Station 9 requires more input from the visitors than the other interactive components in the ex- hibition. This is because it deals with arguably the most complex concept seen to this point: personality. Based on the Five Factor Model created by Costa & McCrae416 in 1992,417 which focuses on five personal- ity traits (openness, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism), this station ex- plores how “our personality is a combination of our emotional, attitudinal, and behavioural patterns.”418 As the Educator’s Guide states, the Five Factor Model was developed “as a model for understanding the relationship between personality and some academic behaviors.”419 We all exhibit aspects of these five traits that, when combined, “form our unique personality.”420 The results are determined after the visi- tor is asked a series of questions, where he or she can determine how “like” or “unlike” each statement is to their character (or themselves, depending on how they approach the activity). The end result pro- vides insight into what makes each of us unique, and how we behave in certain situations.
The “Big Five” approach at the Personality Interactive Station determines a character’s personal- ity in relation to various extremes relating to easily identifiable traits (curious/uncurious, prepared and organized/disorganized, etc.). After touching their wrist band to the panel, the screen lights up with a single introductory sentence: “Define Your Personality.” The screen greets the visitor by their character name, and then states that “the following statements describe how you see yourself” before transition-
416
See: P.T. Costa, Jr. and R.R. McCrae, Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Invento- ry (NEO-FFI) (Odessa: Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992).
417
“Star Wars Identities Exhibition Catalgoue,” 106; “Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 67.
418
“Star Wars Identities Exhibition Catalogue,” 106.
419
“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 67.
420
ing into a series of ten statements where visitors can select to what extreme they belong on opposing ends of a spectrum. These statements include:
10) “You’re conservative. Learning new things doesn’t interest you.”/ “You’re inquisitive. You love to learn new things”; 9) “You keep to yourself and avoid social situations.”/ “You love being around other people and engaging in conversation”; 8) “You’re diplomatic. You seek harmony with others.”/ “You pick fights and get into arguments easily”; 7) “You don’t worry about details so long as things get done”/ “You pay close attention to detail. You like things to be done properly”; 6) “You get upset easily. Any little thing can worry you.”/ “You’re relaxed and easy go- ing. You don’t sweat the small stuff”; 5) “You enjoy thinking and playing with ideas.”/ “You love working with your hands”; 4) “You’re full of energy and ready to take on the world.”/ “You’re not very active. You prefer to stay low-key”; 3) “You put your needs before those of others.”/ “You think of others before thinking of yourself”; 2) “You plan ahead. You think before you act.”/ “You’re spontaneous. You don’t waste time thinking; you just act”; and 1) “You’re even tempered. You’re not easily bothered or upset.”/ “You get overwhelmed easily. You’re moody and temperamental.”
After choosing where the visitor, or their character, fits in relation to each of these statements, they are presented with a chart depicting the five personality traits and where their results scored. The line representing each trait has five sections, and the number of illuminated sections indicates what their answers indicated. For example, five illuminated sections under “Openness” indicates that the per- son is “a very clever and curious person, and [that they] actively seek out new experiences.” Four illumi- nated sections under “Extraversion” means that despite not being completely open all of the time, that person is still “social and energetic, preferring company to solitude.” Five illuminated sections for “Agreeableness” implies that the person “[avoids] conflict and [loves] taking care of other people,” and
an identical score under “Conscientious” points towards an individual who “plans weeks in advance and [is] extremely well organized.” Lastly, five illuminated sections for “Neuroticism” indicates that this per- son is “used to feeling anxious or depressed in almost every situation.” This combination loosely de- scribes my self-perceived personality during graduate school in 2012, and results in the following short description in my completed character bio: “People often tell me I’m a generally organised (sic) and pre- pared person, [and] I also tend to be adventurous and curious.” While not a perfect summary of the re- sults compiled (having completely circumvented the school-induced anxieties that plague many gradu- ate students), it nevertheless provides an easily comprehendible description of a specific personality.
