Foreign Language Teaching Style and Personality

Abstract

Abstract: Every foreign language teacher develops a teaching style of pedagogical activities and techniques that especially matches his or her personality In this study, the author administered a Teaching Activity Preference ( TAP ) Questionnaire to ascertain how well teaching preferences fit personality type as determined by the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator ( MBTI ) . The principal findings of the study were: ( 1 ) the type distribution among pre‐service foreign language students in the sample confirmed the pattern found by other studies of foreign language teachers, a group of individuals with a high proportion of feeling types; (2) the TAP Questionnaire distinguished the personality types from one another; and ( 3 ) the TAP Questionnaire indicated that preferred teaching activities usually matched the personality dimensions of the participant. Some of the pedagogical implications for foreign language teachers are discussed .