An Exploration of the Relationship between Personality Type and Satisfaction with Online Learning Environments

Although a considerable amount of research has been conducted that explores the relationship between various student-specific factors and satisfaction with online learning, the body of research that specifically explores the relationship between personality and online learning satisfaction is still emerging. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the literature on this topic by exploring the correlational relationships between those personality traits that are most dominant in undergraduate technology students (i.e., students who have declared a major in the University of interest's College of Technology) and satisfaction with specific aspects of online learning. This paper makes use of self-reported student scores from the NEO-FFI-3, a 60 question inventory that measures personality profiles in the `Big Five' personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism), and from a survey that measures five unique dimensions of student satisfaction with online learning. Correlations between personality and satisfaction scores are reported, and recommendations are made for how technology educators might best construct their online course curricula to align with the personality profiles of their students.