Personality traits valued by principals in the teacher hiring process

This study was designed to find what part personalities play in the teacher selection process. Principals and teachers in three Kansas geographic areas participated in research using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and surveys of their experiences in teacher hiring. Thirty principals and sixty teachers who had been hired by them (two each) from metropolitan, urban and rural school districts were administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The principals and teachers were compared along four personality continuums: extrovert vs. introvert, sensors vs. intuitors, thinkers vs. feelers, and judgers vs. perceivers. These traits were further analyzed by geographic area. The sample was divided into three groups of ten principals and the twenty teachers they hired for the second part of the study. Data were collected from the surveys to verify principals and teachers perceptions and experiences during the teacher selection process. These data provided information on hiring policy and practices within the three geographic areas.;The study found no significant relationship between principals and the teachers they hired related to the personality traits on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This study was unable to determine a significant relationship between teacher and principal personality when compared by geographic area.;The principal and teacher surveys shed some light on the roles of principals, teachers, central office administration and superintendents in teacher hiring. The study discusses who actually hires the teachers in each geographic area and what information principals feel to be most valuable in the teachers selection process. Teachers and principals offer suggestions to improve the interview and selection process and suggestions for further research are discussed.