Publication: Journal of Economic Education
Volume: Volume 27, No. 1
Issue: Winter 1996
Pages:
Author(s): Mary O. Borg (University of North Florida) and Stephen L. Shapiro (University of North Florida)
Address (Principal Author):Mary O. Borg, Department of Economics, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road-South, Jacksonville, FL 32224, (904) 646-2640
Internet Address (Principal Author):
Title: Personality Type and Student Performance in Principles of Economics
Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between student's personality types, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, and their performance in introductory economics. We find that students with the personality types ENTP, ESTP, and ENFP do significantly worse in Principles of Macroeconomics than identical students with the personality type ISTJ. We also find that introverted students earn significantly better grades than identical extroverted students. When we include the temperament variables described in the work of Kiersey and Bates (1984) in our model, we find that NT and NF students perform significantly worse in Principles of Macroeconomics than their SJ counterparts. We also find that a student whose temperament type matches the class instructor's temperament does significantly better in the class than a student whose temperament type does not match the instructor's. We believe this provides evidence of the importance of matching a student's learning style with a professor's teaching style. In conclusion, we discuss many options for improving instruction in the introductory economics course by offering a variety of different teaching and grading strategies that will better accommodate our students' diverse personality types and learning styles.