Do personality traits matter in Chinese academics’ teaching approaches?

Abstract

This research aimed at identifying the statistically predictive relationship of personality traits to teaching approaches. The NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Approaches to Teaching Inventory were administered to 268 academics from six elite universities in mainland China. Results showed that personality traits significantly contributed to teaching approaches beyond gender, type of institution, and taught academic discipline. Specifically, as expected, openness was beneficial to the conceptual-change teaching approach, whereas neuroticism was conducive to the information-transmission teaching approach. Furthermore, extraversion was related to the conceptual-change teaching approach, whereas agreeableness was associated with the information-transmission teaching approach. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to academics and university senior managers.