1. and Michael Justason - Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University
Personality Types and Student Performance in an Introductory Physics Course
Jason J.B. Harlow, David M. Harrison, Andrew Meyertholen and Brian Wilson - Department of Physics, University of Toronto
and Michael Justason - Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University
Abstract: We measured the personality type of the students in a large introductory physics course of mostly life science students using the True Colors instrument. We found large correlations of personality type with performance on the Pre-Course Force Concept Inventory (FCI), both term tests, the Post-Course FCI, and the final examination. We also saw correlations with the normalized gain on the FCI. The personality profile of the students in this course is very different from the profile of the physics faculty, and also very different from the profile of students taking the introductory physics course intended for physics majors and specialists.

2. True Colors
Each of us has a different and unique personality; however, there are commonalities that we share.
True Colors® is an attempt to identify various personality styles and label them with 4 colours.
Each colour is associated with certain personality traits or behaviours.
Everyone has some degree of each colour, but one colour is predominant.
Jung published the results of his almost 20 years of research in 1921 in Psychological Types.
20 years later Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Cook Briggs slightly changed Jung’s theory, and the resulting Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is now
the most widely used psychological typing tool. (16 types)
Keirsey simplified the Myers-Briggs classification into four “temperament” groupings based on the dichotomies he considered to be most important.
In 1979 Lowry introduced a metaphor for Keirsey’s temperaments, using four colors in a system called True Colors.

3. Try it Yourself!! A + H + K + N + S D + E + L + P + Q
C + F + J + O + R
B + G + I + M + T
3 minutes + 1 minute. (4 total)

4. Gold Blue Green Orange “Guardian” “Idealist” MBTI: Sensing / Judging
MBTI: Intuition / Feeling
Mediators, Optimistic, Passionate
Gold
“Guardian”
MBTI: Sensing / Judging
Love to plan, detail-oriented, trustworthy
Green
“Rational”
MBTI: Intuition / Thinking
Intellectual, idea-person, philosophical
Orange
“Artisan”
MBTI: Sensing / Perceiving
Playful, energetic, risk-taker

5. Us
Our First-Year Life Sciences Students

6. Intro. To Physics Fall 2016
First half of a two-semester course for non-physics science students
Newtonian mechanics up to oscillations and waves
~1000 students; 800 in MW 11am lecture in Convocation Hall, 200 in MW 5pm lecture
Weekly 2-hour “Labratorials” with PER-based pedagogy. Students work in teams of 4, share the mark, 18:1 student:teacher ratio
We give pre- and post-course FCI: “Force Concept Inventory”. Typical gains are ~0.4
Students were not told of their FCI results or True Color results

7. Pre-course Force Concept Inventory (FCI)
All Colours
Blue
Gold
Green
Orange
Number with Colour
879
162
419
200 98
Mean Pre FCI
50%
41%
49%
57%
Standard error in mean
0.8%
1.6%
1.1%
1.8%
2.4%
sigma Green - Blue
+6.6

8. Final Mark in Course All Colors Blue Gold Green Orange count 585 91
274
145 75
mean 73 67 74 77 71
Standard error in mean
0.6
1.6
0.8
1.2
1.5
sig Green - Blue
4.8

9. Dropout Rate of the Course
All Colors
Blue
Gold
Green
Orange
Original Number
879
162
419
200 98
Number who dropped
293 70
145 55 23
Percent dropped
33%
43%
35%
28%
23%
dropped % error 2% 5% 3% 4%
sigma Green - Blue
−2.5

10. Gain on the FCI over 1 semester
All Colours
Blue
Gold
Green
Orange
Number Pre&Post
564 90
262
139 73
Mean Gain
+0.33
+0.26
+0.31
+0.42
+0.32
err in gain
0.03
0.06
0.04
0.07
0.09
sigma Green - Blue
1.701

11. Conclusions
Results of a quick self-reflection on “True Colors®” personality traits correlate highly with learning in physics
Green students, on average, significantly outperform blue students on summative and formative assessments, with gold and orange in between
Orange students are the least likely group to drop the course
Physics faculty and students are mostly green, while our non-physics students are more diverse
Our teaching methods and assessment tools may be biased to benefit personality types similar to our own

12. Future Work How can we reduce the green-blue performance gap?
The “Blue” personality type is warm, friendly, compassionate, people-oriented, empathetic, kind, and interested in social causes – can we adjust our teaching style in minor ways to reach out to these students more effectively?
This summer we are forming “all-green” and “all-blue” focus groups. An outside facilitator will investigate how students interact with each other and the material from the course
This fall we are planning to try using personality data to assign seating in teams of 4. Is it better to randomly mix personality types, or to group similar personality types together?