How Personality Matters for Education Research

The field of personality psychology could contribute to the aims of educational research, but several misconceptions may hold back this synthesis. We address three misconceptions about personality psychology that are surprisingly pervasive outside of that field: that there are personality types, that personality is fixed, and that the existence of personality implies that situations are unimportant. We then cover four ways that personality psychology can assist educational aims: personality can be used to (1) boost our ability to accurately predict educational outcomes, (2) inform educational interventions, (3) support the academic development of all learners in personalised learning interventions, and (4) be employed as target outcomes for education. In the process, we show how personality relates to important educational outcomes, outline theoretical links with educationally relevant concepts like socio-emotional skills, and include an overview of current personality scales that can be used when getting started. Through this paper, we hope to stimulate and enthuse researchers to advance synthesis between the disciplines.

Automated summary

The field of personality psychology has a significant contribution to educational research, but there are common misconceptions that hinder their integration. Three misconceptions about personality psychology are addressed: the existence of personality types, fixed personality, and the belief that personality disregards the importance of situations. Four ways in which personality psychology can assist educational aims are discussed: improving prediction of educational outcomes, informing educational interventions, supporting the academic development of all learners, and using personality as target outcomes for education. This paper aims to inspire and motivate researchers to advance the synthesis between these two disciplines.