Posted: July 21st, 2024

Personality and Academic Performance: A Personal Application

Personality and Academic Performance: A Personal Application

Understanding the intricate relationship between personality and academic performance provides valuable insights into how individuals approach their studies and achieve success. This paper explores the influence of personality traits on academic outcomes, drawing from current research and personal reflection. By examining these connections, we can develop strategies to enhance academic performance and personal growth.

Defining Personality

Personality refers to the unique set of characteristics, behaviours, and thought patterns that distinguish one individual from another (Soto, 2021). It encompasses a person’s enduring tendencies in thinking, feeling, and behaving across various situations. Personality is shaped by both genetic factors and environmental influences, resulting in relatively stable traits that persist throughout adulthood.

Personality Traits

Personality traits are the fundamental building blocks of an individual’s character. They represent consistent patterns of behaviour, cognition, and emotion that manifest across different contexts (McCrae and Costa, 2021). The most widely accepted model of personality traits is the Five-Factor Model, also known as the Big Five. This model identifies five broad dimensions of personality:

Openness to Experience: Reflects curiosity, creativity, and willingness to try new things.

Conscientiousness: Encompasses organisation, self-discipline, and goal-oriented behaviour.

Extraversion: Characterises sociability, assertiveness, and energy levels.

Agreeableness: Involves cooperation, empathy, and concern for others.

Neuroticism: Represents emotional stability, anxiety levels, and stress tolerance.

These traits exist on a continuum, with individuals exhibiting varying degrees of each characteristic.

Influence of Personality Traits on Academic Performance

Research has consistently demonstrated that certain personality traits are associated with academic success. Poropat (2019) conducted a meta-analysis of studies examining the relationship between the Big Five traits and academic performance. The findings revealed that conscientiousness had the strongest positive correlation with academic achievement, followed by openness to experience.

Conscientiousness, characterised by self-discipline, organisation, and goal-setting, contributes to academic success through enhanced study habits, time management skills, and persistence in the face of challenges. Students high in conscientiousness are more likely to complete assignments on time, prepare thoroughly for exams, and maintain consistent effort throughout the academic year.

Openness to experience, associated with intellectual curiosity and creativity, can foster a love for learning and willingness to engage with diverse ideas. This trait may lead to deeper understanding of course material and the ability to generate novel insights in academic work.

Extraversion has shown mixed effects on academic performance. While extraverted individuals may benefit from active class participation and collaborative learning, they may also be more susceptible to distractions and social activities that interfere with study time.

Agreeableness, while generally positive in social interactions, has demonstrated a weaker relationship with academic outcomes. However, agreeable students may benefit from positive relationships with instructors and peers, potentially leading to increased academic support.

Neuroticism, or emotional instability, tends to negatively impact academic performance. Students high in neuroticism may experience increased test anxiety, difficulty managing stress, and reduced confidence in their academic abilities.

Personal Application and Strategies for Success

Reflecting on my own personality traits and their influence on my academic performance, I recognise areas of strength and opportunities for growth. As someone who scores relatively high in conscientiousness, I find that my tendency towards organisation and goal-setting has positively impacted my academic journey. This trait has enabled me to maintain a structured study schedule, meet deadlines consistently, and persist through challenging coursework.

However, I also acknowledge that my moderate level of neuroticism occasionally leads to heightened stress during exam periods. To address this, I have implemented several strategies to ensure academic success:

Time Management: Utilising digital tools and traditional planners to organise tasks and allocate study time effectively.

Stress Reduction Techniques: Incorporating mindfulness meditation and regular exercise to manage anxiety and improve emotional regulation.

Active Learning Strategies: Engaging with course material through techniques such as summarisation, self-quizzing, and teaching concepts to peers to enhance understanding and retention.

Seeking Support: Leveraging academic resources, such as office hours and study groups, to clarify doubts and gain different perspectives on course content.

Cultivating Curiosity: Actively pursuing connections between course material and real-world applications to increase engagement and motivation.

By implementing these approaches, I aim to capitalise on my strengths while addressing potential challenges posed by my personality traits. This self-awareness and proactive strategy development can lead to improved academic performance and personal growth.

