Exploring Learning Styles of Engineering Students, Enneagram
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Enneagram: Exploring Learning Styles of Engineering Students.
A. Hellany
University of Western Sydney, School of Engineering & Industrial Design, Engineering, 1797
Penrith South DC NSW 1797 Australia.
Email:
a.hellany@uws.edu.au
Abstract: The new and active learning
environment in tertiary education is forcing
academics to discuss the effectiveness of traditional
teaching strategies that address the diverse learning
styles of engineering students. A number of
personality type indicators have been used in the
past to determine students various learning styles.
This paper introduces the Enneagram as a new tool
to determine the student’s learning style. The
Enneagram can also be used to describe
psychological preferences of engineering educators.
Index terms Enneagram, Learning styles,
teaching strategies.
Assumes that long-term hard, persistent effort to
achieve comes from the heart not the head
(
Nurturing
)
Seeks to change society in substantial ways (
Social
reform).
The author believes that learning experience aims at
creating the ability to think by knowing the facts and
knowing what is contained in an idea in addition to
being able to know how to use ideas. Academics
develop teaching strategies to improve the learning
experience at universities, some of these strategies are:
Effective Group Work Strategies
Problem-Based Learning
Student-centered Learning
Lifelong Learning
Collaborative Learning
Work Integrated Learning
Online Learning
Flexible Education
Students adopt different learning strategies and styles
and hence they respond differently to the following
delivery modes: data, facts, mathematical models, visual
animation, diagrams, pictures, verbal information,
working in a group or individually etc, and each student
may develop a unique learning style based on a specific
combination of these and other modes. However,
working well in all learning style modes is a must for a
successful professional graduate. In the case of
Engineering there is a need to be competent in almost
all learning styles “
competent engineers and scientists
must be observant, methodical, and careful as well as
innovative, curious, and inclined to go beyond facts to
interpretation and theory. Similarly, they must develop
both visual and verbal skills. Information routinely
comes in both forms, and much of it will be lost to
someone who cannot function well in both of these
modes”
[3]
.
Is tailoring a learning style for each student or
remaining with a single approach that dominates
education (especially in engineering) the answer? In the
author’s opinion a balanced approach that will address
the diverse needs of students may be the answer. This
paper describes in general the widely used learning style
models that have used in engineering and attempts to
introduce a new learning style model based on the
Enneagram of personality which is a psycho-analytical
I. I
NTRODUCTION
Every academic is always occupied with the
following questions: what teaching at university is
meant to be, and how it should be conducted?
Fortunately there are no straightforward answers to
these questions and as a result academics adopt different
strategies, approaches and philosophies of education.
These questions can be approached from two different
directions:
From the academic side where a definition of
philosophy of education is formulated and reviewed.
From the student side by investigating the students
various learning styles.
The combination of these two approaches can lead to
an adoption of one or more teaching strategies based on
self and student understanding. “
Imagine the benefits of
understanding how our personality affects the way we
teach. Conversely, imagine the benefits of knowing how
the personality biases of our students affect how each
learns and interacts with authority”
[1]
.
The author’s
understanding of good and effective teaching is a
combination of 5 different perspectives; Dan Pratt and
John Collins describe these perspectives [2], effective
teaching:
Requires a substantial commitment to the
content
(Transmission)
.
Is a process of socialising students into new
behavioral norms and ways of working
(Apprenticeship)
.
Must be planned and conducted from the
learner’s point of view (
Developmental).
model for personality type. The introduction of this
learning style model might help to expand our
understanding of the diversity of student learning styles
and ultimately leads to a more balanced approach to
teaching.
active learners or reflective learners
sequential learners or global learners.
For the past few decades, most engineering
instruction has been heavily biased toward intuitive,
verbal, deductive, reflective, and sequential learners.
However, relatively few engineering students fall into
all five of these categories.
