Personality, cognitive ability, and beliefs about intelligence as predictors of academic performance

Quantitative evaluation of a theoretical-conceptual model based on affective and socio-behavioral dimensions to explain the academic performance of mathematics students

Objective

There is evidence that suggests that affective dimensions, personality traits, as well as students' cooperative interpersonal interactions, are an important element in the students learning process. In this work we propose a theoretical model, based on evidence, that shows the direct and indirect relationships between these factors and academic performance in mathematics courses, in undergraduate and school students.

Methods

To understand the type of relationships between these variables, the PANAS psychometric test of positive and negative affect, the BIG FIVE personality test and the economic decision game DUPLES GAME were applied. The study sample was 130 students between 17 and 22 years of age from undergraduate and school (M ± SD = 20.1 ± 3.99).

Results

From a path analysis, statistically significant relationships were found, for example, a direct relationship between neuroticism and positive affect, which in turn is related to academic performance. We also found a direct relationship between neuroticism and negative affect, extraversion and positive affect. This allows us to propose that some of the independent variables of the model directly and indirectly influence the academic performance of students in the subject of mathematics.

Conclusion

Positive affect and negative affect directly affect academic performance in mathematics, neuroticism has a direct impact on negative affect and extraversion direct impact on positive affect. Consequently, there are direct and indirect relationships between personality traits and affective dimensions, which affect the academic performance of mathematics students.

Dear admission committee…: Which moves in application essays predict student master grades?

Application essays are a commonly used admission instrument for students entering higher education. The quality of the essay is usually scored, but this score is often subjective and has poor interrater reliability due to the unstructured format of the essays. This results in mixed findings on the validity of application essays as an admission instrument. We propose a more objective method of using application essays, using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a text mining method, to distinguish seven moves occurring in application essays written by students who apply to a master degree program. We use the probability that these moves occur in the essay to predict study success in the master. Thereby we answer the following research question: What is the effect of discussing different moves in students' application essays on the student grades in a master program? From the seven different moves (functional unit of text) we distinguished, five of which have a significant effect on student grades. The moves we labeled as 'master specific' and 'interest to learn' have a positive effect on student grades, and the moves we labeled as 'research skills', 'societal impact' and 'city and university' have a negative effect. Our interpretation of this finding is that topics related to intrinsic motivation and specific knowledge, as opposed to generic knowledge, are positively related with study success. We thereby demonstrate that application essays can be a valid predictor of study success. This contributes to justifying their use as admission instruments.

The big five factors as differential predictors of self-regulation, achievement emotions, coping and health behavior in undergraduate students

BACKGROUND

The aim of this research was to analyze whether the personality factors included in the Big Five model differentially predict the self-regulation and affective states of university students and health.

METHODS

A total of 637 students completed validated self-report questionnaires. Using an ex post facto design, we conducted linear regression and structural prediction analyses.

RESULTS

The findings showed that model factors were differential predictors of both self-regulation and affective states. Self-regulation and affective states, in turn, jointly predict emotional performance while learning and even student health. These results allow us to understand, through a holistic predictive model, the differential predictive relationships of all the factors: conscientiousness and extraversion were predictors regulating positive emotionality and health; the openness to experience factor was non-regulating; nonregulating; and agreeableness and neuroticism were dysregulating, hence precursors of negative emotionality and poorer student health.

CONCLUSIONS

These results are important because they allow us to infer implications for guidance and psychological health at university.

Structural equation modeling of university students' academic resilience academic well-being, personality and educational attainment in online classes with Tencent Meeting application in China: investigating the role of student engagement

BACKGROUND

Online learning presents unique challenges for students, such as reduced social support and increased distractions. Understanding the psychological factors that contribute to educational attainment in online classes is therefore important.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the structural relations among the psychological factors: academic resilience, personality, academic well-being, and educational attainment in online classes using the Tencent Meeting application in China. The study also explored the mediating role of student engagement in the relationship between the variables.

METHODOLOGY

This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationships among the variables of the study. The participants were 384 undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from Henan Polytechnic University in China. The participants completed self-report surveys of academic resilience, academic well-being, educational attainment, student engagement and personality types.

