We study which Big Five personality traits are associated with academic performance among a sample of Russian university students using results from the Unified State Examination (for university admissions) and their current grade point averages as measures of academic performance. We find that Introversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Openness to experience have observable ties to academic performance. Those results partially confirm existing international studies, but our findings are notable for the relative unimportance of conscientiousness for success in our Russian sample. We suggest that cross-cultural differences in educational environment may explain why this trait seems less obviously important in the analysis.
The present study investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality traits (Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Openness), as well as the relationship of more narrow personality traits, with academic performance. The issue of whether personality measures that have been contextualized to either school or work better predict academic performance than generalized measures is also addressed through the use of multiple personality instruments. Results from a correlation analysis indicated that Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability were all significantly positively related to academic performance, in this case, college course grade, while Extraversion was significantly negatively related. The same correlation analysis showed that for Openness and Agreeableness, the measure contextualized to academics predicted better than the generalized measures which in turn better predicted academic performance than the work-related measure. Emotional Stability, conversely, was best predicted by the work-related measure, in contrast to what was predicted. A stepwise regression was used to find what added significant variance for both Big Five and narrow traits for each measure used in this study. The findings of this study support the usefulness of both broad and narrow personality traits in predicting real-world outcomes. The relationships between general and contextualized measures and their predictions of academic performance are also shown. Furthermore, the relationship between academic performance and personality is demonstrated within this study.
The present study investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, extroversion, and openness), as well as the relationship of more narrow personality traits, with academic performance. The issue of narrow traits adding incremental validity tothe Big Five in predicting academic performance was investigated, using archival data collected from 552 university students. Results from a correlation analysis indicated that openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability were all significantly related to GPA (college grade-point average), while extroversion was not related. Due to a significant gender difference in college GPA, gender interaction terms with each of the Big Five factors were employed for regression analyses. The regression analyses indicated that GPA was related to openness, emotional stability, and agreeableness Bivariate correlation analyses showed that, of the five narrow traits, aggression, self-directed learning, optimism, and work drive were related to GPA. Regression analysis indicated that aggression, self-directed learning, tough-mindedness, and work drive accounted for partial effects in GPA. Significant interactions were noted between gender and optimism and gender and self-directed learning. Finally, a sequential multiple regression revealed that the following narrow traits added incremental validity to the Big Five in explaining variance in college GPA: conscientiousness from the Big Five, and the narrow traits of self-directed learning, aggression, tough-mindedness, and work drive. Significant interactions were noted between gender and optimism and gender and self-directed learning. These findings were interpreted as supporting the usefulness of both broad and narrow personality traits to predict real-world outcomes. Furthermore, these findings illuminate the relationship between personality and academic performance.
This book also focuses on analyzing each trait from the point of view of its higher and lower order structure, as well as from the affective, cognitive, behavioral, social and academic perspectives, apart from outlining the field of personality psychology. Personality traits are important in daily interaction, and are a significant factor in achieving educational goals also for second and foreign language (L2) learners. Consequently, studying the role of personality in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) appears to be of primary importance, especially because there has been little research on this subject. Moreover, general results pertaining to the role of personality in L2 are inconclusive. This book’s primary objective is to present a concise and updated picture of personality on the basis of the Big Five model, which is accessible for non-psychologists. The middle part of the book focuses on discussing potential merits and drawbacks of each trait for the purpose of the process of SLA, both from the formal and informal, theoretical and empirical points of view. The next part includes a description of an empirical study, whose main aim is to sensitize the reader to direct and indirect influences that personality may exert on L2 learning. The book closes with a concluding chapter aiming at clarifying directions for further empirical study of personality as well as issues in research methodology.
Explains and explores the important areas of psychology through a cultural perspective This book addresses key areas of psychology, placing them in cultural perspective via a comprehensive overview of current work integrating culture across the major subfields of psychological science. Chapters explore the relation of culture to psychological phenomena, starting with introductory and research foundations, and moving to clinical and social principles and applications. It covers the subfields that are of most importance to undergraduates and beginning graduates, such as consciousness, development, cognition, intelligence, personality, research methods, statistics, gender, personality, health, and well-being. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives, 2nd Edition is richly documented with research findings and examples from many cultures, illuminating the strengths and limitations of North American psychology, while also highlighting the diversity and vitality of this fascinating field. The book offers many new chapters, in addition to fully updated ones from the previous edition. Starting with basic concepts in the subject, the book offers chapters covering ethnocentrism, diversity, evolutionary psychology, and development across cultures. It also examines education, dreams, language and communication issues, sex roles, happiness, attractiveness, and more. Provides a comprehensive overview of current work integrating culture across major subfields of psychological science Offers introductory chapters on topics such as cultural psychology and ethnocentrism, which provide a foundation for more specialized chapters in development, education, cognition, and beyond Features new chapters in areas such as cultural competence, culture and dreams, education across cultures, abnormality across cultures, and evolutionary psychology Presents chapters by some of the leading contributors to the fields of cultural and cross- cultural psychology Cross-Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives, 2nd Edition is an ideal book for undergraduate and graduate courses in cultural or cross-cultural psychology.
The Five Factor Model, which measures individual differences on extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience, is arguably the most prominent dimensional model of general personality structure. In fact, there is now a considerable body of research supporting its construct validity and practical application in clinical, health, and organizational settings. Taking this research to the forefront, The Oxford Handbook of the Five Factor Model showcases the work of expert researchers in the field as they each offer important insight and perspective on all that is known about the Five Factor Model to date. By establishing the origins, foundation, and predominance of the Five Factor Model, this Handbook will focus on such areas as construct validity, diagnosis and assessment, personality neuroscience, and how the Five Factor Model operates in business and industry, animal personality, childhood temperament, and clinical utility.
A plethora of personality constructs have been proposed, and associated measures developed, to capture behavioral tendencies relevant to academic achievement. For example, individual differences in aspects of motivation, curiosity, studying behaviors and evaluations of the importance of school have been linked with achievement. However, there is little understanding of whether and how different achievement-relevant personality measures (APMs) relate to one another or to broader dimensions of personality. The current project examined the dimensionality of achievement-relevant personality constructs, their associations with the Big Five personality traits, and associations with academic performance. In Study 1, 214 college students were measured on 36 independent APMs along with a well-established, measure of the Big Five traits. Factor analytic results supported the convergent and discriminant validity of five latent dimensions: performance and mastery approaches to learning, self-doubt, effort, and hungry mind. Each factor and the individual scales that composed the factors possessed a distinctive pattern of associations with the Big Five. Conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience had the most consistent associations with APMs. Based on the results of the first study, we next constructed a more efficient scale of APMs -- the Multidimensional Achievement-Relevant Personality Scale (MAPS). In Study 2, we replicated the factor structure of the MAPS and its associations with the Big Five in a sample of 359 individuals. Additionally, we validated the MAPS with four indicators of academic performance. Although the factors assessed by the MAPS overlap somewhat with general indicators of personality, there was some evidence of incremental prediction of achievement.act.
