Is the Evaluation of Children’s Temperament Independent from Pre-school Teachers’ Personality?

Abstract

Considering the fact that pre-school teachers often evaluate children’s characteristics as a part of their work, it is interesting to investigate the relationship between their own personalities and children’s’ temperament. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is related to the following question: ‘’Are pre-school teachers’ evaluations of children’s temperament independent from their personality traits?’’. Moreover, what will also be analyzed is the relationship between the preschool teachers’ personality and the children’s temperament, the level of work demands and how much the children like their pre-school teachers. Correlational research design included the application of two personality measures: the Ten Item Personality Inventory for preschool teachers’ self-estimation of personality traits and the EAS questionnaire for the estimation of children’s temperament. 10 pre-school teachers assessed their own temperament and the temperament of 128 children. The collected data were analyzed by using the descriptive and correlational statistical procedures. The descriptive statistics demonstrated the expected levels of pre-school teachers’ personality traits and children’s temperament, while the correlational analysis revealed a significant correlation between the pre-school teachers’ extraversion, neuroticism and openness to experience and all children’s temperament dimensions. The level of work demands was lower in children with low emotionality and activity levels and high sociability levels. Children liked those preschool teachers with higher conscientiousness and agreeableness levels more. This study clearly demonstrated that evaluation of children’s temperament is not independent from preschool teachers’ personality traits. The level of working demands assessed by pre-school teachers depends on children’s temperament, just as the question of how much the children like their pre-school teachers depends on the preschool teachers’ personality traits. The findings are discussed within the frame of the quality process of early and pre-school education.