Next the author will introduce a relatively new
psycho-analytical tool that help to map every possible
learning style that is used by students. This mapping can
lead to a more comprehensive approach to the task of
designing a teaching strategies to accommodate the
diverse needs of students since most engineering
students receive an education that is mismatched to their
learning styles.
II. L
EARNING STYLES MODELS
According to R.M. Felder [4] the four learning style
models that are used in engineering are:
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI). This
model classifies students according to their preferences
on scales derived from psychologist Carl Jung's theory
of psychological types. Students may be [5]:
Extraverts or introverts.
Sensors or intuitors.
Thinkers or feelers.
Judgers or perceivers.
Engineering Academics usually orient their courses
toward introverts, intuitors, thinkers and judgers.
Kolb's Learning Style Model.
This model classifies
students as having a preference for 1) concrete
experience or abstract conceptualisation, and 2) active
experimentation or reflective observation. The four
types of learners in this classification scheme are [6]:
Type 1 (concrete, reflective). A characteristic
question of this learning type is "Why?".
Type 2 (abstract, reflective). A characteristic
question of this learning type is "What?".
Type 3 (abstract, active). A characteristic question
of this learning type is "How?".
Type 4 (concrete, active). A characteristic question
of this learning type is "What if?".
Traditional engineering instruction focuses almost
exclusively on formal presentation of material
(lecturing), a style comfortable for only Type 2 learners.
Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument
(HBDI).
This method classifies students in terms of their relative
preferences for thinking in four different modes [7]:
Quadrant A (left brain, cerebral). Logical, analytical,
quantitative, factual, critical.
Quadrant B (left brain, limbic). Sequential,
organized, planned, detailed, structured.
Quadrant C (right brain, limbic). Emotional,
interpersonal, sensory, kinesthetic, symbolic.
Quadrant D (right brain, cerebral). Visual, holistic,
innovative.
Engineering academics on the average are strongly
Quadrant (A) and would like their students to be that
way as well.
Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model
. This
model classifies students as [8]:
III. E
NNEAGRAM
The Enneagram is one of the newest personality
systems in use emphasising psychological motivations.
Its earliest origins are not completely clear the circular
symbol may have originated in ancient Sufi traditions,
and was used by the esoteric teacher George Gurdjieff
(1866-1949). The Enneagram of Personality Types is a
modern synthesis of a number of ancient wisdom
traditions, but the person who originally put the system
together was Oscar Ichazo. Ichazo was born in Bolivia
and was raised there and in Peru, but as a young man,
moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to learn from a
school of “inner work” he had encountered. Thereafter,
he journeyed in Asia gathering other knowledge before
returning to South America to put together a systematic
approach to all he had learned [9].
The word Enneagram stems from the Greek (ennea)
meaning “nine” and (grammos) meaning “points”. The
Enneagram's structure appear complex, however it is
actually simple. Draw a circle and mark nine equidistant
points on its circumference. Designate each point by a
number from one to nine, with nine at the top, for
symmetry and by convention. Each point represents one
of the nine basic personality types, see figure 1 [10].
The nine points on the circumference are also
connected with each other by the inner lines of the
Enneagram. Points Three, Six and Nine form an
equilateral triangle. The remaining six points are
connected in the following order: One connects with
Four, Four with Two, Two with Eight, Eight with Five,
Five with Seven and Seven with One. It is common to
find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although
one of them should stand out as being closest to
yourself. This is your basic personality type. Everyone
emerges from childhood with one of the nine types
dominating their personality
sensing learners or intuitive learners
visual learners or verbal learners
inductive learners or deductive learners
self and others. Fear of making mistakes or appearing
foolish can lead to procrastination in decision-making
[13]. One in general:
Practical. Reshapes abstract approaches into step-
by-step procedures.
Likes schedules and accountability, knowing who's
responsible for what.
Keeps track of detail.
Prefers doing over feeling.
Is aware of critical points about a program but has a
hard time proposing broad solutions. Too much
room for error.
Is secure in a formal role. Wants to respect hierarchy
and authority.
