Personality self-perceptions of Turkish music pre-service teachers in relation to departmental satisfaction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine individual differences in the field of music education. The ‘Big Five’ model of personality served as the framework to help meet the purpose. Using a sample of 83 music pre-service teachers enrolled in a department of music education, we found that music pre-service teachers scored high in the Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion and Agreeableness dimensions but low in the Neuroticism dimension of personality. This finding suggests that the music pre-service teachers possess the personality type that the scientists suggest is ideal for teachers. Two dimensions of personality (Openness and Extroversion) were positively correlated with the music pre-service teachers’ satisfaction in studying in the department of music education.