THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONALITY TYPE AND LEARNING STYLE: A STUDY OF AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

In an effort to provide career and technical education (CTE) professionals with additional insight on how to better meet the individual education needs of the learner, this study (a) sought to identify the predominant personality type of postsecondary automotive technology students and (b) examined whether there was a relationship between the participants’ predominant personality classifications and learning styles. The findings suggested that the majority of participants had a predominantly Realistic personality classification, and identified a relationship between personality type and learning style. Findings may be useful to CTE teachers and teacher educators interested in diversifying curriculum and instruction via strategies to enhance the educational experience for the student learner. Mark D. Threeton, is an Assistant Professor of Education in the Learning and Performance Systems Department at The Pennsylvania State University. He can be reached at mdt177@psu.edu. Richard A. Walter, is an Associate Professor of Education in the Learning and Performance Systems Department at The Pennsylvania State University. He can be reached at raw18@psu.edu. Relationship Between Personality and Learning 49

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