An Analysis of the Factors that Influence Global Mindedness in First-Year College Students

This non-experimental, quantitative descriptive study was designed to determine what factors influence a first-year college students’ global mindedness and if any of those factors were predictors of the five subscales of global mindedness. Surveys were used to measure students’ global mindedness and their type of personality (N=424). Demographic questions were administered that included gender, county population, Pell grant eligibility, and first generation college student. Results indicated that first-year college students at a four-year public Master’s Large institution were moderately global minded. To predict global mindedness and its subscales, a regression model was developed using the Myers Briggs scores for extravert, sensing, thinking, and judging along with Pell grant eligibility, first generation college student status, gender, and county population as the independent variables. The prediction model indicated that global mindedness had four predicting variables that were either positively or negatively correlated with total global mindedness: extravert, sensing, and thinking personality types, and the demographic factor of socio-economic status. The five subscales of global mindedness each had predictive variables as well. More studies are needed to further enhance the effectiveness of instructional strategies concerning personality types on students’ global mindednes