Abstract
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching and learning methodology that emphasizes student centered instruction by assigning projects. The students have to conduct significant projects and cope with realistic working conditions and scenarios. PBL is generally done by groups of students working together towards a common goal. Several factors play a significant role on the final success of each group. It is not only the technical aspects that have an influence on their final achievements, but also the human aspects and group dynamics. These dynamics can be studied through personality assessments, the Myers-Brigss Type Indicator (MBTI) being one of the most used and well-known methods. The MBTI is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Although MBTI strictly speaking just only identifies a personality type of an individual, it taps into key aspects of personality and behavior in areas such as communication, problem solving, decision making, and interpersonal relations. Several studies have also related MBTI profiles with leadership styles. The MBTI also helps in understanding group dynamics, analyzing shortcomings in an individual’s style and how the style affects the group as a whole. MBTI has been widely used in Team Building, Conflict Resolutions, Communication Skills and Understanding. The purpose of this work is to study how different combinations of student profiles could explain different group dynamics and at the same time, to predict the final success in a group. Knowing more about the personality of the team members, their leadership styles and how different personalities get along or conflict with each other can be useful information for building successful PBL groups. To this purpose, the final results of eight different student groups are analyzed, studying the influence of the MBTI profiles of their members with the group success. The final results obtained in this study suggest that the leadership style associated with the profile of the student playing the role of group coordinator and the members’ profile combinations have an influence on the group’s success.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berens, L. V. (2001). Quick guide to the 16 personality types in organizations: understanding personality differences in the workplace. Huntington Beach, California: Telos Publications.
Bernold, L. E., Bingham, W. L., McDonald, P. H., & Attia, T. M. (2000). Impact of holistic and learning-oriented teaching on academic success. Journal of Engineering Education, 89(2), 191–200.
Bradley, J. H., & Hebert, F. J. (1997). The effect of personality type on team performance. Journal of Management Development, 16(5), 337–353. doi:10.1108/02621719710174525.
Carr, M., Curd, J., & Dent, F. (2004). MBTI research into distribution of type. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 1NS, UK: Ashridge Faculty Publications.
Christy, A. D., & Lima, M. (1998). The use of student portfolios in engineering instruction. Journal of Engineering Education, 87, 143–148.
Church, A. H., & Waclawski, J. (1998). The relationship between individual personality orientation and executive leadership behaviour. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 71(2), 99–125. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8325.1998.tb00666.x.
Clinebell, S., & Stecher, M. (2003). Teaching teams to be teams: An exercise using the Myers-Briggs® type indicator and the five-factor personality traits. Journal of Management Education, 27(3), 362–383. doi:10.1177/1052562903027003006.
Denton, H. G. (1991). Group task management: A key element in technology across the curriculum. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 1(3), 136–140. doi:10.1007/BF00819646.
Denton, H. G. (1994). The role of group/team work in design and technology: Some possibilities and problems. En Teaching Technology (pp. 144–151). Routledge.
Doppelt, Y. (2003). Implementation and assessment of project-based learning in a flexible environment. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 13(3), 255–272. doi:10.1023/A:1026125427344.
Dym, C. L., Agogino, A. M., Frey, D. D., & Leifer, L. J. (2005). Engineering design thinking, teaching, and learning. En Journal of Engineering Education. Citeseer.
European Commission–Education & Training–lifelong learning policy–European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). (s. f.). Recuperado septiembre 14, 2011, a partir de http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc48_en.htm.
Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (2005). Understanding student differences. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), 57–72.
Felder, R. M., Felder, G. N., & Dietz, E. J. (2002). The effects of personality type on engineering student performance and attitudes. Journal of Engineering Education, 91(1), 3–18.
Fernandez, J. M. M., Cabal, V. A., Balsera, J. V., & Huerta, G. M. (2010). Application of PBL methodology to the teaching of engineering project management. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 136(2), 58–63. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000002.
