Project Report - 990301

Personality Traits and Willingness to Try Educational Technology

Ned W. Schultz, Ph.D. Psychology Department Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo

ABSTRACT

This study examined whether one's willingness to try new educational technologies could be predicted by personality traits and factors. A sample of 122 junior college and university students and 52 staff and faculty members were surveyed. Each person completed a questionnaire designed to measure attitudes about willingness to try new forms of educational technology. Subjects also completed a self-rating of adjectives associated with personality traits and the Big 5 factors of personality. Overall levels of willingness to try new educational technology were quite high, ranging from 62 to 85%. Did students, staff and faculty have similar levels of willingness? No, staff and faculty scores were higher. Selective return of staff and faculty surveys may account for this difference. However, it is also the case that staff and faculty have elected to work in an educational setting, which may lead to more favorable dispositions. Because of the differences in willingness scores, separate additional analyses were conducted for students and staff/faculty. Junior college and university students were similar in overall willingness, but university students, especially females, had significantly higher self-doubt about trying new technology. The university students also had significantly higher scores on the personality factors of openness and conscientiousness. Male students were significantly more willing to try new educational technology and had both lower self-doubts and higher intrinsic motivation attitudes. On the personality factors, these male students were significantly higher on non-neuroticism or general calmness. Multiple regression analysis revealed that separate groupings of specific personality traits predicted the willingness of male and female students. For men, rating self as refined, adventurous and less jealous predicted high willingness. Women who were highly willing described themselves as more composed, frank, responsible and less steady. Broader personality factors did not contribute to the prediction of willingness to try educational technology. For staff and faculty, a different set of predictors emerged. Type of job (staff or faculty) and gender did not influence level of willingness to try new technology. General personality factors were also not useful. However, seven specific traits were related to greater willingness. These included self-ratings of lower calmness, greater spontaneity, lower reflectiveness, lower dependability, greater cooperativeness, higher gentleness, and lower talkativeness. These results suggest that specific personal traits may influence motivation to try new technology. Male students, female students and staff/faculty vary in willingness to try technology, but also in the traits that influence their willingness. Clearly these three groups are different enough to suggest that they should be considered as heterogeneous audiences in planning for introduction of new educational technology. Portions of these findings were presented to the 79th Conference of the Western Psychological Association, April 29-May 2, 1999, Irvine, CA.