What do you think about
using personality tests in language classrooms?
Discuss why think it would/would not be beneficial. Are there particular contexts in which you'd
be more/less likely to use them?
(Additional comments on this post no longer earn points. Please choose a more recent entry).
(Additional comments on this post no longer earn points. Please choose a more recent entry).
Jarrod Duarte
ReplyDeleteFrom a teacher's perspective in regards to lesson planning etc., I do not think that personality tests are all that helpful. In any classroom, a teacher is going to have a wide range of personalities and learning styles to accommodate, so their lessons should reflect a wide range of teaching styles. However, I can definitely see the benefits of using these tests to help the students create their own types of learning strategies which will foster their intrinsic motivation.
Jarrod Duarte
I'm not sure that using personality tests in a language classroom is very effective. First, it's very tempting to select answers that describe how you would like to study, or how you would like to be perceived, rather than how you really study and how you actually perceive yourself. It might be more effective in a one on one situation- if there is a particular student who is having trouble studying and could use some personalized help. If the whole class is having trouble, discussing studying strategies and learning styles would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteKailey Watson
I used a personality test once in a 9th grade EFL classroom in Spain. It was a hit. Teenagers seem to be very interested in learning about themselves, perhaps because identity is such a defining part of that transitional age. I think it was around Valentine's Day, and that particular personality test was related to relationships. The girls were on the edge of their seats waiting to hear the significance of their answers! It was just for fun mainly, but I think I approached the activity as a listening / speaking comprehension task. It really grabbed their attention. Now, if a personality test could be used to help students adopt better learning strategies by bringing awareness to language learning styles / strategies, I think it could be a very beneficial thing. Some people struggle with independent studying outside of the classroom. In my experience, this is especially so for teenagers and also adults without a higher education background. I remember as a teenager myself I had very poor studying habits. It wasn’t until college that I adopted strategies to become a better "learner”. So, if we can help our students by bringing awareness to their own learning styles, I think it sets them up for more success throughout the semester (and beyond our class). In my opinion, trying the personality test wouldn't be a waste of time, even if it only reaches one person.
ReplyDeleteA personality test may be helpful for developing students’ awareness of personal learning styles and applying this knowledge to language learning, but I would not take too much time focusing on it. As Kailey said, the results may reflect your students’ views of the ‘ideal’ rather than the real. Perhaps one way to compensate for this would be post-test discussion about why students chose what they did—why they have certain ideals. If I employed a test like this, I would want to use it as an opportunity to practice language, not just examine personalities. If it could fit well with the current class topic and practice relevant vocabulary/grammar, then this sort of activity could be a success regardless of biased results. Also, students may be made aware of their own attitudes and preferences in learning, even if they answered for the ‘ideal.’
ReplyDeleteWithout a complete plan, one that not only tests and interprets, but also applies the results in meaningful ways over sufficient time to make a difference, the information gained from giving the tests would be "interesting" but not really useful. I can remember several times being given personality and intelligence tests, hearing the interpretation, and that was it. Usually, if there was any action prescribed, it was up to me to put it into action. I imagine, with sufficient training on how to best administer and interpret tests, and how to use the newly acquired information, teachers might be able to stimulate more learning in their students. But, because the information is so individualized, it would be difficult to spend the time necessary to impact even one person in a class of any size. So better to think about a test strategy that can be used on a class-wide basis rather than an individual basis. First, have students identify their goals. Those goals alone will help identify their personalities. Then help them see what strategies can apply to their goals. Ask them to decide what strategies they want to try and get them to commit to use them. On a regular basis, evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies, and, if they aren't working, try some others. This approach gives them room to try, fail, and try again, without limiting them by a test result.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be helpful to use a personality test in a classroom. Research has shown that introverts are better learners and that they are co-operative learning oriented, so it might be an effective strategy to use to teach more group work. Cognitive research has shown that introverts have less distractible 'circuitry' and are better able to focus on tasks overall. Extraverts sometimes appear to be better language learners because they engage and speak much more often than intraverts. Again, know your students. Anything that you can use figure out how to better reach them is helpful. The converse of this is that testing is expensive, and analysing results even more so. Depending on resources and time spent in class sessions, this might not be feasible to do in a class that meets for an hour several times a week. The time may well be better spent in actual language learning.
