progress/travel reports            22.6          45
Inquiry, request, and order letters        21.6          43
Principles of communication theory         20.6          41
The communication revolution               20.6          41
Power politics and influence               14.6          29
Long business presentations                13.6          27
Long reports                                9.0          18

To examine relationships between types and topics, we performed a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results, however, show no significant correlation. No single topic proved to have a statistically significant relationship with personality type. In addition, no significant relationship was found between topic preference and demographic variables.

Conclusion

While the results did not support the hypothesis that personality type correlates with topic preference, I did learn a good deal about the distribution of personality types in the class. Not surprisingly, the ESTJs (Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging) were the most prevalent. ISTJ (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging) was next, at 10.1 percent, followed by ESFJs (Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging) at 9.5 percent and ISFJs (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging) at 9 percent. In addition, the relationship between personality type and choice of major was consistent with the literature. Marketing majors were mainly composed of ESFJ and ESTJ, consistent with research by Waner and Echtemacht (1993), and McPherson (1994). Accounting majors were mainly composed of ISTJ and ISFJ.

An analysis of why the expected correlation was not found focused, first, on method. The Likert Scale used was perhaps inappropriate. Students may have preferences for a great many topics, and the instrument did not accurately discriminate. Another approach, for example, semantic differential, may be more suitable. In addition, topics that students would look for may have been omitted - or ones that were not important may have been included. It's also possible that personality theory is not the right framework for such a study.

Implications for Business Communication Educators

The underlying assumption of this study was that the personality type of business students is a significant determinant in their preferences for business communication topics. The findings don't support this assumption. But knowing about student personality types can be a useful tool in directing the future employment and future training of students. For example, certain personality types cluster into particular professions (i.e., ESTJs and ESFJs in marketing; ISTJs and ISFJs in accounting). Information on an undergraduate's MBTI personality type might well serve as an effective counseling tool. Although students should never be discouraged from entering a particular field of business solely on the basis of personality type, it is an advantage to all concerned to have a better understanding, in advance, of the nature of the career and the professionals with whom they would be working.

In this particular study, ESTJs, ISTJs, ESFJs and ISFJs made up nearly 42 percent of the total population. Having student personality type information available will enable the instructor to understand why certain topics are deemed valuable by students. If a class is made up of students with "S" sensing as their dominant mental process, activities that are realistic, practical, concrete, and useful will receive a great deal of attention and interest from them. Moreover, it's possible that the practical nature of many students makes them rate practical topics - like the employment package - as valuable, and theoretical topics, like principles of communication theory, the communication revolution, and power politics, as less valuable. Knowing their personalities will help instructors develop meaningful activities for particular classes.

References

Allen, R. F. (1988). The relationship between learning style and teaching style of secondary teachers in south central Kansas. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.

Bowman, A. M. (1990). The effect of the similarity between teacher personality type and student personality type of students' achievement in a community college setting. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University.

Heimlich, J. E. (1990). Measuring teaching style: A correlational study between the Van Tilburg/Heimlich Sensitivity Measure and the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator on adult educators in central Ohio. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

Kiersey, D., & Bates, M. (1984). Please understand me: Character and temperament types, 5th Ed. Del Mar, CA: Prometheus Nemesis Books.

Luh, S. P. (1990). A study of learning styles, personality types, and brain hemispheric preferences of teacher education programs. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Drake University, Iowa.

McCaulley, M. H. & Natter, F. L. (1974). Psychological type differences in education. In F. L. Natter and S. A. Rollins (Eds.). Phase II Report: The Governor's Task Force on Disruptive Youth. Tallahassee, FL: Office of the Governor.

McPherson, W. (1994). An analysis of personality types among secondary marketing teachers and their preferences for instructional methods. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, New York University, New York, NY.

Myers, I. B. (1962). Myers-Briggs Type Indicator manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Myers, I. B. & McCaulley, M. H. (1989). Manual: A guide to the development and use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, 15th Ed. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Waner, K. & Echternacht, L. (1993). Using Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to compare personality types of business teachers who teach office occupations with personality types of office professionals. The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 35(2), 53-68.

Address correspondence to the author, Office Systems and Business Education, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana PA 15701 (e-mail: billmcph@aol.com).