DATA ANALYSIS

The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships among variables. The goodness of fit of the SEM was assessed using several fit indices, including the chi-square test, the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The study also conducted mediation analyses to explore the potential mediating roles of learner enjoyment in the relationships between psychological factors and educational attainment.

FINDINGS

The results of the study showed that all variables of the study were positively related to educational attainment. The findings suggest that promoting academic resilience, academic well-being, and student engagement may be effective strategies for enhancing educational attainment in online classes using the Tencent Meeting application in China.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the Tencent Meeting application in China, this study provides insights into the complex interplay among several psychological factors and educational attainment in online classes. The findings highlight the importance of promoting academic resilience, personality, academic well-being, and student engagement to enhance educational attainment.

Exploring the ecosystem of K-12 online learning: an empirical study of impact mechanisms in the post-pandemic era

With the normalization of the COVID-19 epidemic, online learning has gained prominence in the post-epidemic era. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of how online learning influences learning outcomes is essential for the success of large-scale online education initiatives. This study proposed a conceptual model based on an ecosystem theory to investigate the impact of K-12 online learning on academic achievement. A survey was conducted among 1,625 K-12 school students in Shenzhen, China, utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for data analysis. The results indicate the following: (1) online learning engagement directly predicts academic achievement and mediates personal and environmental factors; (2) Family involvement and school support have similar impacts, with family involvement slightly stronger; (3) The Big Five Personality, especially conscientiousness, openness, and emotional stability, mediate the influence of family and school investment; and (4) School support affects academic achievement through online learning engagement, with emotional engagement being most significant. Our model illuminates the mediating role of online learning engagement, the impact of family involvement and school support, and the significance of Big Five Personality traits in K-12 online learning. This study contributes to the theoretical and practical understanding of the online learning ecosystem in the post-pandemic era, seldom explored in K-12 settings.

Motivation to succeed is not enough: motivated students need to know how to plan/organize their steps on their way to success

The study is based on dispositional (career motivation) and social-cognitive (generalized self-efficacy) theories of personality, further on the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation and future time perspective theory (task value, time, and study environment). The study aimed to explain the mechanism of the prediction relationship between motivation and students' performance. It was assumed that skills of planning and organizing (operationalized as generalized self-efficacy and learning strategies) mediate the prediction of motivation (career motivation and task value) on students' success (operationalized as academic achievement and employability). In two studies (N = 313, N = 219), the hypotheses of the mediation models were supported by structural equation modeling. Generally, the skills of organizing/planning fully mediated the students' performance, measured as academic achievement and employability (number of employers). The results show the importance of combining dispositional motivation characteristics with dynamic planning skills on the way to students' success. Traditional psychological predictors of performance, like general mental ability and conscientiousness, were not controlled. Higher education institutions could support motivated students on their way to success by teaching them how to plan and organize specific steps on their way to success.

Relation between students' personality traits and their preferred teaching methods: Students at the university of Ghana and the Huzhou Normal University

The study aimed to investigate the personality traits of students and their preferred teaching methods at the University of Ghana and Huzhou Normal University. The study specifically aimed at identifying personality traits that apply to psychology students, the kinds of teaching methods students preferred, and ascertaining the relationship between personality traits and preferred teaching methods. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to conduct the research. The sample size of two hundred and five (205) students from UG and Huzhou University was used. In this study, the researchers collected the data with the help of structured questionnaires. Research Question 1 and Question 2 will be analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Null hypothesis (There is no relationship between personality traits and teaching methods), Hypothesis 1 (There is a relationship between personality traits and teaching methods) will be analyzed using the Chi-Square. Data that will be collected will be analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (*SPSS). The study found that the conscientiousness personality trait among students at both University of Ghana and Huzhou University is the dominant personality trait. The preferred teaching method of students at both University of Ghana and Huzhou University is the cooperative learning method other than teaching methods. There is a relationship between personality traits and teaching methods: There is no relationship between students (participants') personality traits and teaching methods at both University of Ghana and Huzhou University. It was concluded that most participants possessed conscientiousness personality traits, followed by the agreeableness personality trait and extraversion in UG. For Huzhou University, the conscientiousness personality trait was included by most students, followed by extraversion and agreeableness. It was recommended that the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Ghana and China create, plan and revise their various contents for University Education so that it is geared towards students preferred teaching methods (cooperative method of teaching).

