Personality Traits and Thinking Styles: A Case Study of Arab Teachers as Members of a Minority in Israel

Abstract

This exploratory study examines the connection between personality traits and thinking styles among Arab teachers, as members of a minority, in the Arab education system in Israel. Teachers play a critical role in developing their students’ skills, as well as their perspectives, conceptions, and personality traits. Teachers’ own personality traits and thinking styles play an important role and are reflected in their professional performance as educators. The Arab minority in Israel is undergoing rapid processes of change on the social, economic, political, and cultural levels, and its members live in a society considered a modern one (with clear traditional characteristics). Nevertheless, no studies have been carried out which examine the relationship between personality traits and thinking styles among minority teachers in the Arab school system in Israel. In light of this, there is great importance in examining this subject and investigating the connections between personality traits and thinking styles among Arab teachers in the Arab education system in Israel. A total of 205 Arab teachers participated in this study. Descriptive statistics and calculation of the Pearson correlation coefficient were used through the statistical analysis program SPSS. The research findings show a positive relationship between personality traits and thinking styles among teachers.