AN EXAMINATION OF PERSONALITY TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL TEACHERS OF THE DISADVANTAGED AND HANDICAPPED

This project sought to quantitatively measure the difference in personality structures of teachers of traditional and special needs classrooms. Representative samples of each group completed the California Personality Inventory. The results were then statistically compared to ascertain if there were any significant differences. The California Personality Inventory measures eighteen different personality traits. They are: Dominance, Capacity for Status, Sociability, Social Presence, Self-Acceptance, Sense of Well Being, Responsibility Socialization, Self Control, Tolerance, Good Impression, Commonality, Achievement via Conformance, Achievement via Independence, Intellectual Efficiency, Psychological Mindedness, Flexibility and Femininity. This research found a significant difference in two of these subscales; Responsibility and Achievement via Conformity. The teachers of the special needs students scored significantly lower on both of these subscales than their traditional counterparts. This research also detected some trends in other scales that were of interest. These two samples were compared demographically as well. The areas that were examined were age, teaching experience, education and sex. The special needs teacher\u27s sample was found to be younger, with less teaching experience, having more education and a higher proportion of females than the traditional sample. In conclusion, this project found there to be a measurable difference between the teacher of the special needs student and the teacher of the traditional student