Personality, innovative behavior and social problem-solving characteristics of physical education teachers

The aim of this study was to investigate the personality, innovative behavior, and social problem-solving levels of physical education teachers with respect to some demographic information. In the study, a descriptive survey model was used. The population of the study consists of physical education teachers working in public schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. The study sample consists of 405 participants randomly selected among the teachers working in secondary and high schools. As data collection tools, the "Personal Information Form" developed by the researchers, the "Ten-Item Personality Inventory" adapted to Turkish by Atak (2013), the "Innovative Behavior Inventory" adapted to Turkish by Pala and Turan (2020) and "Social Problem Solving Inventory-Short Form" adapted into Turkish by Çekici (2009) were used. Student t-test was used to determine whether the scale total and sub-dimension total scores differed according to gender, marital status, educational status, and involvement in national and international projects, while one-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test were used to determine whether the total scores differed according to income level, administrative position, place of residence etc. The results showed that the female teachers have more responsibilities, and physical education teachers who have administrative duties and take part in national or international projects have a more extroverted personality. It was also determined that physical education teachers who have administrative duties, take part in national projects, and declare to have high income tend to have more innovative behavior and social problem-solving. Therefore, it is important to improve the personal rights of the teachers, give them opportunities to take part in administrative duties and encourage them to take part in national and international projects where they can show themselves so that the teachers can show more extrovert, responsible, innovative behavior and social problem-solving tendencies.