Open AccessINTERESTS, NICHE SELECTION, AND PERFORMANCE AMONG ESTABLISHED TEACHERS
Author(s) -
Emmerich Walter,
Trapani Catherine S.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
ets research report series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.235
H-Index - 5
ISSN - 2330-8516
DOI - 10.1002/j.2333-8504.2002.tb01881.x
Subject(s) - excellence , trait , matching (statistics) , psychology , specialty , quality (philosophy) , vocational education , personality , selection (genetic algorithm) , big five personality traits , mathematics education , pedagogy , medical education , social psychology , political science , computer science , statistics , medicine , philosophy , mathematics , epistemology , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , law , programming language
This study addressed the role of interests as personality factors in professional development. Using John Holland's model, the interests of established teachers were studied in relation to (1) teaching specialty and (2) excellence of teaching measured by assessments of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Observed differences in interests among teaching specialties were consistent with vocational/developmental theories of niche selection through trait matching. Business‐related interests tended to correlate negatively with quality of teaching. For other interests, correlations with quality of teaching were more specialty‐specific. Findings suggested a two‐phase sequence in which initial trait matching is followed by dynamic engagements of interests that may enhance or impair quality of teaching.