The purpose of this investigation was to examine selected personality factors of student teachers, their cooperating teachers and their college supervisors to determine if these factors could have significant influence on success in student teaching experiences as measured by the Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire and the Hampton Institute Student Teacher Evaluation Form. Accordingly, the aims of this investigation were to investigate personality trait differences between males predicted for success and males predicted not to succeed based upon McClain's grouping; and females predicted for success and females predicted not to succeed based upon McClain's grouping. The theory base for this investigation was drawn from Cattell's Multivariate Factor Analysis Personality Theory (1959) and McClain's (1968) separate equation for male and female teaching success.

There were 30 Fall Semester Hampton Institute student teachers, and 30 cooperating teachers, representing 100% of the student teaching population, that completed the questionnaire. Thirty cooperating teachers and 13 college supervisors completed the Hampton Institute Student Teacher Evaluation Form. The subjects were grouped according to McClain's Predicted Teaching Success Specification Equations for Males and Females.

The hypothesis that there would be no significant difference between males predicted to succeed in student teaching and males predicted not to succeed in student teaching based upon McClain's grouping was accepted. The hypothesis that there would be no significant difference between the females predicted to succeed in student teaching and females predicted not to succeed in student teaching based upon McClain's grouping was accepted. The hypothesis that there would be no significant difference between the supervisors' (college supervisor) and the cooperating teachers' ratings for those predicted for success and for those predicted not to succeed was not testable.

The results suggested that this was an unusually homogeneous group of student teachers and cooperating teachers. Also that the student teachers' prediction scores based upon McClain's grouping and the Hampton Institute Student Teacher Evaluation Form and the college supervisors' ratings produced no significant difference. This tends to imply that other factors or variables present in the student teaching environment influenced success in student teaching.