INTROVERSION & EXTROVERSION
Class discussions, group projects and public speaking can often be a daunting experience for many of us and if you’re like me then you try and steer away from these stress-inducing activities. Nevertheless, these are all things we as university students must engage in. These activities ultimately prepare us as students for the workforce, however, the method in which we attack these tasks differs greatly. I am hoping to research a scope of aspects of university life relating to the personality traits of introversion and extroversion. The introvert/extrovert divide is a fundamental dimension of personality, and at least one-third of us are on the introvert side (Cain, 2012, p 1). This is an area of study I am particularly interested in. Currently, I am reading ‘Quiet’ by Susan Cain, hence why I have based my research project around this topic. This novel explores how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts varies, and how throughout history society continues to under-appreciate introverts. Without introverts, we wouldn’t have the Apple computer, the Theory of Relativity or even Van Gogh’s sunflowers.
Such research is relevant and achievable as to some extent we all fall into the spectrum of introversion and extroversion which, impacts on our learning and participation. Our lives are shaped as profoundly by personality as by race or gender. Our position on the introvert/extrovert continuum influences our choice of friends, how we engage in conversations, resolve conflicts as well as various other aspects of life (Cain, 2012, p 1.)
Based on the results I received from my first Twitter poll asking whether students consider themselves introverts or extroverts and whether they engage in class discussions, the majority of the BCM cohort who voted stated they consider themselves an extrovert however they do not engage in class discussions.
The best research draws on the most current work in the field and is considered timely when the results are based on continuous research which is context linked, meaning the studies originate from well-identified contexts (Raynald et al, 2006). Theories of introverts and extroverts have been apparent in psychological literature for over 100 years. Reading Susan Cain’s non-fiction novel sparked some inspiration for my research project. Whilst researching my research topic, I came across an article exploring the influence of personality on social participation in learning environments. Caspi, Chajut, Saporta and Beyth-Maron (2006) investigated 214 university students concerning their attendance, inclination to participate and actual participation. In comparison, Voorn and Kommer’s (2013) article delves into introversion and the influence of collaborative learning through the assistance of social media. The study revealed that majority of introverted students perceive that social media is highly beneficial for advancing their collaborative learning performance and self-confidence. These students believe that their true presence is impeded in face-to-face conversations and favour communicating via social media (Voorn & Kommer, 2013).
My objective is to pose questions to the BCM cohort, such as, do you engage in class discussions? Do you think this impacts your grades? Do you wish university catered their lessons differently to encourage participation? What are your feelings about class participation and group presentations? Personally, I find standing up in front of the class or even calling out an answer can be daunting, especially when you are surrounded by more outspoken confident students.
My chosen research topic as we can see is widely relevant as its foundations originate in primary school, continuing through to university. Our level of interaction with peers and teachers ultimately comes down to our personality traits. Such an area of study is achievable as all BCM students will at some point in their university life engage in group participation and class discussions. Furthermore, my chosen field of interest is timely as it has been investigated for many years. After investigating this topic it is already clear there is a wide scope of information surrounding characteristics and academic traits of introverts and extroverts.
REFERENCES:
Cain, S., 2012. Quiet. Thorndike, Me.: Center Point Pub., pp.1-20.
Caspi, A., Chajut, E., Saporta, K. and Beyth-Marom, R., 2006. The influence of personality on social participation in learning environments. Learning and Individual Differences, [online] 16(2), pp.129-144. Available at: <http://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1041608005000403> [Accessed 24 March 2020].
Raynald, P, Tousignant, P, Roberge, D, Lamarche, P, Reinharz, D, Larouche, D, Beaulne, G & Lesage, D 2006, ‘The Research Collective: A Tool for Producing Timely, Context-linked Research Syntheses’, Health Policy, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 58-75, <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2585353/> [Accessed 25 March 2020].
Voorn, R. and Kommers, P., 2013. Social media and higher education: introversion and collaborative learning from the student’s perspective. International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, [online] 1(1), p.1. Available at <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ronald_Voorn3/publication/259396982_Voorn_R_J_Kommers_P_A_2013_Social_media_and_higher_education_introversion_and_collaborative_learning_from_the_student’s_perspective_International_Journal_of_Social_Media_and_Interactive_Learning_Envir/links/0deec533be36cb5193000000/Voorn-R-J-Kommers-P-A-2013-Social-media-and-higher-education-introversion-and-collaborative-learning-from-the-students-perspective-International-Journal-of-Social-Media-and-Interactive-Learning-E.pdf> [Accessed 22 March 2020].
Leonard K 