ReplyDeleteI think that the test can be helpful to some, and probably not much to others. If a student has been in a learning environment for a long time, and knows how to study or how to just learn something (they already have their own style), then they might not really care about the test. I recently had to take one and I don’t think it was helpful at all rather than telling me what I already knew. However, this can be very useful to students who do not know much about their style, or do not know how to compensate for a weak point. If you plan on giving a personality test, it would be more useful to help students understand what to do next and not just tell them the facts (tell them ways of how to improve if there is something they might be weak in). I would be more likely to use tests like these if it’s with younger learners, or new students who don’t know about their personality much (like someone mentioned above, teenagers, transferring students, etc.). Then maybe the test will be beneficial in identifying ways that students can improve more, or adjust to something they have trouble with usually. In general, I would not use a personality test, and instead get to know the students myself and see for each one how they are like (or what they might need help with).
ReplyDeleteI think teaching language learning strategies in the classroom is beneficial to students. I don’t think I’d use a personality test. I think people get wound up interpreting personality tests and can see their personality as an obstacle to their learning. “I’m x personality type, so that means I’m not good at y.”
ReplyDeleteI think the SILL is a good starting point for a discussion about different language learning strategies. I can envision discussing a couple of these strategies each day and having students try them out and discuss how well they think the strategies will work for them. This lets them determine what strategies work for them without using the labels that are associated with personality tests.
I am not sure if there is an accurate personality test. Personality is not a blood sugar rate that can be measured by medical means. It is more like a rubber that changes according to the way it is molded. Students can change their attitude in each class according to the teacher’s personality and way of teaching. So, I believe that every teacher should know the features that the students should enjoy to be more productive in his or her class. If the teacher discovered that the students lack these features, a lesson plan modification should be done to fit the needs and capabilities of the students. Most of the time, the teachers personality reflects on the students’, thus teachers should care more about their own attitude and style of teaching in a way that would affect their students effectively to serve the course goals.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to this question depends heavily on context. I could see it working well in a program such as ELI, where it could be both English practice and a good tool for students to explore their learning styles. As others have said, I wouldn't spend a ton of time harping on the tests, but they could be fun and potentially beneficial for students. In the classes I currently teach, it wouldn't work at all. First off, for most of these tests, students need to have already achieved a certain level of English. Secondly, for students from collectivist cultures with no educational backgrounds, it may be hard for them to analyze themselves. I think Lynn's suggestion may be a better route for these learners, where the teacher can help facilitate the exploration of different learning strategies. Many of the students I teach now have no prior educational experience, so they have to learn HOW to learn before they can most effectively learn English. They're by no means dumb - many are actually highly intelligent - but they never had the means or opportunity to go to school. It'd be silly to give them a personality test and expect them to understand its implications on their language learning.
ReplyDeletePersonality tests have their place in a lot of situations, but I'm not sure a language classroom is one of them. I've never taken a personality test in one of my language classrooms, and I never felt I was missing out because of it.
ReplyDeleteI can see the appeal, simply because it will lead to the instructor being better able to adapt to the student's personality, and be able to better predict how a student might react to a certain situation. It is also another way of getting to know your students, but in an ESL or even second language environment, it might not be applicable.
The issue with a personality test in a language classroom, especially ESL, is that there is a potential for the test to be culturally skewed, as well as misunderstood by many of the students. If they don't all speak the same language, then it might not be a good idea to give them all a test in a language they don't understand. Even in a second language environment, the time it would take to administer the personality test is time that would be better spent assessing the students' skill level.
I tend to agree that personality test have the potential to be culturally skewed. I don't think such test would be very useful in beginning English classes. Although I can see myself using a personality test in later English classes so that students can learn a bit about the differences in learning styles and perhaps some strengths they may posses. I might just use the test to get students speaking in class as these test often inspire curiosity and quite a bit of conversation. I would use it as a tool for conversation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many other students that context will dictate the appropriateness and usefulness of personality tests. Personality tests are really fun in cultures where people are encouraged to be individualistic, and can go over very well especially among teens. I recall taking a few personality tests in various classrooms in high school and it was always so much fun, like a game. I don't feel I really got much out of it, and may have even lied a little on the questions to come up with a more pleasing result. If a teacher has time to administer these tests and go over them all and actually provide customized instruction to students based on the results then kudos to them as they are quite the overachiever. I feel that it's unrealistic and more judgments about students' learning style should be made based on their performance on various tasks, and hopefully the personality they show you during class. I feel that personality tests can be used in the classroom but more as English-learning games, and possibly a chance for students to talk amongst themselves about the results.