Compares own effort to others'. "If they work, I
work. If they don't, I won't."
Finds it hard to delegate responsibility. Worries
about getting the job done right.
Doesn't want to be compromised by the mistakes of
others. Will hold a loner's stance until the source of
error is assigned.
Avoids risk. Risk leads to mistakes. When in doubt,
wait. Don't take chances. .
Type two
: The caretaker, the enabler, the altruist.
This is a
Helper
caring, nurturing, concerned, generous,
well-meaning, possessive, and manipulative type. Twos
have a natural ability to make empathic connections
with others. Helpers actually feel what others feel or
need. They are driven to connect with others
emotionally and fill their needs. Twos often are so tuned
into other's needs/ feelings that they are not aware of
their own. As a result, they can find themselves drained,
and then angry. If we look at life from the perspective
of the Helper, we find a conviction that survival and
getting love depend on sensing and meeting the needs of
others. In general two:
Takes own identity from authorities who can offer
support. The right-hand person. The secretary who
knows the secrets. The power behind the throne.
Is highly responsive to approval and encouragement.
Crushed by disapproval.
Associates with "worthwhile" people. Sidesteps
those who aren't.
Has complicated office strategies. Backs favorites.
Often an unrecognized conflict between an ambition
to be first and wanting to please.
Works for the respect of important people in the
field, the power elite. "Who do we know that will
endorse our project?"
Fears opposing power alone.
May choose work because it has value to a loved
one.
Type three
: The motivator, the achiever, the
communicator, the status seeker. This is a motivator
success-oriented, pragmatic, adaptable, ambitious, goal-
Figure 1. The Enneagram
The theory of personality upon which the model is
predicated takes that everyone was born in their
“essence” but chose an “ego” fixation around age three
or four and in an effort to defend against parental
fixations, the child develops a “neurotic” habit that
characterizes the Chief Feature of acquired personality.
This neurotic habit obscures the child's essence, which
is otherwise pure and unadulterated, evincing no
conflicts of thought, emotion or instinct. It must be
noted that people do not change from one basic
personality to another and every one is a unique mixture
of basic type and usually one of the two types adjacent
to it on the circumference of the Enneagram. There is an
internal structure within each personality type that
indicates the level of development and provides a
framework for seeing how all the different traits
comprising each type fit into a large hole [11]. In
addition, the nine personality types of the Enneagram
are not static categories. There are two lines connected
to each type, and these lines are connected to two types.
One line connects with a type that represents how a
person of the first type behaves when they feel more
secure and in control of a situation. This is called the
Direction of Integration or the Security Point. The other
line goes to another type that represents how the person
is likely to act out if they are under increased stress and
pressure [12].
IV. E
NNEAGRAM TYPES DESCRIPTION
Type one
: The perfectionist, organiser, activist,
Moraliser. This is a Reformer rational idealistic,
reasonable, principled, orderly, perfectionist and self-
righteous type. Ones have an enormous internal critic
berating and judging them, continually finding them
wanting. Ones are often surprised when others accuse
them of being critical, since they share only the tiniest
fraction of their ongoing internal critique. In the belief
that everyone is as focused on improving as they are,
Ones feel that they are simply sharing the best they have
to offer. Perfectionists have an innate ability to assess
potential for improvement in any situation. Ones
attention to error can lead to criticism and judgment of
oriented, image conscious and arrogant type. Threes are
multitasking, high energy people, performers get things
done. They make things happen. Threes can adapt to
any situation or group with a chameleon-like ability to
match the environment
Is aggressive and cutting toward competitors or
peers in the same field. Attracted to successful
people outside his or her own sphere of interest.
Does not flourish in a work environment that
requires close cooperation with others who are more
skilled, more valued, or better paid.
