Search

Identifying personality types and learning style preferences of students and professionals in the allied health professions can aid college students in academic achievement and in career decision making. A literature review regarding personality types and learning style preferences of students enrolled in various allied health fields is presented. Research using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to determine personality characteristics has been performed in allied health professions. The MBTI identifies four bipolar personal preferences: extraversion-intraversion; sensing-intuition; thinking-feeling; and judging-perceiving. This provides a system for classifying individuals according to one of sixteen personality types. Examples are offered of personality profiles of students and their relationship to choice of field in the health professions. In assessing learning styles, an inventory is demonstrated that includes six dimensions of learning preferences: abstract; concrete; individual; interpersonal; student-structured; and teacher-structured. Differences and similarities in learning styles among these students are pointed out. Suggestions are made for using these measurements for matching students' preferences and personalities to assure greater academic and career success. (JD)