Department of Psychology, College of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China.
Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Oct 15;121(42):e2413253121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2413253121. Epub 2024 Oct 8.
Understanding the historical perception and value of teacher personalities reveals key educational priorities and societal expectations. This study analyzes the evolution of teachers' ascribed Big Five personality traits from 1800 to 2019, drawing on millions of English-language books. Word frequency analysis reveals that conscientiousness is the most frequently discussed trait, followed by agreeableness, openness, extraversion, and neuroticism. This pattern underscores society's focus on whether teachers are responsible. Polarity analysis further indicates a higher prevalence of low neuroticism descriptors (e.g., patient and tolerant) in descriptions of teachers compared to the general population, reinforcing the perception of teachers as stable and dependable. The frequent use of terms like "moral", "enthusiastic", and "practical" in describing teachers highlights the positive portrayal of their personalities. However, since the mid-20th century, there has been a notable rise in negative descriptors related to openness (e.g., traditional and conventional), coupled with a decline in positive openness terms. This shift suggests an evolving view of teachers as less receptive to new ideas. These findings offer valuable insights into the historical portrayal and societal values attributed to teacher personalities.
了解教师个性的历史观念和价值，可以揭示关键的教育重点和社会期望。本研究分析了从 1800 年到 2019 年教师归因的大五人格特质的演变，研究数据来源于数百万本英文书籍。词频分析表明，尽责性是被讨论最多的特质，其次是宜人性、开放性、外向性和神经质。这种模式突显了社会对教师是否尽责的关注。极性分析进一步表明，与一般人群相比，描述教师时使用的低神经质描述语（如耐心和宽容）更为普遍，这强化了教师稳定可靠的形象。在描述教师时经常使用“道德”、“热情”和“实际”等术语，突出了对其个性的积极描绘。然而，自 20 世纪中叶以来，与开放性相关的消极描述语（如传统和守旧）显著增加，而积极的开放性描述语则减少。这种转变表明，人们对教师接纳新思想的能力的看法正在发生变化。这些发现为教师个性的历史描绘和社会价值观提供了有价值的见解。