Motivation to teach and preparedness for teaching among preservice teachers in China: The effect of conscientiousness and constructivist teaching beliefs

"Preparedness for teaching" refers to the degree of confidence preservice teachers have, and reflects their ability. Developing preparedness for teaching is an important part of preservice teachers' professionalization. A substantial body of literature has documented the critical influence of the motivation to teach on preparedness; however, how this relation is impacted by mediating and moderating mechanisms remains unclear. To respond to this gap in knowledge, the present study constructed a mediated moderation model through structural equation modeling and multigroup tests using 383 questionnaires completed by preservice teachers in China. The findings indicate that the preservice teachers' genders, entry path, and levels of certainty about their future teaching career choices all influence their preparedness for teaching. Specifically, preservice teachers who believe that they will choose a teaching career in the future have more intrinsic motivation, stronger constructivist teaching beliefs, and a higher levels of teaching preparedness. Moreover, preservice teachers' motivations to teach can positively predict their constructivist teaching beliefs and preparedness for teaching, but their constructivist teaching beliefs alone do not have a mediating effect on the relationship between motivation to teach and preparedness for teaching. However, the findings reveal that the constructivist teaching beliefs of highly conscientiousness group can partially mediate the relationship between the motivation to teach and the preparedness for teaching. Additionally, conscientiousness moderates the influence of constructivist teaching beliefs on preparedness for teaching. The study provides meaningful insights into the within-personal traits of how and when motivation to teach affects preparedness for teaching, which may be useful for the motivation best practices for preservice teacher recruitment, training, and support to create high-quality teachers.

A preliminary study of the probitive value of personality assessment in medical school admissions within the United States

BACKGROUND

Allopathic medicine faces a daunting challenge of selecting the best applicants because of the very high applicant / matriculant ratio. The quality of graduates ultimately reflects the quality of medical practice. Alarming recent trends in physician burnout, misconduct and suicide raise questions of whether we are selecting the right candidates. The United States (US) lags far behind the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe in the study of non-cognitive tests in medical school admissions. Although more recently, medical schools in both the UK, Europe and the US have begun to use situational judgement tests such as the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer) and the situational judgement test (SJT), recently developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and that these tests are, in a sense non-cognitive in nature, direct personality tests per se have not been utilized. We have historically used, in the admissions process within the US, knowledge, reasoning and exam performance, all of which are largely influenced by intelligence and also improved with practice. Personality, though also undoubtedly influenced by intelligence, is fundamentally different and subject to different kinds of measurements.

METHODS

A popular personality measurement used over the past two decades within the US in business and industry, but not medical school has been the Neo Personality Inventory - Revised (NEO-PI-R) Test. This test has not been utilized regularly in allopathic medicine probably because of the paucity of exploratory retrospective and validating prospective studies. The hypothesis which we tested was whether NEO-PI-R traits exhibited consistency between two institutions and whether their measurements showed probative value in predicting academic performance.

RESULTS

Our retrospective findings indicated both interinstitutional consistencies and both positive and negative predictive values for certain traits whose correlative strengths exceeded traditional premed metrics: medical college admission test (MCAT) scores, grade point average (GPA), etc. for early academic performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Our exploratory studies should catalyze larger and more detailed confirmatory studies designed to validate the importance of personality traits not only in predicting early medical school performance but also later performance in one's overall medical career.

