Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The authors have used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), a personality assessment tool, to look at online learning styles. MBTI is briefly explained and some work on how MBTI has been applied to online behavior in general is outlined. The article describes and discusses an experiment that looked at how adult learners made use of their MBTI type to cope with the challenges of learning in an online environment. Results of the experiment are presented and some tentative conclusions are drawn. The authors go on to provide notes related to the four psychological dimensions of the MBTI that might be useful to course designers, course facilitators, and students. The article concludes with a brief discussion of where further work might prove useful.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Rogers

C. R.

, The Interpersonal Relationship in the Facilitation of Learning, in Culture and the Processes of Adult Learning, Edwards

(eds.), Routledge, London, pp. 228–242, 1993.

Billings

, Learning Style Preferences and Distance Education: A Review of Literature and Implications for Research, American Center for the Study of Distance Education Research Monograph, 8: Part 2, 1993.

Myers

Briggs I.

and Myers

, Gifts Differing, Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, 1980.

Hirsh

and Kummerow

, Introduction to Type in Organizations (2nd Edition), Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, 1990.

Lawrence

, People Types and Tiger Stripes, Center for Application of Psychological Type, Gainesville, Florida, 1979.

Meisgeier

Murphy

, and Meisgeier

, A Teacher's Guide to Type, Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, 1989.

Provost

and Anchors

, Applications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in Higher Education, Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, 1987.

Kummerow

Barger

, and Kirby

, WORKTypes, Warner Books, New York, 1997.

Sewall

, The Measurement of Learning Style: A Critique of Four Assessment Tools, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1986.

10.

Harsham

, Psychological Type on the Electronic Highway (Internet), Bulletin of Psychological Type, 17: 3, pp. 20–22, 1994.

11.

Livingood

, Revenge of the Introverts, Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine, 1995. Accessed online at http://metalab.unc.edu/cmc/mag/1995/apr/livingood.html

12.

Owen

M. B.

and Liles

R. T.

, Relationship of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to Internet Use by Educators, Proceedings of APT-XIII, the Thirteenth Biennial International Conference of the Association for Psychological Type, Scottsdale, Arizona, pp. 65–70, 1999.

13.

Palloff

and Pratt

, Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1999.

14.

Bail

F. T.

, An Exploration of Relationships among Psychological Type, Ethnicity, and Computer-Mediated Communication, in Psychological Type and Culture—East and West: A Multicultural Research Symposium, Moody

R. A.

(ed.), University of Hawaii, pp. 221–228, January 1993.

15.

Mason

, Models of Online Courses, ALN Magazine, 2: 2, October 1998. Accessed online at http://www.aln.org/alnweb/magazine/maga_v2_i2.htm.

Online Learners and Their Learning Strategies

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References