Type five
: The investigator, the expert, the specialist,
the observer, the innovator. Fives are independent, self-
contained people. This is a Thinke
r
cerebral analytic,
perceptive, original, innovative, provocative, and
eccentric type. Fives delve deeply into areas of
knowledge that excite them, often becoming experts in
subjects they explore. They exhibit a highly developed
capacity for systematization of thought, for analyzing
and synthesizing complex information. Observers
accumulate knowledge; they want to understand. Fives
often feel safer if they do not share all that they know
keeping some knowledge in reserve. Five in general:
Has a sense of limited energy reserves. Does not
want time and energy to be used for other people's
agendas.
Works hard for the rewards of privacy and the
freedom to pursue personal interests. Works to buy
autonomy.
Needs predictability. Wants to foresee in order to be
prepared. Expects to have minutes from the last
meeting and names of those who will attend the next
one.
Freezes when unexpectedly questioned or when a
spontaneous reaction is called for. Needs to
withdraw in order to figure things out.
Strictly avoids conflict. Puts up a wall of memos and
secretaries as protection against emotional scenes.
Is extremely productive when in a decision-making
role that is protected from frontline interactions.
Type six:
The loyalist, the tradionalist, the doubter,
the troubleshooter. This is a Loyalist committed,
traditionalistic, engaging, responsible, hardworking,
cautious, and anxious type. Sixes are often committed,
dutiful, behind-the-scenes workers or team players and
can instantly see the downside or danger in any
situation. Sixes keep looking for an authority that they
can trust, but believe that most people in authority abuse
their power. Six in general:
.
Three's focused attention on
goals and tasks can overshadow other aspects of their
lives. Threes can become so identified with the image
they present or with what they do that they lose
themselves. Three in general:
Assumes own ability. The instant expert.
Takes on the image and feelings of a task. Prototype
of the profession.
Takes the shortcut. Does several things at once.
"Details later."
Feels rage when tasks and goals are interrupted.
Anger is usually task specific.
Values product over process. "How much did I
produce?"
Being respected for ability as a worker is more
important than being liked.
Is a Machinelike achiever. Expects others to work in
the same way.
Projects a high-profile image -- credentials, social
standing, "who's who."
Exerts power over people; competes for leadership
roles.
Avoids failure. Switches tracks. Finds a presentation
that works.
Type Fou
r: The individualist, the special one, the
artist. This is an Individualist sensitive, withdrawn
intuitive, artistic, aesthetic, self-absorbed, and
depressive type. Fours have a singular ability to be
present with life's more intense situations: grief, death,
depression. Fours bring originality and creativity to any
enterprise. Often blessed with a strong sense of the
dramatic and/or aesthetic, they prefer to make a unique
contribution in life. Insistence on exhibiting their
uniqueness or difference can be counterproductive to
their own goals and off-putting to others. Four feels that
something is missing in his/her life. Other people have it
and the Romantic envies them. Four in general:
Wants distinctive work. A job that calls for
creativity, even genius, an eccentric edge in
presentation, a unique approach to business life.
Must feel respected in the workplace for personal
vision and ideas.
Has a strong analytic power. Attention shifts to
questioning and examining the opposite position.
Doubt and a suspicion of the obvious develop
clarity.
Efficiency is tied to mood. Attention gets displaced
from tasks when emotional life takes over. Can
sabotage business life over a love affair.
Reacts against own weakness by either seeking
protection from authority (loyalist) or attempting to
bring it down (rebel). "At your feet or at your
throat."
Wants to be connected to special authority, to those
in the field who stand for quality rather then
popularity.
Feels called to emotionally intense lines of work:
grief counselor, animal rights activist, the suicide
hot line late at night.
Is Able to act, to go full out when up against the
odds. Will compete when the odds are against a win.
Defends the underdog. A business turnaround.
Tests an argument. Sensitive to the weak spots in
any position. The loyal opposition. "Yes, but..." The
devil's advocate. "Let's consider the other side."
Finds it hard to keep moving forward effectively
when success begins to materialize and hard to focus
when there is no opposition. Doubt sets in until
positive options begin to seem unreal.
