Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1975, 40, 637-638. @ Perceptual and Motor Skills 1975
CROSS-CULTURALCOMPARISON OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION MAJORS REX W. THOMSON
AND
JOHN L. DAYRIES University of Montana
University of Alberta
Summary.-The Cattell 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire was administered to 20 Ss from Montana and the personaliry scores compared to those of a similar sample of New Zealand students. Results indicated that cross-cultural differences do exist, the present group being more dominant, less expedient, and considerably more conservative than their New Zealand counterparts. Sten
Low Score Descriotion
1
Reserved, detached, critical, cool Less intelligent, concrete thinking Affected by feelings, emotionally less stable Humble, obedient, mild, conforming Sober, prudent, serious, taciturn Expedient, law to himself Shy, restrained, diffident, timid Tough-minded, selfreliant, realistic Trusting, adaptable, easy co get on with Practical. careful, conventional, proper Forthright, natural, artless, sentimental Placid, self-assured, confident, serene Conservative, respecting established ideas Group-dependent, a joiner and follower Casual, untidy, careless of protocol Relaxed, tranquil, torpid, unfrustrated Sten of by about %
2
5
3 4
6
7
Factor " A t
t B * t C '
E * t F
*
* t
t G
*
H
t
t
I
Q
* L t
* t
M
N
0
t @ Q1
*
Q3
*
Q d
t
* t
*
t t t
*
8
9 1 0
High Score Descriotion
Outgoing, warmhearted, easy-going More intelligent, abstract thinking Emotionally stable, faces reality, calm Assertive, independent, aggressive, stubborn H a p ~ ~ - g o - l u &gay, , heedless, enthus~astic Conscientious, staid, persevering, rule-bound Venturesome, socially bold, spontaneous Tender-minded, overprotected, dependent Suspicious, selfopinionated, hard to fool Imaginative, careless of practical matters Shrewd, calculating, worldly, penetrating Apprehensive, worrying. depressive, troubled Experimenting, liberal, free-thinking Self-sufficient, resourceful Controlled, socially precise, compulsive Tense, driven, overwrought, fretful
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 2.3 4.4 9.2 15 19.1 19.1 15 9.2 4.4 2.3
is obtained adults
FIG. 1. Personality profiles of University of Montana and New Zealand male Physical Education majors ( * New Zealand, t Montana)
638
R. W. THOMSON
&
J. L. DAYRIES
Evidence (4, 6, 7 ) suggests that cross-cultural differences exist in sport for cercain personality traits, and since physical educators are, to a certain extent, involved with sport, it seems reasonable to assume that personality differences may exist in any cross-cultural comparison of physical education majors. Utilizing data compiled for compararive purposes (1, 3, 5), Taylor ( 8 ) reported cross-cultural differences in personality between New Zealand and British male physical education majors. In this study it was hypothesized that differences would also be found between students from the United States and New Zealand. Ss were 20 randomly selected male physical education majors from 8 3 male majors enrolled in physical education during the 1974 Spring Quarter. Ss were selected using a table of random numbers. Their mean chronological age was 21.6 yr. All Ss completed Form A of the Cattell 1 6 Personality Facror Questionnaire which was personally administered. Raw scores and means for each of the 16 personality factors were calculated after which the means were converted to sten scores ( 2 ) . By doing so, each personality factor was standardized on a scale ranging from 1 to 10 with a mean of 5.5. These male physical education majors in Montana are similar in personality to the general population of male college students. The profile for the group (Fig. 1 ) varied from the norm on the factor of dominance ( E ) , indicating a personality that is assertive, independent, aggressive and stubborn. Factor E did not vary from the norm of the New Zealand sample (Ss = 45, M 21.1 yr.), but the variation between the two groups of 1 sten was not great. A further variation between the two groups of 1 sten on factor ( G ) , expediency, was also noted; in this instance the New Zealand group varied below the norm. The results for Q1, conservatism, showed the largest variation between groups. The variation of 2 stens (encompassing 34% of the male college population) indicates that the Montana students were considerably more conservative than the New Zealand students. It may well be that the highly conservative nature of sport in the United States exerts an influence on the personality of these physical education majors or that the profession attracts those with a conservative bent. Mean scores for the second-order factors of extraversion and anxiety were within the normal range with the Montana students scoring somewhat higher in anxiety than the New Zealand group. REFERENCES 1. CARR,R.
1. Personality test scores for ( 1 6 PF) male P. E. students. British Journal
of Physical Education, 1971, 2, 45-47. 2. CATTELL,R. B., & EBER,H. W. Supplement o f n o r m for the Forms A and B of the 1 6 Personality k c t o r Questionnaire. Urbana, Ill.: I.P.A.T., 1962. 3. DIMSDALB,A. G. An investigation into the personality of a group of physical education students. British lournal o f Physical Education, 1970, 1 , 13-20. 4. KANE, J. E. Personality and physical ability. In Proceedings o f the First International Congress o f Sports Sciences. Tokyo: Congress, 1964. Pp. 201-208. 5. KANE, J. E. Personality profiles of physical education students compared with others. In Proceedings o f the First International Congress of Psychology o f Sport. Rome: Congress, 1965. Pp. 772-775. 6. KNAPP, B. The personality of lawn tennis players. Bulletin o f British Psychological Society, 1961, 18, 1-3. 7. OGILVIE,B. C. Psychological consistencies within the personalities of top-class competitors. Journal o f the American Medical Association, 1968, 205, 780-786. 8. TAYLOR, W. C. G. Personality of male physical education students. N e w Zealand Journal of Health, Physical Educarion and Recreation, 1973, 6 ( 2 ) , 27-32. Accepted March 24, 1975.
