Educational

Psychology
for TFL students
Lecture 2.

Personality Factors Contributing to

Second Language Acquisition:
Empathy
Introversion vs. extroversion
Personality types
 Educational video
 A wise lesson on empathy:
 1. What is empathy according to the teacher in the film?
 2. What do you think students learned ?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYH0D52fXe8
 Empathy film
 1. How can you learn to feel and demonstrate empathy?
 2. Do you think it is always bad to feel sad and have no support?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXezI2l_0nM&ab_channel=
AndrewKim
Empathy
Characteristics:
- Projection of one’s
personality into the
personality of another to
understand his feeling
better (putting yourself into
smb else’s shoes)
- An empathic student has
insight into the motives,
feelings, and behavior of
others and the ability to
communicate this
understanding
 Problem solving 4

How worthwhile would it be to try

to organize FL classes that operate
on a high-empathy basis?
Exercising empathy strategic
techniques:
 Personality types.

1) introversion versus

extraversion
2) sensing versus intuition
3) thinking versus feeling
4) judging versus perceiving
Extroversion VS Introversion
 Problem solving 5

What is a misleading tendency

among teachers to treat
extraversion and introversion
in FL class?
 Extroversion vs. Introversion

 Are you more extroverted or introverted?

 It is often argued that an extroverted person is well suited to
language learning. However, research does not always support
this conclusion.
 Some studies have found that learners’ success in language
learning is associated with extroversion such as assertiveness and
adventurousness, while others have found that many successful
language learners do not get high scores on measures of
extroversion.
 Extraversion and Introversion
Extraverts tend to: Introverts tend to:
 think out loud  focus their energy inwardly
 become easily energetic  need time alone to recharge
 be animated and energetic  be less animated, more
 act first and think about it reserved
later  think first and maybe speak
 enjoy generating ideas with later
a group
 become easily absorbed in
 be very comfortable in social
thought
settings
 seek out social situations and  talk slower and usually more
settings quietly
 find listening more difficult  proceed cautiously in meeting
than talking people
Learning fair attitude strategic
techniques.
 She likes to write everything down and revises
all her lessons very systematically and carefully.
She enjoys reading, and keeps a record of the
new vocabulary she comes across.
She enjoys using new language most of all in
compositions.
If she knows she will have to speak in English in
class or outside, she likes to prepare for this so that
she can use correct and appropriate grammar and
vocabulary.

Extrovert or introvert?
 She is eager to use everything she learns in class
and is uninhibited about ‘trying out’ new language in
interaction with other students as well as outside the
class.
She is impatient with regard to detail and tends to
make minor mistakes, but she remembers the general
features of what she learns easily.
 She ‘picks up’ expressions she hears, and enjoys
using them herself, tending to over-use them while
they are still new to her.

Extrovert or introvert?
 Sensing and Intuition
Sensors tend to: Intuitives tend to:
 be quite literal  envision the future
 be direct and to the point  leap from thought to thought
 listen until others have finished  have complex speech patterns
 prefer precise and exact  finish other people’s
information sentences
 enjoy traditional and familiar  use language to express
ground themselves
 value solid, recognizable  focus on possibilities, what
achievements might be
 use clear, straightforward speech  value different and unusual
patterns attainments
 prefer a sequential, step-by-step  talk about global issues, the
approach “big picture”
 Classroom relevance research tips
 Sensing students use
strategies, which prefer
concrete facts and use a
methodical approach, with  Intuitive students may
less interest in the abstract use abstract principles of
principles of language. language in a more
Thus, teaching suggestions divergent way and feel
might include making relaxed with guessing,
learning goals very clear predicting and other
and consistent. Sensing “compensation”
learners are less likely to strategies.
be creative (Sharp, 2003)
 Thinking and Feeling
Thinkers tend to: Feelers tend to:
 get right to the point  decide with the heart
 often appear businesslike  engage in social niceties
 are usually very assertive  get their feelings hurt easily
 choose truthfulness over  avoid arguments and conflict
tactfulness  be sensitive to the feelings of
 give praise sparingly; point out others
negatives  act warm and friendly toward
 convince others with impersonal others
reasoning  pay attention to the feelings
 make decisions with their heads, of others
not hearts  be generous with praise; slow
to criticize
 Classroom relevance research tips
 Those with a Thinking  Those with a Feeling preference see
things more globally and seek holistic
preference, rather than a strategies such as guessing, predicting,
Feeling preference prefer more paraphrasing, with avoidance of
analysis of language data and grammatical analysis. Differences
have a greater ability to see between Thinking and Feeling seem to
details rather than the global relate to field independence and field
picture. They prefer learning dependence - the degree of ability to
separate insignificant detail from
strategies that dissect and significant detail. Field dependence types
analyze and find contrasts and performed best in classrooms where
cause - effect relationships. there was less language analysis. Field
Thinkers are less likely to guess independent were better in classrooms
or use compensation strategies where analytical concerns dominated. It
like paraphrasing. may be that field dependent (Feeling)
students outperform field independent
(Thinking) (Abraham, 1985).
 Judging and Perceiving
Judgers tend to Perceivers tend to:
 Make decisions; decide quickly  Be good at adapting
 Enjoy setting and reaching goals  Be somewhat disorganized
 Discuss schedules and timetables  Deal with issues as they
arise
 Like to take charge and be in
control  Procrastinate, put off
decisions
 Be more serious, formal,
conventional  Be more playful, casual,
unconventional
 Postpone play until all the work
is done  Keep their lives as flexible as
possible
 Regulate and control their life
and yours  Find rules and structure
confining, limiting
 Enjoy having things settled,
taken care of  Desire many experiences
and miss nothing
 Classroom relevance research tips