Conscientiousness as a Predictor of the Gender Gap in Academic Achievement

In recent decades, female students have been more successful in higher education than their male counterparts in the United States and other industrialized countries. A promising explanation for this gender gap are differences in personality, particularly higher levels of conscientiousness among women. Using Structural Equation Modeling on data from 4719 Dutch university students, this study examined to what extent conscientiousness can account for the gender gap in achievement. We also examined whether the role of conscientiousness in accounting for the gender gap differed for students with a non-dominant ethnic background compared to students with a dominant ethnic background. In line with our expectations, we found that conscientiousness fully mediated the gender gap in achievement, even when controlling for prior achievement in high school. This was the case among both groups of students. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the gender gap in achievement in postsecondary education settings. The current study suggests that the use of conscientiousness measures in university admission procedures may disadvantage male students. Instead, the use of such measures may be a fruitful way to identify those students who may benefit from interventions to improve their conscientiousness. Future research could examine how conscientiousness can be fostered among students who are low in conscientiousness.

Abertura à experiência e preferência em obras de arte figurativas e não figurativas

A arte não representacional é outra maneira de aludir à arte abstrata, sendo um estilo no qual os objetos não se parecem com aqueles que se apresentam na natureza física concreta. No último século, foram realizadas investigações experimentais sobre estética e personalidade objetivando revelar fatores contribuintes para as diferenças quanto às preferências artísticas. Este estudo explorou as associações entre abertura à experiência e preferência por arte visual. Os participantes completaram a Escala Fatorial de Abertura e classificaram a preferência por quatro imagens diferentes correspondentes à arte representativa e não representativa. A análise estatística dos dados revelou uma correlação positiva entre o fator Fantasia e a apreciação pelas pinturas abstratas (r =.20). Não foi verificada uma correlação estatisticamente significativa entre essa dimensão e a apreciação de pinturas figurativas. Embora esses achados sejam exploratórios, outras medidas mais completas relacionadas às diferenças individuais e preferências artísticas poderão ser utilizadas em novos estudos no Brasil.

Introversion and High Spatial Ability Is Associated With Origami Proficiency

This study examined the relationship between origami performance, personality traits, and spatial ability. The researchers asked 43 Japanese university students (19 women and 24 men) to fold three models of origami (paper folding). Their performance was assessed by the number of successes in correctly folding the paper to make the models. They also answered the personality inventory NEO-FFI and completed the block-design test of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale IV, which measures the spatial ability of people. The results showed that although origami performance demonstrated no significant relation with neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness, or conscientiousness, it improved as introversion tendency and spatial ability increased. There were no differences based on sex in origami performance. The findings suggest that performing origami requires spatial ability, which supports the view that origami is a potential educational material for training and enhancing spatial ability, and that introversion is advantageous to origami performance.

Developing and Validating a Short-Form Questionnaire for the Assessment of Seven Facets of Conscientiousness in Large-Scale Assessments

Conscientiousness is the most important personality predictor of academic achievement. It consists of several lower order facets with differential relations to academic achievement. There is currently no short instrument assessing facets of conscientiousness in the educational context. Therefore, in the present multi-study report, we develop and validate a short-form questionnaire for the assessment of seven Conscientiousness facets, namely Industriousness, Perfectionism, Tidiness, Procrastination Refrainment, Control, Caution, and Task Planning. To this end, we examined multiple representative samples totaling N = 14,604 Grade 9 and 10 students from Luxembourg. The questionnaire was developed by adapting and shortening an existing scale using an exhaustive search algorithm. The algorithm was specified to select the best item combination based on model fit, reliability, and measurement invariance across the German and French language versions. The resulting instrument showed the expected factorial structure. The relations of the facets with personality constructs and academic achievement were in line with theoretical assumptions. Reliability was acceptable for all facets. Measurement invariance across language versions, gender, immigration status and cohort was established. We conclude that the presented questionnaire provides a short measurement of seven facets of Conscientiousness with valid and reliable scores.

The influence of personality traits on university performance: Evidence from Italian freshmen students

Despite several attempts to provide a definite pattern regarding the effects of personality traits on performance in higher education, the debate over the nature of the relationship is far from being conclusive. The use of different subject pools and sample sizes, as well as the use of identification strategies that either do not adequately account for selection bias or are unable to establish causality between measures of academic performance and noncognitive skills, are possible sources of heterogeneity. This paper investigates the impact of the Big Five traits, as measured before the beginning of the academic year, on the grade point average achieved in the first year after the enrolment, taking advantage of a unique and large dataset from a cohort of Italian students in all undergraduate programs containing detailed information on student and parental characteristics. Relying on a robust strategy to credibly satisfy the conditional independence assumption, we find that higher levels of conscientiousness and openness to experience positively affect student score.

