Personality Types of Learners and their Effect on Learning

Posted by Arindam Nag

Tue, Jan 10, 2012 @ 03:02 PM

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There is a close relationship between a learner’s personality and his/ her learning style. A learner’s personality determines the ways a learner controls his/ her emotions and feelings during the learning process. According to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) an instrument widely used to discover the learning preferences of individuals, there are four different personality types of learners. Each of them differ in their learning style and have a different approach towards learning.

Let’s look at the personality types of learners and their effect on learning below.

a) Extroverts: Extroverts feel energized in the presence of people and while interacting with them. Extroverts also enjoy working with others and sharing ideas with them. They believe that better output can be delivered if they work in as a part of a group. They also feel that learning together with other group members proves to be more effective than learning alone. They learn effectively through concrete experiences, information from the outside world and relationships with others.

b) Introvert: Introverts on the other hand prefer processing information or ideas in their own minds. They seem to function better by studying and working on their own. They learn effectively while handling individual and independent situations. They put more emphasis on individual ideas and concepts rather than discussing a problem with others. Their strength lies in their capability of self-sufficiency.

c) Sensing (or sequential): This type of learner takes-in information and arranges it in a sequential way. He/ she tends to organize his/ her information through the use of the five senses. Sensing learners learn more effectively from observable facts and figures. The strength of such learners lies in the fact that they are willing to process information in a systematic way.

d) Intuitive: Intuitive learners take more interest in theories and possibilities. Often they make good guesses without following the sequential steps of learning. Intuitive learners learn more effectively through their deep insights, using their imagination and their command over general concepts instead of going to the depth of the matter. Their strength lies in their ability for conceptualization.

Understanding learners’ personalities helps in understanding their motivations and their preferred method of working. This in turn can help us ensure that we try and accommodate various types of personalities when we design our training.

Tags: different personality types, learner’s personality, Learning and personality types, learning style, types of personality traits