CROSS-CULTURALCOMPARISON OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION MAJORS REX W. THOMSON
AND
JOHN L. DAYRIES University of Montana
University of Alberta
Summary.-The Cattell 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire was administered to 20 Ss from Montana and the personaliry scores compared to those of a similar sample of New Zealand students. Results indicated that cross-cultural differences do exist, the present group being more dominant, less expedient, and considerably more conservative than their New Zealand counterparts. Sten
Low Score Descriotion
1
Reserved, detached, critical, cool Less intelligent, concrete thinking Affected by feelings, emotionally less stable Humble, obedient, mild, conforming Sober, prudent, serious, taciturn Expedient, law to himself Shy, restrained, diffident, timid Tough-minded, selfreliant, realistic Trusting, adaptable, easy co get on with Practical. careful, conventional, proper Forthright, natural, artless, sentimental Placid, self-assured, confident, serene Conservative, respecting established ideas Group-dependent, a joiner and follower Casual, untidy, careless of protocol Relaxed, tranquil, torpid, unfrustrated Sten of by about %
2
5
3 4
6
7
Factor " A t
t B * t C '
E * t F
*
* t
t G
*
H
t
t
I
Q
* L t
* t
M
N
0
t @ Q1
*
Q3
*
Q d
t
* t
*
t t t
*
8
9 1 0
High Score Descriotion
Outgoing, warmhearted, easy-going More intelligent, abstract thinking Emotionally stable, faces reality, calm Assertive, independent, aggressive, stubborn H a p ~ ~ - g o - l u &gay, , heedless, enthus~astic Conscientious, staid, persevering, rule-bound Venturesome, socially bold, spontaneous Tender-minded, overprotected, dependent Suspicious, selfopinionated, hard to fool Imaginative, careless of practical matters Shrewd, calculating, worldly, penetrating Apprehensive, worrying. depressive, troubled Experimenting, liberal, free-thinking Self-sufficient, resourceful Controlled, socially precise, compulsive Tense, driven, overwrought, fretful
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 2.3 4.4 9.2 15 19.1 19.1 15 9.2 4.4 2.3
is obtained adults
FIG. 1. Personality profiles of University of Montana and New Zealand male Physical Education majors ( * New Zealand, t Montana)
638
R. W. THOMSON
&
J. L. DAYRIES
Evidence (4, 6, 7 ) suggests that cross-cultural differences exist in sport for cercain personality traits, and since physical educators are, to a certain extent, involved with sport, it seems reasonable to assume that personality differences may exist in any cross-cultural comparison of physical education majors. Utilizing data compiled for compararive purposes (1, 3, 5), Taylor ( 8 ) reported cross-cultural differences in personality between New Zealand and British male physical education majors. In this study it was hypothesized that differences would also be found between students from the United States and New Zealand. Ss were 20 randomly selected male physical education majors from 8 3 male majors enrolled in physical education during the 1974 Spring Quarter. Ss were selected using a table of random numbers. Their mean chronological age was 21.6 yr. All Ss completed Form A of the Cattell 1 6 Personality Facror Questionnaire which was personally administered. Raw scores and means for each of the 16 personality factors were calculated after which the means were converted to sten scores ( 2 ) . By doing so, each personality factor was standardized on a scale ranging from 1 to 10 with a mean of 5.5. These male physical education majors in Montana are similar in personality to the general population of male college students. The profile for the group (Fig. 1 ) varied from the norm on the factor of dominance ( E ) , indicating a personality that is assertive, independent, aggressive and stubborn. Factor E did not vary from the norm of the New Zealand sample (Ss = 45, M 21.1 yr.), but the variation between the two groups of 1 sten was not great. A further variation between the two groups of 1 sten on factor ( G ) , expediency, was also noted; in this instance the New Zealand group varied below the norm. The results for Q1, conservatism, showed the largest variation between groups. The variation of 2 stens (encompassing 34% of the male college population) indicates that the Montana students were considerably more conservative than the New Zealand students. It may well be that the highly conservative nature of sport in the United States exerts an influence on the personality of these physical education majors or that the profession attracts those with a conservative bent. Mean scores for the second-order factors of extraversion and anxiety were within the normal range with the Montana students scoring somewhat higher in anxiety than the New Zealand group. REFERENCES 1. CARR,R.
1. Personality test scores for ( 1 6 PF) male P. E. students. British Journal
of Physical Education, 1971, 2, 45-47. 2. CATTELL,R. B., & EBER,H. W. Supplement o f n o r m for the Forms A and B of the 1 6 Personality k c t o r Questionnaire. Urbana, Ill.: I.P.A.T., 1962. 3. DIMSDALB,A. G. An investigation into the personality of a group of physical education students. British lournal o f Physical Education, 1970, 1 , 13-20. 4. KANE, J. E. Personality and physical ability. In Proceedings o f the First International Congress o f Sports Sciences. Tokyo: Congress, 1964. Pp. 201-208. 5. KANE, J. E. Personality profiles of physical education students compared with others. In Proceedings o f the First International Congress of Psychology o f Sport. Rome: Congress, 1965. Pp. 772-775. 6. KNAPP, B. The personality of lawn tennis players. Bulletin o f British Psychological Society, 1961, 18, 1-3. 7. OGILVIE,B. C. Psychological consistencies within the personalities of top-class competitors. Journal o f the American Medical Association, 1968, 205, 780-786. 8. TAYLOR, W. C. G. Personality of male physical education students. N e w Zealand Journal of Health, Physical Educarion and Recreation, 1973, 6 ( 2 ) , 27-32. Accepted March 24, 1975.