 Judgers need clear  Perceivers accept higher

direction and clear levels of confusion and are
more persistent in their
grammar rules.
language learning, treating
 Cross-culturally there may language learning more like
be a strong connection a game (Ely, 1989).
between Judging and Perceivers often use more
Perceiving and learning communicative strategies
strategy use. and are generally better
language learners than
Judgers (Horning & Sudol,
1997).
There are 16 possibilities. Look at your notes, think
about the information you have just received and
guess your four-letter type.
ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ

ISTP ISFP INFP INTP

ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP

ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ

 Assets and Liabilities of Myers-Briggs Types
( Ehrman 1989)
Willing to take conversational risk.
Extroversion Dependent on outside stimulation and interaction.
Concentration, self-sufficiency.
Introversion Need to process ideas before speaking some-times led to avoidance of linguistic risks in
conversation.

Hard, systematic work; attention to detail, close observation.

Sensing Hindered by lack of clear sequence, goals, syllabus, structure in language or course.

Inferencing and guessing from context, structuring own training, conceptualizing and model-
Intuition building.
Inaccuracy and missing important details, sought excessive complexity of discovery.

Analysis, self-discipline, instrumental motivation.

Thinking Performance anxiety because self-esteem was attached to achievement, excessive need for
control ( language, process)

Integrative motivation, bonding with teachers, good relations lead to good self-esteem.
Feeling Discouraged if not appreciated, disrupted by lack of interpersonal harmony.

Systematic work, get the job (whatever it is) done.

Judging Rigidity, intolerance of ambiguous stimuli.

Open, flexible, adaptable to change and new experiences.

Perceiving Laziness, inconsistent pacing over the long haul.
Significance of teacher awareness

 The studies present the belief that a knowledge and

awareness of personality type on the part of students will
allow the development of natural strengths and
predispositions, suggest areas for growth and help
motivation. For teachers, such an awareness will also have
beneficial effects, aiding in methodological choices, helping
in the recognition of individual differences and improving
teacher-student understanding.
 Simulation department meeting 2
TEAM 1 (TURKISH department)
1.How worthwhile would it be to try to organize FL classes that
operate on a high-empathy basis? How important is it to be
empathic for a teacher? Offer activities to improve empathy in
learners.
2.Predict SLA strengths and weaknesses of the following
personality types : ISTJ and ENFP. Offer activities that these
personalities would do with pleasure.
3.Explore internet resources for recent articles and present research
findings about empathy in SLA/FLT
4.Bonus question: personal story about your own or your teacher’ s
empathy experience ( problem or success)
 Simulation department meeting 1
TEAM 1 (KOREAN/CHINESE department)
1.What is a misleading tendency among teachers to treat
extraversion and introversion in FL class? Describe introverted and
extroverted learners. Offer activities for introverts , extroverts and
both.
2.Predict SLA strengths and weaknesses of the following personality
types : ISTP and ENFJ. Offer activities that these personalities
would do with pleasure.
3.Explore internet resources for recent articles and present research
findings about personality types impact on SLA/FLT
4.Bonus question: personal story about the influence of your
personality on learning a FL( problem or success)
Home assignment for the test portfolio
Personality indicator ( C. Jung test)
http://www.humanmetrics.com
https://www.123test.com/jung-personality-test/
Eysenck temperament test
Similarminds.com

 Big Five Personality test