An Investigation On The Importance Of Personality Traits On Students’ Academic Achievement In Secondary Schools

An Investigation On The Importance Of Personality Traits On Students’ Academic Achievement In Secondary Schools

Chapter One

Preface

Background to the Study

Academic performance of pupils has been a significant source of contention among preceptors, parents, academy directors, scholars, and members of the general public. A number of studies have been conducted in an attempt to understand the complexity underpinning pupils’ academic achievement. Psychologists have proposed a slew of explanations for why similar differences in academic performance persist. There had been a great deal of focus on external factors similar as the type of academy, tutoring styles, academy position, educational accoutrements , study habits, schoolteacher qualification and experience, and so on( Eyong, David and Umoh, 2014). In addition, there had been a great deal of focus on internal factors similar as pupil performance. numerous parents spend a lot of plutocrat to get top seminaries for their children, and those who can go it indeed invest in education overseas in the stopgap that it would ameliorate their children’s academic performance. Opinions differ on what causes certain children to flourish academically while others feel to be intellectuals in comparison to their peers. numerous psychologists and educationalists have sought to uncover the primary determinants of individual academic success on a regular base for numerous times. Intelligent, tone- conceptualized scholars have advanced academic achievement than their manly and womanish counterparts. Factors similar as home parenting, peer group influence, socio- profitable background, and learning terrain, to name a many, have all been considerably delved as factors impacting academic achievement, particularly in secondary academy scholars( Eyong, David and Umoh, 2014). Intelligence, tone- conceptualized scholars have advanced academic achievement than their manly and womanish counterparts. Personality characteristics of scholars are seen to have a significant impact in their academic success, and this is supported by exploration( Eyong, David and Umoh, 2014).

Traits Proponents have tried to determine the crucial characteristics that describe personality, as well as the features that have a long- term influence on pupil academic success. In part, this is due to the fact that relating and understanding the rudiments that impact academic success has long been a major interest for comforting and educational psychologists. numerous experimenters are keen to know ahead of time who’ll do well or inadequately in whatever academic exertion they’re involved in. In order to construct an education class concentrated at adding situations of academic performance in secondary seminaries in Nigeria, it’s essential to first identify the rudiments that impact academic achievement.

Early exploration has overemphasized cognitive capacity as a primary predictor of academic achievement as a major motorist of academic performance( Harris, 1940; Elshout and Veenman, 1992). still, despite the fact that exploration has demonstrated that cognitive capability is one of the most important predictors of academic success, some seminaries of study still believe that cognitive capability factors alone can not regard for all of the differences in academic performance between individualities. A number of experimenters, including Furnham, Chamorro- Premuzic, and McDougall( 2003), have argued that, in addition to cognitive capacity, there are other rudiments, similar as personality rates, that account for the diversity observed in scholars’ academic achievement( s). Due to the fact that cognitive capacity reflects what a pupil can negotiate, but personality rates may reflect what a pupil will do, numerous academics are getting more interested in the relationship between personality traits and academic achievement. Characteristics of people’ personalities have been delved in the cerebral literature for numerous decades because of their influence on a variety of psychosocial issues, including provocation and academic success. The Big Five personality model( Goldberg, 1999) is the most generally delved personality particularity, and it’s considered that the personality characteristics cluster around five rudiments, which are as follows Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. The particularity meticulousness is associated with individualities who are organized, thing- acquainted, and sociable, whereas extraversion is associated with individualities who are sociable, assertive and garrulous. The particularity neuroticism is associated with individualities who are emotionally unstable, anxious, and impulsive. individualities who are high on openness are associated with individualities who have a preference for novelty and are also intellectually curious. In addition, those who score largely on affability are more likely to be humane, collaborative, and veritably helpful to others( Komarraju, Karau, Schmeck and Avdic, 2011).

While important study has been done in Europe and other Western nations, just a many studies have been completed in Nigeria on the relationship between personality and academic achievement in teenagers and youngish children in secondary seminaries. Because of this, the purpose of this exploration is to determine the significance of personality characteristics on scholars’ academic progress in secondary seminaries.

Statement Of The Problem

Large sections of literature wordbook assert that scholars’ academic achievement can be prognosticated grounded on factors similar as academy and home factors, with little consideration given to other factors similar as personality traits factors, cerebral and sociological factors, and this has redounded in a lack of attention being paid to these factors. As an illustration, colorful exploration done by psychologists and educationalists have shown that personality characteristics variables have a significant influence in determining scholars’ academic achievement( Rosander, Bäckström, Stenberg, 2011; Conrad and Party, 2012; Rosenberg, Bäckström, Stenberg, 2011).

