Teachers and success - Psychological characteristics and perceived success sources

In this article three separate, but connected studies are presented. The first and second studies conducted on two large samples of teachers (N=610&N=200) were realized to find an answer to the question about relationship of some personality characteristics (study 1.) or creative attitude (study 2.) and feeling of being a man/woman of success in teachers' case. The results showed statistically significant correlations between achieved success (in self-assessment) and such personality traits as: extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness (all relations are positive) and a negative correlation with neuroticism. In the second study significant differences in nonconformity, algorithmic behaviour and heuristic behaviour were found between teachers who think about themselves as people of success and those who did not achieve success. Successful teachers (in their own eyes) were more conformist and intellectually rigid (higher algorithmic and lower heuristic behaviour levels) than those who did not achieve success. The third study deals with the problem of teachers' success source definitions and elements which could help to achieve success. The analysis of the data conducted in the Polish General Social Survey between 1992 and 2002 shows that teachers, similarly to the rest of society, see success sources mainly in individual abilities and activity (ambition, hard work), but one can see an interesting phenomenon of a growing number of factors which could be associated with social stratification - mainly family income and parents' education level.