Personality Traits and Perceptions of Major Life Events

Research examining the associations between major life events and personality trait development is mixed. Work that evaluates perceptions of life events and how those perceptions are themselves associated with personality traits may help clarify the existing literature. We used a large student sample ( N = 1,509) and a demographically diverse sample from a Qualtrics panel ( N = 552) to conduct exploratory analyses examining the associations between the big five personality traits and perceptions of life events. Results suggested that (a) associations between personality and beliefs about event-related personality change differ between students and more representative samples, (b) associations between personality and event perceptions are often nuanced, and (c) event perceptions are not merely proxies for personality traits. These studies highlight the importance of subjective event perceptions in the study of major life events and personality.

Big Five personality traits and academic performance: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE AND METHOD

This meta-analysis reports the most comprehensive assessment to date of the strength of the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and academic performance by synthesizing 267 independent samples (N = 413,074) in 228 unique studies. It also examined the incremental validity of personality traits above and beyond cognitive ability in predicting academic performance.

RESULTS

The combined effect of cognitive ability and personality traits explained 27.8% of the variance in academic performance. Cognitive ability was the most important predictor with a relative importance of 64%. Conscientiousness emerged as a strong and robust predictor of performance, even when controlling for cognitive ability, and accounted for 28% of the explained variance in academic performance. A significant moderating effect of education level was observed. The relationship of academic performance with openness, extraversion, and agreeableness demonstrated significantly larger effect sizes at the elementary/middle school level compared to the subsequent levels. Openness, despite its weak overall relative importance, was found to be an important determinant of student performance in the early years of school.

CONCLUSION

These findings reaffirm the critical role of personality traits in explaining academic performance through the most comprehensive assessment yet of these relationships.

The Effect of Emotional Intelligence and Academic Social Networking Sites on Academic Performance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the use of digital platforms for educational purposes, and increased use of smartphones and social media has affected the academic performance of students. In this study, we explored how emotional intelligence can, directly and indirectly, influence academic performance, with academic social networking sites (ASNS) as a mediator.

Methods

A survey questionnaire comprising 42 items was used to collect data on emotional intelligence, ASNS, and academic performance. In total, 305 undergraduate university students participated in the study. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (SmartPLS-SEM 3.2.2) was used to measure the effects of emotional intelligence and ASNS.

Results

Two dimensions of emotional intelligence, namely, self-regulation and self-awareness, showed significant positive effects on academic performance. Similarly, emotional intelligence and subscales of self-regulation, self-awareness and social skills showed a positive effect on ASNS. Likewise, ASNS showed a significant positive effect on academic performance. Looking at indirect influence, three dimensions of emotional intelligence, including self-regulation, self-awareness, and social skills, exerted a significant positive indirect influence on academic performance. Thus, outcomes of this study indicate that ASNS worked as a mediator between emotional intelligence and academic performance.

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence contributes directly and indirectly to increased academic performance. Together with emotional intelligence, ASNS played a positive and significant role in nurturing academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Correlative Study between Personality Traits, Student Mental Skills and Educational Outcomes

The main purpose of this study is determining the correlations between personality traits, academic mental skills and educational outcomes using a quantitative methodology, based on a non-experimental, correlational study. In addition, the following variables are taken into consideration: gender, grade averages and school cycle. The sample is composed of 695 students: these are two institutions (middle and high school) under the provincial direction of Mediouna. In order to gather the information, participants were asked to complete the 16pf 5 questionnaire and scale measuring academic mental skills. Note that the results obtained are processed by the IBM SPSS 23 software. The results demonstrate that the 16 personality scales of the Cattell 16PF5 test and the 9 school grades have significant correlations: 77.77% of all correlations, with essentially the following factors: abstractedness, tension, emotional stability, dominance, social-boldness, vigilance and apprehension maintain (8/9) significant and positive relationships with 38.88% and low intensity (r = 0.031 to 0.0465). Additionally, mental skills (affective, cognitive and metacognitive strategies) and grades have significant correlations with 70.37% of all calculated correlations, with low, average and/or positive, negative intensities, according to each strategy with each grade of school subjects. In the end, it is necessary to make considerable efforts to better understanding the multidimensionality of school success and to ensure an effective and relevant pedagogical intervention.

