A factor analytic study of teacher trainees' and business administration majors' responses to the EPPS and the GZTS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the six-factor found in other studies are functions of the instruments or are specific to trainees in education. Four factors were identified in the teacher trainee sample and were name as authoritarianism, independence, contentment, and introversion. Four factors were identified in the business administration sample and were named perseverance, extroversion, dependence, and flexibility. The six factors were reduced to four factors in the education group and four different factors were found in the business group. It seems that the factors found in these groups are specific to these groups. Studies by Stout (5), Adams, Blood, and Taylor (1), and Palacios (4) have attempted to measure the personality characteristics of teachers with several different types of instruments. Their results indicated that individuals entering or employed in teaching are characterized by needs which are contrary to the descriptions of a teacher as expressed by the National Education Association. Cook, Linden, and McKay (3) factor analyzed the responses of teacher trainees to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey and identified the following six factors: docility, introversion-extroversion, authoritarianism, compulsive conformity, avoidance, and dependency. This further support the discrepancy between the descriptive qualities of the idealized competent teacher and qualities reported by individuals actually entering the field of education. Becker (2) did preliminary work to assess whether these six factors are functions of the test or peculiar to education trainees. If they are test dependent, then there should be no relationship between need satisfaction and choice of education as an occupation. On the other hand, if they are characteristics of education groups, then basic need orientations are satisfied in teaching and educational activities.