Since a fictional text serves as the inspiration for the lessons in the Educator’s Resource Guide, it is unsurprising that some of the activities tied to this interactive station relate back to providing a deep- er understanding of fictional characters. One of the primary examples for Quest 9 is a Language Arts tie- in on Character Development, where students learn how to develop characters in their own creative writing (drawing parallels between Star Wars characters and their own).421 Students are given five main ideas to consider when developing their own original characters: what general goal does the character have, and how does this fit with his or her surroundings; is the character a protagonist, antagonist, com- ic relief, or a combination?; what is the character’s specific characteristics? (gender, age, strengths, weaknesses, etc.); the character’s occupation and how that ties into their goal; the character’s home and where they came from.422 By considering these particular aspects of character development in rela- tion to Star Wars characters, students have readily identifiable templates that help them develop their own literary works.
Since this exhibition delves into both fictional and real-world identity construction, another unit in Quest 9 ties into a Health and Psychology approach to Personality Traits, which delves further into the
421
“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 63.
422
Five Factor Model.423 The activity, like the exhibition, uses the personalities of Star Wars characters as examples to help guide students as they apply these concepts to several provided sample personali- ties.424 These sample personalities are each students of an indeterminate age, allowing them to be easily geared towards their target audience. For each of the three examples, students are asked to rate the student’s scale on two of the five personality traits. For example, personality two’s prompt asks students to rate “Ben’s” score on the Neuroticism and Agreeableness personality traits in the following situa- tion:425
Ben is in the cafeteria at lunch time. As he [is] carrying his tray of food to his seat, Dan bumps in- to Ben, spilling Ben’s food all over the floor. Ben gets very upset and begins yelling at Dan. Dan apologizes and offers to share his lunch with Ben. Ben, however, is still angry and stomps out of the cafeteria alone.
The Alberta-oriented supplements for Quest 9 – Personality continues to connect the material in this interactive station to the lessons in the main Quest, building upon both the literary and psychology- related materials and relating them back to specific educational units in the region. The supplementary section on “Character Development” has students construct meaning from existing texts/content or write their own original material (linking to Language Arts and English).426 Throughout the exhibition, separate panels provide detailed identity breakdowns of many major Star Wars characters that were developed using the same type of system that visitors engage with. For example, Anakin Skywalker’s results when using the “Big Five” test describes him as someone who is: “Occasionally curious” and “en- joys the familiar and unfamiliar”; “always full of energy at home and in a crowd”; “picks fights easily and always puts his needs first”; “does things without thinking and is disorganized”; and “is used to feeling
423
“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 67.
424
“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 68.
425
“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 69.
426
anxious or depressed.”427 Describing characters in similar terms, while also expanding on those analyses to include further academic discourse helps provide a deeper understanding of how fictional characters develop in relation to real life individuals.
In contrast to this focus on fictional personalities, the lesson that relates to CALM concerning “Personality Traits” follows a similar pattern to the CALM unit in the previous Quest, and works towards assembling a personal profile for each student. Like the CALM “Career and Life Choices” unit in Quest 8 – Occupation, the CALM unit on “Personality Traits” seeks to “assess personal assets, such as interests, competencies – including skills, abilities, aptitudes, and talents – personality traits, [and] limitations and strengths…to expand a personal profile.”428 Having students develop an honest assessment of them- selves on personal and professional levels fulfills the aforementioned goals of CALM to “enable students to make well-informed, considered decisions and choices in all aspects of their lives and to develop be- haviours (sic) and attitudes that contribute to the well-being and respect of self and others, now and in the future.”429 Using roleplaying as an exercise that inspires this discussion allows students to experi- ment with a character’s personality if they choose to “get creative” during the exhibition. They can also answer the questions at Station 9 truthfully as themselves. This experience then can transfer to an aca- demic exploration of each student’s own personality, thereby providing not only a visual comparison during the lesson, but also a mental framework that re-interprets this exploration of self-discovery as a game. While there is no winning or losing in this game, the end results may not always be as the player would like. Therefore, a unique opportunity presents itself where the only outcome in any event is to encourage each participant to continue pursuing a path of self-improvement.
427
These results are displayed on Anakin Skywalker’s interactive console in the exhibit.
428
“Star Wars Identities Educator’s Resource Guide,” 104.
429