Overview of Personality as Individual Differences and Factors in EFL Learning Context: A Literature Review Study
Abstract
The diversity of learners as individuals is one of the phenomena explored in the field of educational psychology. One of the numerous factors examined in the study of individual differences is personality. However, because each theorist interprets this concept differently, there is no one universal definition that defines what the term "personality" means. The aim of this article is to identify the various personality theories used in the earlier literature as well as to provide a synthesis of earlier research that focuses on personality factors as they relate to individual differences in the context of English language learning. With narrative literature review design, a number of prior studies based on keywords linked to personality in the context of EFL (English as foreign language) learning were collated and reviewed. The findings of the review of the literature revealed that the majority of earlier research characterize learners' personalities using the idea of personality traits. The study examines students in the context of the big 5 personality traits in a broad sense. The other studies, in other hand, classified personality as introverts or extroverts in a more specific sense. There are also a few studies that employed a different framework to define personality factors in the context of EFL learning. In conclusion, this varied definition of personality suggests that researchers have contributed by exploring the role of personality in the EFL learning process from many perspectives.
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