The influence of personality on learning outcomes and attitudes: The case of discussants in the classroom

Abstract

This article covers an academic gap concerning the role of personality in the context of a teaching methodology based on discussions in the classroom. Specifically, we analyse the effects of the students' personality on perceived learning outcomes and students' attitude toward either playing a discussant or a discussed role. We also aim at identifying different profiles of students depending on their personal characteristics, such as empathy, proactivity and motivation to lead. The discussant activity was carried out in a business course in a higher education institution where students are required to join a team and develop a marketing research project. The students had to answer a survey before and after the activity. Then, the data was analysed through partial least squares (PLS) and cluster analysis. The results show that the three personality traits considered in the study affect either perceived learning outcomes or students' attitudes toward discussing their classmates' work and being discussed by their peers. Moreover, three different profiles of students are identified, namely, ‘proactive emphatic leader’, ‘speculative leader’ and ‘passive follower’.