Society-level social axiom moderates the association between growth mindset and achievement across cultures

BACKGROUND

Meta-analytic studies show that the benefits of the growth mindset on academic achievement are heterogenous. Past studies have explored how individual characteristics and proximal environmental factors could explain these variations, but the role of the broader sociocultural environment has seldom been explored.

AIMS

We investigated society-level social axioms to explain variations in growth mindset effects on achievement across cultures. We hypothesized that three society-level social axioms (social complexity, fate control, and reward for application) imply social norms that would either support or obstruct the growth mindset effect.

SAMPLE AND METHODS

We conducted multilevel SEM with random slopes using data from 273,074 students nested within 39 countries/territories.

RESULTS

We found weaker growth mindset effects in societies with stronger social complexity beliefs; societies believing that there are multiple solutions to problems have social norms that obstruct the growth mindset effects on achievement. No moderating effects were found with other social axioms.

CONCLUSION

Relevant cultural-level normative beliefs should be considered to better assess the relevance of the growth mindset construct.

Effects of Group Formation on Student Satisfaction and Performance: A Field Experiment

This study analyzes the relation of group formation on outcomes of a 4-week online course for prospective students. Group formation was experimentally manipulated based on predefined criteria, personality traits conscientiousness and extraversion. As research questions, groups were considered advantageous if they were formed (a) heterogeneously in extraversion, and (b) homogeneously in conscientiousness. As a result, no uniform outcome was identified. Most variance could be explained on group level, but no significant main effect for experimental grouping was found. Significant interaction between both main effects hint that the results do not provide final answers, but guidance for further research.

Investigating the impacts of personality on the use and perceptions of online collaborative platforms in higher education

Collaborative work is a critical component of active learning. Where in-person collaboration may not be possible, inclusion of online collaboration tools has become more prevalent. Previous studies have suggested that online collaboration is beneficial to overall learning outcomes; however, little research has investigated how differences in personality traits, such as extraversion and agreeableness, impact the benefits and effectiveness of collaborative learning, both through online (synchronous and asynchronous) and in-person platforms. In the present study, 360 (66.4% female) undergraduate students completed an online survey to assess perceptions of and beliefs about online synchronous, online asynchronous, and in-person collaboration in higher education with a focus on the impact of extraversion and agreeableness. Findings indicated that students had more experience and greater preference for online synchronous collaboration compared to online asynchronous collaboration; however, students believed that in-person collaboration was most effective. Both extraversion and agreeableness predicted positive beliefs about group work in both online and in-person settings but not uniformly. These findings support the use of online synchronous collaboration when in-person opportunities are limited; however, individual differences related to personality traits can differentially impact students' perceptions toward and actions within collaboration contexts.

Conscientiousness and achievement motivation predict performance

A prospective survey was conducted to identify predictors of university students' grade point average (GPA) using separate samples of female (N = 472) and male (N = 142) students over 9 months. Big five personality traits and achievement motivation were measured. Correlations show that conscientiousness (C) and achievement motivation explained variation in GPA. Latent variable structural equation modelling showed that the effect of C on GPA is fully mediated by achievement motivation for both female and male students. Invariant factor and structural mediation models across the female and male groups are also reported. Finally, the mediation model is shown to remain significant after scholastic achievement is controlled. The findings are interpreted within the framework of Neo‐Socioanalytic theory. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sex differences in school performance as a function of conscientiousness, imagination and the mediating role of problem behaviour