ReplyDeleteI have never taken or even considered administering a personality test but now am intrigued at the possibilities. It’s encouraging to know that research supports that students who know their personality and how it reflects their strengths and weaknesses as language learners are more motivated to learn, because I think that would be the case for myself as well. Knowing my learning style and personality, I can better structure my learning experience to be more effective. While personality tests such as the DISC or Myers-Briggs have application to ESL/EFL students, perhaps the tests developed by Brown especially for ESL/EFL students would be the most helpful and relevant for them. For example, if students and teachers knew whether they individually and as a class are more left or right brain processors, then they can learn/teach to their strength and cope better with learning that occurs on the weaker side of the brain. A self-confidence questionnaire is a great way for students to not only learn their own level of confidence but to understand how confidence is important for language learning.
ReplyDeleteI think personality tests in language classroom may be helpful for students to realize their strengths and weaknesses in learning a language. So we can become aware of how to improve our weaknesses and how to make full use of our advantages. In this way, students can think about their possible style tendencies and the relationship between the style and success to acquire a language. And it also helps teachers to have better understanding of students and know how to design different teaching strategies for different students. A self-confidence questionnaire like in page 267 in the textbook is a good example to use to give students confidence to learn a new language. Possibly it can be used in the beginning of the learning process.
ReplyDeleteI think it is beneficial to know at least through an informal assessment, what sort of personalities your students have, because it will allow you to know what sort of activities or teaching styles to use with your students. To use a formal test could be more reliable, and could be used to demonstrate to the students what sort of learning styles or teaching styles might be most beneficial to them. If you could present this information, it may help the students to be able to play up their strengths and help you to do so as well.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, depending on the proficiency of your students in English, such a test may not be appropriate. So it would be important to know their proficiency level ahead of time.
I support personalities tests, however, I would encourage something more inclusive than just a Five Factor Personality Inventory. Of importance to me as a teacher is the learning style personalities test. Preferably a mix ELT and the VARK model. Vark is easy to explain: Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, and Kinetic. ELT stands for Experiential Learning Theory. It states that learning is based on two related approaches toward grasping experience: Concrete Experience and Abstract Conceptualization, as well as two related approaches toward transforming experience: Reflective Observation and Active Experimentation. In order for learning to be effective, all four of these approaches must be incorporated. As individuals attempt to use all four approaches, however, they tend to develop strengths in one experience-grasping approach and one experience-transforming approach.
ReplyDeleteFor example I am Auditory/Visual and Abstract Conceptualization/Reflective Observation. This information shows me how I put in information and how I digest information. Knowing my students preferences from the beginning allows me to use group and partner activities better.
I agree with the many people who have pointed out above that there are distinct cultural problems with using personality tests in an ESL classroom. While I think personality tests can be useful in helping students determine their general learning style, I'm not certain whether it's really a worthwile activity to spend a lot of time on in the ESL classroom. However, as one of my classmates pointed out above, it might be helpful in an ELI type of setting since it can be applied to other types of learning. Since I plan to spend the bulk of my teaching career in community adult-learning centers, I probably wouldn't be likely to use personality testing as a part of my teaching process. I don't feel that the benefits outweigh the issues for adult learners who are outside a purely academic context. I think it might be fun and useful, however, to spend a class period teaching the same material multiple times using various techniques and taking a student poll at the end of the class to see which style was the most popular - sort of an extremely informal test to see how the class responds to certain class formats.
ReplyDeleteI think personality tests may be fun for students and can guide students to how they may learn but I'm not sure how resourceful personality tests can be. I would probably have my students do a personality test and I would then combine that with a personal SWOT analysis. I think the SWOT analysis can show more detail and lead to self-discovery on where the students need more help.
ReplyDeleteI think self-assessments and SWOT analysis can help at any level because they help teachers see how students are learning and where they are lacking, as well as help students see where they need more work or where they are doing well. When students know how they learn and where their weaknesses are they can fine-tune their output while learning and the teacher can fine-tune activities to help correct any errors in production.
Stefani Goode
I don't really think that personality tests have a very useful place in a language classroom, unless perhaps you use them in a fun activity like Holly mentioned. The potential for the results to be skewed can render them completely useless for both student and teacher. Some students find these things boring and answer according to a pattern and at the other end of the spectrum there are some students that will answer according to the "ideal." I think the "answer skewing" can also be culture based. In Korea for example, a teacher is more likely to find that all of their students answer to be "ideal" and don't need and help with their study skills.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever use any kind of personality test in the classroom, it will probably only be as a fun activity to enhance reading comprehension and vocabulary skills.