Personality Types of Interior Design Students: Implications for Education

Abstract

Objective The purposes of this study were to explore students’ career aspirations in interior design and identify any relationship between their self–assessed curriculum strengths, career aspirations, and personality types. Research Design The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and a career aspirations questionnaire were administered to 234 junior and senior interior design students currently enrolled in Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER) accredited programs at 12 universities in the United States. Analysis A factor analysis was used to assess career aspirations from the questionnaire relative to personality type resulting in six factors. An analysis of variance was conducted on the four groups of MBTI types and the six career factors to determine relationships between specific personality types and the six career factors. Key Findings Of the 234 respondents, 40.2% were in the catalyst type with 16.2% of this group falling in the Extroverted–INtuitive–Feeling–Perceiving (ENFP) type. The six factors did not show any significance with the MBTI types. Conclusion The results of this research indicated there was not a definite link between personality and career aspirations in interior design. However, further research of the MBTI types and their relationship to career aspirations in interior design could provide an opportunity for educators to help students become more aware of their career aspirations in the field.