In the United States, the vast maturity of exploration on the connections between personality characteristics and academic achievement were conducted outside of Nigeria. These examinations were accepted substantially in fat nations, with a many exceptions. In Nigeria, there’s presently a failure of exploration on the relationship between personality rates and academic success. A farther point to mention is that the maturity of the studies conducted in the home fountain by experimenters similar as Adeyemi and Adeyemi( 2014); Eyong; David; and Umoh( 2014); Amadi; Ogadimma and Tunde( 2015); Litvinova; Balarabe and Mohammed( 2015) were largely theoretical in nature, with the conclusion being subjectively told by the experimenters’ hypotheticals. As a result, it should be mentioned that former exploration didn’t devote sufficient empirical attention to the correlations between personality characteristics and scholars’ academic success in Nigerian universities. As a result, the completion of this study bid will close the gap by critically examining the significance of personality characteristics on scholars’ academic progress in secondary seminaries.

Ideal Of The Study

The general ideal of this study is to probe the significance of personality traits on scholars ’ academic achievement in secondary seminaries. Other specific objects are

To examine the relationship between extraversion personality characteristics and scholars ’ academic achievement

ii. To probe the relationship between meticulousness personality factor on scholars ’ academic achievement

iii. To explore the significance of neuroticism particularity on scholars ’ academic achievement.

iv. To find out if affability particularity factor is related to scholars ’ academic achievement.

To probe the effect of openness particularity factor on scholars ’ academic achievement.

Exploration Questions

This study was guided by the following exploration questions

What’s the relationship between extraversion personality characteristics and scholars ’ academic achievement?

ii. What’s the relationship between meticulousness personality factor on scholars ’ academic achievement?

iii. What’s the significance of neuroticism particularity on scholars ’ academic achievement?

iv. Does affability particularity factor is related to scholars ’ academic achievement?

What’s the effect of openness particularity factor on scholars ’ academic achievement?

Significant of the study

Despite the fact that important exploration has been conducted on the supplements between personality traits and scholars ’ academic achievement, the attendant effect of extraversion, affability, meticulousness, neuroticism, and openness personality characteristics on perceived academic performance of scholars in secondary academy in Lagos State haven’t attracted important scholarly attention as has been done in the developed countries of the world. therefore, this study will be of great significance as it’ll add to the formerly being skimp literatures on the subject matter in the Nigerian environment.

wallflower and backslapper personality of an existent is veritably important in interpersonal influence on other people, especially scholars academically. This study hopes to bring mindfulness to the responsible party in institution of education about anxiety problems faced by scholars to enable action to be taken.

On conclusion of the study and findings and recommendation made, parents and preceptors in secondary seminaries should be enlightened on the need to more manage scholars ’ personality characteristics to insure better literacy and academic performance.

The issues of this study will be of significant significance to scholars, unborn experimenters and scholars especially in the field of education and psychology.

The findings of the study would be significant to policy makers and device at large, as they would make use of the findings and recommendations handed.

Compass Of The Study

The study will examine the relationship between extraversion personality characteristics and scholars ’ academic achievement. The study will also probe the relationship between meticulousness personality factor on scholars ’ academic achievement. The study will further explore the significance of neuroticism particularity on scholars ’ academic achievement. More so, this study will find out if affability particularity factor is related to scholars ’ academic achievement. Incipiently, the study will probe the effect of openness particularity factor on scholars ’ academic achievement. Hence the study will be delimiter to Rivers State.

Limitations on the Study

The experimenter faced series of challenges during the course of the study one of which is lack of acceptable fund, this points to the fact that the experimenter isn’t yet earning plutocrat but rather depend on family supports.

Another factor that nearly marred the success of the study was time factor. There was need for the experimenter to go to the field, libraries, write report and submit at the needed time this also constituted a major constraint to the experimenter study.

On the whole, academic stress added to the problems but the experimenter made the stylish sweats in optimizing the available coffers and information without allowing the limitations to make the experimenter lose sight of the quality of the ideal of the study. In substance, these limitations don’t bump on the validity of the result of this study.

Description Of Terms

Personality traits a fairly stable, harmonious, and enduring internal characteristic that’s inferred from a pattern of actions, stations, passions, and habits in the existent.

Academic achievement performance issues that indicate the extent to which a person has fulfilled specific pretensions that were the focus of conditioning in educational surroundings, specifically in academy, council, and university