| USING THE KEIRSEY TEST DATA |
By Dr. Jon H. Blumhardt, Director, Honolulu Community College Educational Media Center.
All rights reserved. Reprinted here with permission.
| Introduction |
The information that follows was developed for students taking online courses and for instructors developing such courses. The material can, however, be adapted to all courses and various modes of instruction. Current research into personality styles suggests that because each of us has an individual personality, we also have a "learning style" associated with that personality, a unique way in which we
Some instructors use the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, which is based on the Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator, to give students an opportunity to look at their "temperament" and "learning style", but sometimes also to provide the instructors themselves with an opportunity to develop "multi-learning paths" so that their method of instruction -- and the way in which they structure their courses, doesn't get in the way of students' learning......... Some of you learners are probably saying.....
Others of you need to....
With an internet course, eyeball-to-eyeball contact and interaction... like you'd find in a regular college classroom is just not there, because the learning and interaction isn't occurring in physical space, but cyberspace....and for some learners...this different methodology of learning may be difficult to use...we are trying our best, however to accommodate all types of learners....so that each of you canSUCCEED! For students who need and desire personal and social interaction...some instructors will use E-mail and chat sessions for real time discussions... After you've take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, look inside the four-letter code for the following sub-combinations of letters. See if the learning style definitions posted here correspond to your own preferred style of learning. This will hopefully help you move through a course in a way that works best for you. |
| SP Learning Style |
SP combinations hunger for action and for having the freedom to act. This group is the least represented in institutions of higher learning and tends to have the lowest correlation between academic ability and grade point average, yet represent 38% of the students in schools which require compulsory attendance. SP's need physical involvement and hands-on experience. They learns from media presentations and love to be entertained. They tends to rebel against close supervision and see instructions as something to outwit. They enjoy dialog with others to report progress, but do not want to be part of a democratic or consensus process. They seeks constant change of pace and variety. Pencil and paper work is deadly. Verbal and visual work are far more appealing. Lectures, Socratic questioning, workbooks, answer-the-questions-at-the-back-of the book all leave SP's disinterested. SUGGESTED WAYS TO TAKE THE COURSE: SP's will probably want to know and understand all of the details of a course presented in a clear, logical, and precise manner so they can make sense of it. They should use the suggested due dates for work submission requirements to not fall behind. |
| SJ Learning Style |
SJ's hunger for belonging to a group. Responsibility, dependability, duty, and service are words associated with SJ students. Since about 2/3's of teachers are SJ's, SJ students can readily relate to this traditional classroom. SJ's usually want to please the teacher. The values of the teacher are accepted without question as good values. They generally have good study habits, doing homework as assigned. Learning their lessons as directed are seen as worthwhile. SJ's do well with workbooks. They like and need structure and do best when lessons are presented sequentially in increments that make sense. They do not thrive on long-term independent projects. They do not always enjoy group discussions. They thrives on stability and learns well from traditional instructional technology, including demonstration. SUGGESTED WAYS TO TAKE THE COURSE: SJ's probably want to know and understand all of the details of a course presented in a clear, logical, and precise manner so they can make sense of it. An SJ has an independent mind and wants to make decisions as they see fit and as things fit into what they learn. They need to keep in mind that everything needs to be turned in for grading before the end of the course. |
| NT Learning Style |
NT's hunger for competency. They must know all they should know, and their lists of "should knows" are endless. Building, architecting, inventing, and commanding describe NT learners. NT's look for whatever will enable them to understand, explain, predict, and control. They tend to collect rules and principles that give structure to their cognitive worlds. They enjoy tracking ideas of others and developing their own ideas. They are intellectually curious and technically oriented. They tends to be an independent learners and like to pursue inspirations, tracking down information until the desire for learning is satisfied. SUGGESTED WAYS TO TAKE THE COURSE: NT's will probably want to know and understand the global picture of the course before any of the details make sense. They need to scan the modules first, then come back and fill in the gaps. Logic and thought are their keys. If you are an NT and see something that doesn't make sense, E-mail the instructor...let him or her know how they can make the course materials clearer. |
| NF Learning Style |
NF's hunger for an ever-increasing "sense of self." The search for self begins early in life and becomes a life-long quest. The NF wants to be him or herself as well as be somebody. Within this group are found the charismatic, the emphatic, the dramatic, and the idealist, seeking ever to establish an identity to feel complete and undivided. NF's have a built-in desire to communicate in a personal way with others. They are hypersensitive to hostility and conflict and thrive on recognition, caring, personal attention, two-way exchanges, and recognition of emotional attitudes. They enjoy interaction, work well in democratically run classrooms, participate enthusiastically in group discussions. They may be shy if introverted. Cooperation rather than competition is key. They prefer to focus on subjects that have a people orientation and are apt to choose liberal arts over the sciences or technology. SUGGESTED WAYS TO TAKE THE COURSE: NF's will probably want to know and understand the global picture of a course before any of the details make sense. They need to scan the modules first, then come back and fill in the gaps. Because they have emotional attachements to the social milleau of the course and are inclined to form personal relationships, they should use the e-mail list of fellow students and mail them. As always, the instructors are available to help. |
| The Silver-Hansen-Strong Learning Styles Inventory |
In addition to the Keirsey analysis, there is also the Silver-Hansen-Strong Learning Styles Inventory. It is also based on the Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator which uses a similar approach to its division of the types into four learning styles, but it uses a somewhat different model.
While the NT and NF designators remain the same as in the Keirsey Temperament Model, it is interesting to note that instead of SP and SJ, ST and SF are used. ST Learning Style: The key word is "directive". Key terms associated with this type of learning style are: practical, matter-of-fact, work oriented, concept development, knowledge/skill, advance organizer. ST learners are lead, guided or managed by a teacher, aide, or programmed instruction, in sequential steps, in an organized way, to achieve individual or group goals determined by the instructor. SF Learning Style: The key word associated with this learning style "interactive". Key terms are: sympathetic, friendly, group harmony, cooperative learning, jigsaw, group investigation. SF learners need to be involved in face-to-face communication in interdependent and collaborative ways to achieve a common goal or outcome determined by themselves or by the instructor. NT Learning Style: The key word associated with this learning style "thinking". Key terms are: logical, ingenious, curious, inquiry, concept attainment, concept formation. NT learners actively process or mediate learning variables, frame hypotheses, experiment, seek solutions, or critique products to achieve individual or group goals established by themselves or by the instructor. |