Naslov
Personality, research and teaching
(Osobnost, istraživanje i podučavanje)

Autori
Šimić, Goran

Izvornik
Mef.hr (1332-960X) 24 (2005), 1; 41-41

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, ostalo

Ključne riječi
personality traits ; ambition ; endurance ; dominance ; leadership ; aggressiveness ; independence ; liberality ; extraversion ; neuroticism ; objectiveness ; intelligence
(osobine ličnosti ; ambicioznost ; izdržljivost ; dominacija ; sposobnost vođenja (drugih) ; agresivnost ; neovisnost ; liberalnost ; ekstrovertiranost ; neurotičnost ; objektivnost ; inteligencija)

Sažetak
The generation and transmission of knowledge are the primary goals of universities. Both individuals and institutions differ widely in the fulfillment of these goals. Although the factors that affect these processes are relatively poorly understood, several studies have produced fairly consistent findings with regard to the personality traits associated with successful research and teaching of university professors. In a meta-analysis of two suchstudies, 452 professors at The University of Western Ontario were evaluated on 29 trait dimensions using four assessment techniques: faculty peer ratings, student ratings, self ratings and objective questionnaires. A composite criterion of research creativity was generated from publication records and Science Citation Index counts (first authored self-citations were excluded). A composite for teaching effectiveness was created from annual, end-of-course student evaluation data collected over the 5-year period. The results suggested that the constellation of traits defining the creative researcher and the effective teacher are approximately orthogonal! While the one cluster suggest independence, achievement orientation, dominance, and striving to create cognitive order, the other denotes an easier-going, intelligent liberality. The only trait that effective researchers and teachers shared in common was leadership. The one on which researchers and teachers were exactly the opposite was supportingness, with effective researchers being low and effective teachers high. However, in spite of a fairly clear personal profile that emerges for both effective researchers and teachers no one shoud think that all effective researchers and teachers conform to these profiles. For example, although many scientists have historically been recognized as less sociable than average, exceptions can be found (e.g. Leibnitz). Also, one should bear in mind that in correlational studies it is usually impossible to specify clear causality. One possibility is that success and reinforcement at teaching or research fosters the "teacher or researcher personality". Many of the personality traits implicated here appear to have substantial heritabilities associated with them and have long term stability over the lifespan. In other words, personality may constrain, or predispose one to a certain kind of academic life. To deny a highly affiliative person his or her sociability for long hours alone in the laboratory may be more difficult than similar proscriptions for a less sociably inclined, more independently tempered colleague. Similarly, it may well be harder for the ambitious, task oriented person seeking ultimated definiteness, to spend long hours helping and counselling students. In conclusion, despite the imperfections of measures of personality traits, meaningful and replicable empirical associations among these measures in successful university researchers and teachers can be clearly demonstrated.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija, Temeljne medicinske znanosti, Kliničke medicinske znanosti, Psihologija, Kognitivna znanost (prirodne, tehničke, biomedicina i zdravstvo, društvene i humanističke znanosti)

POVEZANOST RADA