Date of Award

2001

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Educational Leadership PhD

First Advisor

James A. Tucker

Second Advisor

Hinsdale Bernard

Third Advisor

Naomi Ludman

Abstract

Problem. Educators are faced with significant challenges daily as they attempt to meet the diverse needs of students. The establishment of school-based problem solving teams is one approach that supports teachers and students. This study will determine if personality preferences of team members impact the effectiveness of teams involved in the Connecticut Early Intervention Project (EIP). EIP incorporates a team approach providing assistance to requesting classroom teachers who have students experiencing difficulties.

Method. The research design consisted of a comparison of two groups of Connecticut public schools that participated in the Early Intervention Project (EIP) and were trained accordingly. Schools that had 12% or less of their student population identified as special education were classified as successful EIP schools. Schools that had more than 12% o f their student population identified as special education were classified as non-successful EIP schools. The dependent variables in this study consisted of the eight interval scales on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Data were statistically analyzed by including Independent Sample t-tests at the .05 level of significance. Chi Square analysis was conducted on the 93 MBTI items and tested at the probability level of .05. A total of 173 team members from 26 schools were part of the database.

Results. The results showed that the difference in the means between both groups, based on the 8 interval scales of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), is not statistically significant. No difference in the personality type preferences of successful and non-successful EIP trained schools was found.

Conclusions. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that personality factors influence the effectiveness of EIP teams with respect to the determination of eligibility of students for special education. The study concludes that regardless of a team member's personality preferences, there is a need to appreciate the diversity and skills that all team members contribute to the team 's functioning.

Subject Area

Special education--Connecticut, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dissertations/501/

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