Personality and Preservice Teachers: Does It Change, Does It Matter?

In the studied university, a recurring discussion among preservice teachers centers around whether good teachers are born or made. Scott and Dinham (2008) examined this issue and found that many preservice teachers believe that some people are born to be good teachers and that this is a genetic trait. Darling-Hammond (2006), however, argues that "teachers are born, not made" is a myth and highly damaging to teacher education and to education more broadly. Further, Harrison, Smithey, MacAffee, and Weiner (2006) describe the importance of having a "teacher's heart" but assume that this can be developed in teacher candidates even before entering the teacher education program. The argument that teachers are made, not born, is especially compelling to teacher educators. As teachers of teachers, teacher educators must believe in the learning potential of all preservice teachers admitted into their programs. If a teacher candidate has the motivation to become a reflective practitioner of the craft of teaching, then a teacher educator believes that that person can, indeed, develop into an effective teacher. However, at its heart, this is an empirical question that needs to be examined. In this article paper, the authors attempt to understand one aspect of teacher candidates, personality, and its potential impact on teaching quality. First, the authors examine which personality, according to the five-factor model, preservice teachers tend to have. Then the authors examine the stability of personality over the course of a teacher training program. Finally, the connections between teaching performance, feelings about teaching, and personality are assessed.