Background: Personality traits are the relatively enduring patterns of thinking, feelings, and behaviors that differentiate people from each other. Although there are various personality assessment models, the five-factor model is by far the most widely studied and accepted model of personality. The present study aimed at assessing the effects of personality traits on academic achievements among university students in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at various colleges in Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia. The study employed questionnaires for data collection. The personality traits were measured by using the Big Five Inventory questionnaire. After data were extracted, it was revised, coded, and analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22 (IBM, Chicago, IL). All statistical analyses were carried out using two-tailed tests.
Results: A total of 381 students completed the study questionnaire whose ages ranged from 18 to 26 years old (mean age = 21.5 ± 3.9). Among the study subjects, nearly half of the students (45.9%) studied at Medical Science Colleges. Also, 260 (68.2%) students were female, 144 (37.8%) were in their first university year, while 15.7% were in their second year. As for GPA, 106 (27.8%) students had a GPA of 4.75-5.0 points, 19.9% had a GPA of 4.5-4.74 points, and 13.4% had a GPA of 3.75-4.25 points.
Conclusion: In conclusion, there is a significant relationship between personality traits and students academic performance. The study also found gender difference as a contributing factor. Conscientiousness and openness traits were also significant, predictable variables that affect both male and female performances.
Key words: Personality trait, academic achievement, Big Five Inventory
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