Figure 4

Relative Contributions of Personality Traits to Female Student Willingness

For women students in this study, four personality traits contributed significantly to predicting who would be most willing to try new educational technology. Women who described themselves as more composed, more frank, more responsible and less steady had the higher scores. These traits appear to differ from those of the high scoring staff or faculty (see Figure 6). None appeared among those found for the male students who scored highly (see Figure 5 below). Thus it is a little more difficult to identify, using personality traits, female students who will be more willing to try technology. These women might be characterized by self-controlled competence, straightforwardness and variety in their attitudes or emotions. In these traits there is a suggestion of androgyny or non-traditional attitudes, as might be expected. These women saw themselves as responsible, but not as careful, scrupulous or tidy as the overall female student sample. This is a further suggestion that too much conscientiousness among women students may inhibit willingness to try technology. TOP

Figure 5

Relative Contributions of Personality Traits to Male Student Willingness

The significant trait predictors among male students may be the easiest to understand. Highly willing men saw themselves as more refined, a trait considered to be a part of intellectual openness. Given that technological interests may support a self-image of sophistication or being "at the cutting edge," this trait makes sense. Being adventurous would also fit this orientation. Lower jealousy contributes to overall agreeableness, which again may support a positive disposition to new technology. Among these traits of male students may be some parallels to the traits of highly willing staff and faculty (see Figure 6). The differences between male students and female students seem more noteworthy. Male and female students are certainly not opposites, but their positive dispositions toward technology draw on different aspects of personality. Given the lower self-doubts of male students, their higher instrinsic interests and their higher overall willingness, the traits of intellectual sophistication, agreeable emotions and adventureousness may be especially important for all students as they encounter educational technology. TOP