Personality Traits of Minority Arab Teachers in the Arab Educational System in Israel

Abstract

Abstract

The present research examined the personality traits prevalent among Arab teachers as a minority in the Arab educational system in Israel.

Research on personality traits has much significance in the prediction of human behavior in various situations. Personality traits affect a person's behavior.  Usually personality traits do not change, and they are reflected in a person's behavior in various situations.

Teaching, like any other profession, requires specific traits, skills and personal abilities, a basis of extensive, professional knowledge and the appropriate perceptions and thinking. Teachers' personality traits play an important role in their work. Research has shown that there are correlations between people's personality traits and their behavior in various situations. A number of researchers state that thinking styles constitute a central aspect of one's personality, whereas other researchers claim that personality traits and thinking styles overlap somewhat, but that each of them provides a unique contribution, with clear structures characterizing them. Research has shown that personality traits explain a high percentage of the diversity in thinking styles.  Additional research has shown that personality traits explain the variations in thinking styles in higher percentages.

Personality traits among Arab teachers as members of a national minority in Israel have not attained research attention up to now, despite this society undergoing rapid processes of change in social, economic, political, cultural and family spheres.  In light of this, it is vitally important to study the subject and examine what personality traits are prevalent among Arab teachers as a minority in the Arab educational system in Israel.

185 teachers from the Arab minority participated in this research. The teachers responded to a questionnaire on personality traits, where research questions made use of theoretical statistics with the statistical analysis program SPSS.

The principle research findings revealed that the personality traits prevalent among Arab teachers in the Arab educational system in Israel are: extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness; despite this, traits of openness and emotional stability were less prevalent among them.

Key words:  personality traits, Arab teachers, Arab educational system in Israel.