SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORLDWIDE

Volume 8, Number 1, January 2002

Theme: The Multiple Dimensions of Principal Involvement

MBTI® Personality Preferences and Diverse Online Learning Experiences [PDF file]
Anne L. Russell, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Abstract
The purpose of this case study was to explore students’ experiences of asynchronous interactions with other students and with their instructor during an online study module. The module, part of a university course in teacher-librarianship, was designed to assist these students to understand how knowledge of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator® could be used to promote positive partnerships. The case study comprised data from two classes of students (70 students total) who took this module as part of their post-graduate course in teacher-librarianship in 1999 and 2000. The data from student feedback at the end of the module were analysed in terms of how different MBTI personality preferences experience an online learning community. Students were found to be operating in two different environments, and each environment gave rise to a different identity: (1) community interactive, and (2) independent. Within each environment, students with different personalities reported different experiences. Implications for understanding how students with different personalities address their online learning environment and suggestions for future research are addressed.

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Last updated 12 September 2008 (KSB)