Understanding the Big Five

Personality Traits:
Guide for teachers
Darwin C. Macalanda, PhD, Rpsy, Rpm
Dean, College of Psychology

Ago Medical and Educational Center

June 15, 2017
• Five broad domains or dimensions of personality that are used to describe
human personality.
• Based on the five-factor model (FFM) by Costa and McCrae, 1985
 Factor I: Extraversion
Extraversion reflects how energetically we engage with the outside world. In
other words, it determines how much we enjoy being with people and how often
we experience positive emotions.
• The Best Teachers • The Worst Teachers
• Initiate and maintain • Minimize social interaction as much as
communication at every possible possible (e.g., habitually arriving late and
opportunity (e.g., before-class leaving early)
chats) • Speak in a nearly inaudible monotone:
• Project a forceful, enthusiastic, “A professor is one who talks in someone
persuasive style (e.g., “pep else’s sleep”
talks”) • Reduce the amount of in-class
• Stimulate active interaction instruction by delivering abbreviated
during the lecture hour (e.g., lectures or by “putting the lectures on
“show of hands”) the web”
Problem:

Very high extraversion can

be negative if it means that
the teacher is
confrontational and
domineering - the “in your
face” instructor.

Hence the need to couple it

with the next factor:
 Factor II: Agreeableness
Agreeableness indicates the extent to which we value getting along with others.
Agreeable people are considerate, generous and willing to compromise their
interests for others. Of course at the extreme this can make you overly trusting
or unwilling to make tough decisions that affect others.

• The Best Teachers • The Worst Teachers

• Develop welcoming course websites
with an attractive look and interesting
links
• Introduce themselves before the first
day of class by sending a “warm and
fuzzy” to everyone enrolled
• Learn students’ names and use them
at every opportunity
• Hold liberal and flexible office hours,
even adopting the “open door” policy
• Make it known early how much they
hate teaching and would rather be
making more constructive use of their
valuable time
• Hold minimal office hours at
inconvenient times that are often
canceled without notice
• Respond to questions in a hostile,
intimidating manner, both in class and
during office hours (“What’s your
problem? “Didn’t get it the first
time?”)
Problem

Agreeable extraversion not sufficient

either; the “nice person, but can’t
teach” phenomenon is not a good
because he or she violates the students’
expectations about the instructor’s
responsibilities
 Factor III: Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness deals with your organizational skills and self-discipline.
People with high conscientiousness are methodical, composed and think before
they act, while people with low conscientiousness tend to act on impulse.

• The Best Teachers • The Worst Teachers

• Prepare the course well before
the onset of classes (textbook,
syllabus, website, etc.)
• Extensively plan and rehearse
for each lecture (including
audiovisuals)
• Are careful and methodical in
the preparation of examination
materials, even when using
textbook-prepared questions
• Make woefully incompetent
textbook choices
• Prepare horribly inadequate
syllabi, if they do so at all
• Come totally unprepared for
lectures
• Display the most minimal regard
for test construction or the
evaluation of test performance
Problem:

Conscientiousness can go too far, however, if it

has any hint of obsessive-compulsive behavior, a
possible manifestation of ...
 Factor IV: Neuroticism
Neuroticism is about we respond emotionally to events, and the intensity of
those reactions. The higher the level of neuroticism, the more persistent and
intense the response will be. This also relates to general levels of anxiety and
self-consciousness.

• The Worst Teachers • The Best Teachers

• May display extreme anxiety, to the
point of incapacitating panic attacks
• May display hypochondriasis
• May display extreme ego-defensiveness
so that the smallest question becomes a
major personal challenge that must be
nipped in the bud
• May display extremely inflexible and
black-and-white attitudes and behavior
• Relaxed, easy-going even under
unexpected surprises or mistakes
• Not defensive, even in response to
deliberately hostile students
• Flexible, within the limits of instructor
responsibilities
Teachers who are extraverted, agreeable, conscientious,
and non-neurotic are very good teachers, but to be a truly
great teacher requires one thing more ...
 Factor V: Openness to Experience
Openness reflects your willingness to embrace new and unusual experiences.
It’s a measure of how imaginative and creative you are, as opposed to how down
to-earth and conventional.

• The Best Teachers • The Worst Teachers

• Make constant connections between
course topics and ideas in other courses
and disciplines
• Make ample use of cartoons, newspaper
clippings, websites, movies, TV shows,
songs, T-shirts, and ties to make
connections to the world outside the
classroom
• Insist on an extremely narrow
treatment of the subject with
respect to the choice of textbook
and lecture topics
• Respond negatively to student
questions that try to make
connections to the outside world
 The Big Five Personality

High High High High Low

Teaching Excellence
 Attitude Matters
The 100% accounted behavior is based
from the equation:

90% - our action

10% - situation
The things we do for
ourselves, when we
are gone is gone.
The things we do for
our students when
we are gone, remains
a legacy.
Hardwork is better than knowledge;
Attitude is the best;
but nothing beats the Love of God