The interactive effects of extroversion/introversion traits and collectivism/individualism cultural beliefs on student group learning preferences

This paper examines the interactive effects of extroversion/introversion personality traits and collectivism/individualism beliefs on students' group learning preferences. The primary motivation for this study is the mixed results obtained with prior studies on the relationship between extroversion/introversion and student preference for different learning approaches. These divergent results may be explained by the failure of previous studies to account for the confounding effects of students' cultural beliefs. Seventy six final year students from two universities in Hong Kong were asked to complete questionnaires on the extroversion/introversion 10-item test (MBTI) and the collectivism/individualism 4-item scale. The results confirm the concerns raised in this study that an examination of the effects of extroversion/introversion on aspects of students' attitudes and performance should also recognise the confounding effects of students' cultural and other beliefs.