Type seven
: The energizer, the enthusiast, the
multitasker, the generalist. Sevens are great Idea people
spinning out seemingly endless visions and potentials.
This is an Enthusiast, hyperactive, uninhibited
enthusiastic, accomplished, versatile, excessive, and
manic type. Sevens are synergistic thinkers who make
connections between seemingly unlike things. When a
Seven has a great idea or vision, they almost feel like
they've done it already - in the mind. So it isn't
necessarily important to complete a project when
they've already had the satisfaction of the idea. Seven in
general:
Can become insistent about impractical ideas and
inefficient approaches. Prefers ideas and theory to
implementation. Will open a task to new approaches
rather than face routine.
Is excellent performer in open-ended projects that
do not move into routine. Networks, plans,
synthesizes ideas and approaches. Aligns the project
with other areas of interest.
Has an inner sense of capability and high self-worth.
Measures self against others to keep this sense of
self alive. "Am I superior or inferior?" "Do I stand
above or below?" "Am I on top of this project, or
will it get me down?" Positive self-image can be
punctured by negative feedback.
Is delightful to work with. Can be forgiving and
creative during hard times. The office person who
wins the popularity poll.
Type eigh
t: The leader, the provider, the challenger.
Eights are straightforward, direct, what-you-see-is-
what-you-get people. This is a Leader, powerful,
dominating self-confident, decisive, challenging,
authoritative, and combative type. They are able to take
charge and make decisions quickly. Bosses are people
of action. Unaware of their impact, they can steamroll
over the emotions and wishes of others to get their own
way. Bosses can't help taking command of a situation.
They may not necessarily need to be in control, but
Eights hate to be controlled. Eight in general:
Can unwittingly polarizes people into factions.
Wants to know where everyone stands. Will
provoke to get clear answers.
Is concerned about justice and protection.
Sees own opinion as the correct approach. "My way
or the highway."
Enforces rules that support personal advantage.
Bends the rules that don't.
Demands to be fully informed. Changes in details
can stimulate concern about being manipulated.
Type nine:
The optimist, the utopian, the
peacemaker. This is a Mediator easygoing, phlegmatic,
receptive, optimistic, complacent, tolerant, and
disengaged type. Nines are open and accepting of others
without judgment. An open, calm demeanor exemplifies
these easygoing people. Nines are capable of merging
into deep connection with others. The mediator can
adopt a passive role and wait for others to determine the
course. Nines find it easier to go along with other's
preferences rather than trying to find their own. Nine in
general:
Flourishes in conditions of positive support, but
avoids self-promotions. Wants recognition but will
not ask.
Likes procedures, lines of command, and rewards to
be well defined. Likes to adjust own energy output
to a predictable set of guidelines. No sudden
surprises, please.
Energized by a productive routine and other people's
enthusiasm for projects.
Wants a structure to support decisions. Doesn't like
to make decisions. Goes by the book; keeps
spontaneous decision making at a minimum.
Is cautionary in taking risks. Feels safer in known
routes. Goes with what has worked in the past.
Avoids risks that raise hopes, for fear of
disappointment.
Forestalls a decision by gathering information. Puts
off essentials while the unessentials get done.
Strategic use of deadlines produces magnificent last-
minute saves.
Feels overwhelmed with too much to do. Finds it
hard to focus on a business priority when items of
lesser importance seem like equally pressing
concerns.
V. D
ISCUSSION AND FUTURE WORK
May see compromise as weakness.
Will assume leadership. The focus of attention goes
to others who are strong contenders for control of
the project, the firm, the loyalty of followers.
Respects honest leadership. Likes a worthy
opponent.
Why do we need another personality model? In fact
there are many personalities models used in determining
the learning styles of students, however there is a major
difference between and the Enneagram. The Enneagram
describes the neurotic pattern in how attention is
directed and measures motivation, underlying beliefs
and attitudes. While other models describe what
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