Self-Perceived Personality Characteristics of Award-Winning Career Technical Education Teachers and Award-Winning Core Subject Area Teachers Throughout the United States of America

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between self-perceived personality characteristics found in award-winning Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers and award-winning Core Subject Area (CSA) teachers throughout the United States of America. Students’ participation in Career Technical Education has previously been linked to increased graduation rates. One might assume that the CTE curriculum encourages potential drop-outs to continue their educations and earn their diplomas. While this may be true, others might argue that the personality characteristics of CTE teachers are the underlying factors to increased graduation rates. In order to provide more knowledge in this area of education, the researcher analyzed teachers’ perceptions of personality characteristics exhibited by award-winning teachers to determine if significant differences exist in the perceptions of CTE teachers and CSA teachers concerning personality characteristics. In this study, the researcher measured teachers’ self-perceptions regarding pre-determined personality characteristics of effective teachers exhibited by state “Teacher of the Year” award-winners and Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) award-winners throughout the United States to determine if significant differences exist between the two groups of effective teachers. If differences did exist between the personality characteristics of CTE teachers and CSA teachers, further research might conclude that the personality characteristics of CTE teachers encourage students to stay in school. The researcher used a 2 x (12) Mixed Design Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to answer the three research questions formulated for the study. The results of the research study indicated that award-winning CTE teachers and award-winning CSA teachers throughout the United States of America valued all twelve of Robert J. Walker’s “12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher” (2008). Perhaps more importantly, the two groups of award-winning teachers did not differ significantly based on Walker’s “12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher” (2008).