The Relationship between Iranian EFL Students’ Personality Characteristics and their Assertiveness: A Case of Postgraduate Students
الموضوعات :
نسرین یعقوبی نژاد
1
(Department of English Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran)
توران آهور
2
(Department of English Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran)
الکلمات المفتاحية: Students, assertiveness, personality characteristics, Postgraduate,
ملخص المقالة :
Various studies suggest that it is important to determine students' personality charecteristics and assertiveness and make them aware of these differences in order to improve learning process and outcomes. This study aimed to find out how much of the variance in postgraduate students’ assertiveness is explained by five personality characteristics (i.e., Openness, Neuroticism, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) and which one of these characteristics significantly predicts the students’ assertiveness. To this end, 66 postgraduate students within the age range of 22 to 35 participated in this descriptive correlational study. They were majoring in English language teaching at Islamic Azad University,Tabriz Branch, Tabriz, Iran. The College Self-expression Scale (CSES) and Big-Five Personality Inventory were used to assess the students’ level of assertiveness and their personality characteristics, respectively. In order to answer the research questions, a multiple linear regression analysis was carried out. The results revealed that about 14 percent of the postgraduate students’ assertiveness is explained by five personality characteristics and out of them, only Extroversion has a significant contribution to their assertiveness. The pedagogical implications are presented for teachers, students, syllabus designers, and materials writers.
Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Amani hafshejani, Z., Fatehizade, M., & Yousefi, Z. (2013).The multiple relations between attachment styles and big five personality traits with assertiveness in a sample of Iranian girl. Journal of Education Research and Behavioral Sciences, 2(10), 161-166.
Bagherian, M., & Mojambari, A. K. (2016). The relationship between BIG five personality traits and assertiveness. Tendenzen, 25(3), 111-116.
Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, 1-23.
Benet-Martinez, V., & John, O. P. (1998). Los Cinco Grandes across cultures and ethnic groups: Multitrait-multi- method analyses of the Big Five in Spanish and English. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 729-750.
Blair, R. W. (1982). Innovative approaches language teaching. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Bouchard, M., Lalonde, F., & Gagnon, M. (1988). The construct validity of assertion: Contributions of four assessment procedures and Norman's personality factors. Journal of Personality, 56(4), 763-783.
Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Lomgman.
Bulkeley, R. M., & Cramer, D. (1994). Social skills training with young adolescents: Group and individual approaches in a school setting. Journal of Adolesence, 6 (17), 1-11.
Carrel, P. L., Prince, M. S., & Astica, G. G. (1996). Personality type and language learning in an EFL context. Language Learning Journal, 46, 75-99.
Chastain, K. (1975). Affective and ability factors in second language acquisition. Language Learning, 25, 153-161.
Cote, S., & Moskowitz, D. S. (1998). On the dynamic covariation between interpersonal behavior and affect: Prediction from neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(4), 1032-1046.
Dornyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Ellis, R. (1985). Understanding second language acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Eslami, A. A., Rabiei, L., Afzali, S. M., Hamidizadeh, S., & Masoudi, R. (2016). The effectiveness of assertiveness training on the level of stress, anxiety, and depression of High School students. Iran Red Crescent Med Journal, 18(1), 1-10.
Fazeli, S. H. (2011). The exploring Nature of language learning strategies (LLSs) and their relationship with various variables with focus on personality traits in the current studies of second/foreign language learning. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(10), 1311-1320.
Furnham, A. (1992). Personality and learning style: A study of three instruments. Personality and Individual Differences, 13(4), 429-438.
Galassi, J. P., DeLo, J. S., Galassi, M. D., & Bastien, S. (1974). The college self-expression scale: A measure of assertiveness. Behavior Therapy, 5(2), 165-171.
John, O. P., Naumann, L. P., & Soto, C. J. (2008). Paradigm shift to the integrative Big five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and conceptual issues. In O.P. John, R. W. Robins & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of Personality Psychology: Theory and Research (pp. 114-158). New York: Guilford Press.
Kezwer, P. (1987). The extroverted vs. the introverted personality and second language learning. TESL Canada Journal, 5(1), 45-58.
Kirst, K. (2011). Investigating the relationship between assertiveness and personality characteristics. University of central Florida Orlando.
Lefevre, E. R., & West, M. L. (1981). Assertiveness: Correlations with self-esteem locus of control, interpersonal anxiety, fear of disapproval, and depression. Psychiatric Journal of the University of Ottawa, 6(4), 247-251.
Lizarrage, L, S., Ugrate, D., Gradelle, A., Elawar, M., & Iriate, D. B. T. (2003). Enhancement of self-regulation, assertiveness, and empathy. Learning and Instruction, 13, 423-439.
Matthews, G., Ian, J. D., & Whiteman, M. C. (1998). Personality Traits (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1990). Personality in adulthood. New York: Guilford.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1996). Towards a new generation of personality theories: Theoretical contexts for the five factor model. In J. Wiggins (Ed.), The five factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives (pp. 51-87). NewYork: Guilford Press.
Mc Vanel, S., & Morris, B. (2010). Staff's perceptions of voluntary assertiveness skills training. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 26 (6), 256-259. doi: 10.1097/NND.0b013e31819b5c72
Miri, F., & Shamsaddini, M. R. (2014). The effect of different personality traits on Iranian EFL learners' vocabulary learning. Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Science, 4(2), 106-116.
Ostovar, S., Khorasani, P. T., & Rezaei, N. (2015).The relationship between personality dimensions (introversion, extroversion) and self-assertiveness with social anxiety among university students. Biological Forum-An International Journal,7(2),134-139.
Pallant, J. (2013). A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM spss: Survival manual (5th ed.). McCraw-Hill Education.
Phares, E.J. (1991). Introduction to psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Ramanaiah, N. V., & Deniston, W. M. (1993). NEO personality inventory profiles of assertive and nonassertive persons. Psychological Reports, 73(1), 336-338.
Rammstedt, B., & John, O. P. (2007). Measuring personality in one minute or less: A 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory. Journal of Research in Personality, 41, 203-212.
Rusinko, H. M., Brandley, A. R., & Miller, B. (2010). Assertiveness and attributions of blame toward victims of sexual assault. Journal Aggression, 19, 357-371.
Sadeghi, N., Kasim, Z. M., Tan, B. H., & Abdullah, F. S. (2012). Learning styles, personality types and reading comprehension performance. English Language Teaching, 5(4), 116-123.
Threeton, M. D., & Walter, R. A. (2009). The relationship between personality type and learning style: A study of automotive technology students. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 46(2), 48-74.
Vestewig, R. E., & Moss, M. K. (1976). The relationship of extraversion and neuroticism to two measures of assertive behavior. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 93(1), 141-146.
Wilson, K., & Gallois, C. (1993). Assertion and its social context. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