Conclusion

The interplay between personality traits and academic performance is complex and multifaceted. While certain traits, particularly conscientiousness and openness to experience, demonstrate strong positive correlations with academic success, it is important to recognise that individuals can develop strategies to overcome potential limitations imposed by their personality characteristics. By understanding our unique traits and implementing targeted approaches, we can optimise our academic performance and cultivate lifelong learning skills.

References

McCrae, R. R. and Costa, P. T. (2021) ‘The Five-Factor Theory of Personality: A Critical Evaluation’, Annual Review of Psychology, 72(1), pp. 271-294.

Poropat, A. E. (2019) ‘A meta-analysis of adult-rated child personality and academic performance in primary education’, British Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(2), pp. 239-252.

Soto, C. J. (2021) ‘Do Links Between Personality and Life Outcomes Generalize? Testing the Robustness of Trait–Outcome Associations Across Gender, Age, Ethnicity, and Analytic Approaches’, Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(1), pp. 118-130.

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Week 3 Assignment: APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO MY LIFE

Due Sunday at midnight of week 3.
Over the past three weeks, you have been exposed to many concepts, theories, and terms related to
psychology. Now is the time to make a personal application to the concepts. This personal application of
the concepts learned is one of the things that makes psychology such an interesting area of study. Not
all courses of study have such direct application to our own lives. You will research and write about the
following topics:
“To what extent does your personality influence your academic performance”
Defines the personality.
Defines personality traits.
How do your personality traits influence your academic performance?
What approaches could you take to ensure success in your studies?
You will read and research at least four scholarly sources from the Keizer Online Library and then
identify, discuss, and place this concept in proper context in your own life. Once you have identified this
concept, you will explain the ways this concept can be applied to your own life with examples. I hope
you enjoy your research and this personal application.
Be sure to support each of them with citations and references from your academic sources. Use the final
paper example listed below to ensure your sections are set up correctly.

DOWNLOAD: 3-Quarter Working Model: Personality and Academics.docx 3-Quarter Working Model:
Personality and Academics.docx – Alternative Formats

You must write at least 800 words in a Word document. This work is worth 20% of your grade. Use APA
format, cite and list at least four (4) sources from the Keiser Online Library. Below is an example of an
APA paper. To submit your work, click on the Applying Psychology to My Life Work link in Week 3. Next,
click on the View/Complete link at the bottom of the page. Then attach the paper. Follow the
instructions below for a step-by-step process.

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Task Requirements (Use as a checklist):
Use an APA-approved font
Cover of the 7th edition of the APA
Double spaced paper
Minimum of 800 words. No more than 1,300 words
Minimum of four (4) sources cited from the Keiser Online Library
Reference page in the 7th edition of the APA
Use APA format and citations (see below)
Do not use direct quotes, everything must be written completely in your own words, paraphrasing and
quoting.
It has an introduction section and a conclusion section.

Helpful tips
Always use spelling and grammar checker
Make sure you have indented the paragraphs
Balance: each paragraph should be of similar length
Review the APA video and resource in Introduction, APA Videos
You can use Tutor.com to review your work and offer suggestions (the link is in the left-hand toolbar,
search for tutor.com).
You can submit your work to the Keiser OWL (Online Writing Lab) for review and help (instructions are in
Getting Started, Online Writing Lab).
Use the Purdue Online Writing Lab to help you with references and in-text citations:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Some other useful websites on reference sources
APA Online – Electronic Resources: http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

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The OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Keizer is a great resource! -They will read you and help you edit your
work.
APA Citation Guide: How to Cite Anything in APA Format – Bib Me http://www.bibme.org/citation-
guide/apa/
Tutor.com review your work and offer suggestions (link is in the left side toolbar, search for tutor.com).
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Rating Grid
Description of the article
Percent
Concept identified with personal application, Introduction and Conclusion, word count published.

60
In-text citations from the APA 7th edition

10
APA 7th edition reference list at the end of the article

10
APA format paper
10
College Level Spelling/Grammar
10
Total
100
There will be a 20 point penalty for writing less than 800 words in this assignment.
There will be a 10 point penalty for each day the assignment is late. It is scheduled to arrive on Sunday,
before midnight, at the end of week 3.
There will be a penalty of 100 points for plagiarism. This means a 0. If in doubt, paraphrase and quote.
Last but not least, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

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