Frank, M., Lavy, I., & Elata, D. (2003). Implementing the project-based learning approach in an academic engineering course. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 13(3), 273–288. doi:10.1023/A:1026192113732.
Hérold, J.-F., & Ginestié, J. (2011). Help with solving technological problems in project activities. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 21(1), 55–70. doi:10.1007/s10798-009-9106-8.
Honeycutt, J. M., & Keaton, S. A. (2012). Imagined interactions and personality preferences as predictors of relationship quality. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 32(1), 3–21. doi:10.2190/IC.32.1.b.
Isachsen, O., & Berens, L. V. (1988). Working together: A personality-centered approach to management. Coronado: Neworld Management Press.
Jung, C. G., Read, S. H. E., Fordham, M. S. M., & Adler, G. (1953). The Collected Works of CG Jung: Psychological types. New York, United States: Pantheon Books.
Karaman, S., & Celik, S. (2008). An exploratory study on the perspectives of prospective computer teachers following project-based learning. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 18(2), 203–215. doi:10.1007/s10798-006-9021-1.
Karn, J., & Cowling, T. (2006). A follow up study of the effect of personality on the performance of software engineering teams. En Proceedings of the 2006 ACM/IEEE international symposium on Empirical software engineering (pp. 232–241). New York, NY: ACM. doi:10.1145/1159733.1159769.
Kolb, D. (1984). Experimental learning: Experience as a source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
McCaulley, M. H. (1990). The Myers-Briggs type indicator and leadership. In K. E. Clark & M. B. Clark (Eds.), Measures of leadership (pp. 381–418). West Orange, NJ: Leadership Library of America.
Mikic, B., & Grasso, D. (2002). Socially-relevant design: The TOYtech project at Smith College. Journal of Engineering Education, 91(3), 319–326.
Miller, J. E., Trimbur, J., & Wilkes, J. M. (1994). Group dynamics: Understanding group success and failure in collaborative learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1994(59), 33–44. doi:10.1002/tl.37219945906.
Myers, I. B., & Myers, P. B. (1980). Gifts differing. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Piattelli-Palmarini, M., Piaget, J., & Chomsky, N. (1983). Language and learning: the debate between Jean Piaget and Noam Chomsky. Routledge.
Myers-Briggs 16 Profiles|Midwest Consulting Group. (s. f.). Recuperado julio 9, 2012, a partir de http://www.midwgroup.com/myers-briggs-16-profiles.
Shenhar, A. J., & Wideman, R. M. (2000). Optimizing project success by matching PM style with project type. En Project Management Forum.
Sherman, T., Sanders, M., & Kwon, H. (2010). Teaching in middle school technology education: A review of recent practices. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 20(4), 367–379. doi:10.1007/s10798-009-9090-z.
Smith, L. (2001). The effects of project manager personality profiles on projects. En Proceedings of the project management institute annual seminars & symposium. Nashville, Tenn.
Varvel, T., Adams, S. G., Pridie, S. J., & Ruiz Ulloa, B. C. (2004). Team effectiveness and individual Myers-Briggs personality dimensions. Journal of Management in Engineering, 20(4), 141–146. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2004)20:4(141.
Volkema Gorman, R. J., & Ronald, H. (1998). The influence of cognitive-based group composition on decision-making process and outcome. Journal of Management Studies, 35(1), 105–121. doi:10.1111/1467-6486.00086.
Wilde, D. J. (1997). Using student preferences to guide design team composition. Proceedings of DETC’97.
Wilde, D. J. (2008). Teamology: The construction and organization of effective teams (Vol. 10). London: Springer-Verlag.
Wilde, D. J. (2010). Psychological teamology, emotional engineering, and the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Emotional Engineering: Service Development, 365.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodríguez Montequín, V., Mesa Fernández, J.M., Balsera, J.V. et al. Using MBTI for the success assessment of engineering teams in project-based learning. Int J Technol Des Educ 23, 1127–1146 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-012-9229-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-012-9229-1