The roles of Conscientiousness and Imagination in explaining sex differences in school performance were examined in two Flemish samples of school children using parental and teacher ratings of school performance (N = 599) and school grades (N = 448). Both personality domains predicted parental ratings of school performance and grades. In one sample, girls received slightly higher parental ratings of language achievement and overall performance ratings by teachers. However, controlling for Conscientiousness and Imagination facets, boys scored slightly higher for math and history. In this sample, lower externalising behaviour partially mediated the relation between Conscientiousness facets and school performance in girls but not in boys, but this pattern was not replicated in the second sample. We concluded that sex differences in school performance were small and many could be accounted for by personality traits. In some cases, however, personality traits acted to amplify sex differences in school performance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

School performance and mortality: The mediating role of educational attainment and work and family trajectories across the life course

Evidence of a strong negative correlation between adolescent academic performance and mortality points to the importance of not only cognitive, but also non-cognitive, skills in predicting survival. We integrated two bodies of research to evaluate expectations regarding the role of educational attainment and trajectories of employment and marriage experience in mediating relationships between high school class rank and longevity. In particular, we used data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (n = 9,232) to fit parametric mortality models from age 55 to age 77. Multiple mediator models allowed for quantification of the degree to which the association between high school class rank and mortality is mediated by life trajectories and educational attainment. Our results show that high school class rank is a statistically significant and substantively meaningful predictor of survival beyond age 55 and that this relationship is partially, but not fully, mediated by trajectories of employment and marriage experience across the life course. Higher educational attainment also mediates a substantial part of the relationship, but to varying degrees for men and women.

Retrieval Practice: Beneficial for All Students or Moderated by Individual Differences?

Retrieval practice is a learning technique that is known to produce enhanced long-term memory retention when compared to several other techniques. This difference in learning outcome is commonly called “the testing effect”. Yet there is little research on how individual differences in personality traits and working memory capacity moderate the size of the retrieval-practice benefits. The current study is a conceptual replication of a previous study, further investigating whether the testing effect is sensitive to individual differences in the personality traits Grit and Need for Cognition, and working memory capacity. Using a within-subjects design ( N = 151), participants practiced 60 Swahili–Swedish word pairs (e.g., adhama–honor) through retrieval practice and re-studying. Learning was assessed at three time points: five minutes, one week, and four weeks after practice. The results revealed a significant testing effect at all three time points. Further, the results showed no association between the testing effect and the personality traits, or between the testing effect and working memory, at any time point. To conclude, retrieval practice seems to be a learning technique that is not moderated by individual differences in these specific personality traits or with working memory capacity, thus possibly beneficial for all students.

Oral health and academic performance or absenteeism: Findings from a University in Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the association between oral health conditions and academic performance and absenteeism in university students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was carried out on a comprehensive sample of 1865 freshman students from the Federal University of Pelotas/Southern Brazil in 2017. A self-administered questionnaire was applied in the classroom, inquiring about socioeconomic, demographic, psychological, academic characteristics and oral conditions (tooth loss, self-reported oral health and toothache). For the dependent variables, academic performance was evaluated by the question: 'How would you describe your academic performance?' while absenteeism was assessed with the question 'In the last six months, have you missed some class for dental reasons?'. Multivariable analyses used hierarchical Poisson regression with backward selection.

RESULTS

The prevalence of low academic performance was 38.6% and absenteeism due to dental reasons 6.2%. The prevalence of toothache and poor self-perceived oral health was 28% and 20%, respectively. Multivariable analysis found low academic performance to be more prevalent in students with poor self-perceived oral health (PR 1.46; 95% CI 1.22-1.77), and absenteeism to be almost six times more prevalent (PR 5.85; 95% CI 3.84-8.90) in students reporting toothache.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor oral health is associated with both poor academic performance and absenteeism in university students.

Psychological factors involved in the acquisition of a foreign language among students with visual impairments

This study presents a qualitative analysis of the psychological factors affecting the academic success of students with visual impairments, focusing on the students’ perceptions of their own competence and abilities in learning a foreign language. Interviews were conducted with 28 first-year college students in Israel who met the standard definition of being legally blind. Data were analyzed using a content analysis technique. This was conducted in two stages: first a within-case analysis and then a cross-case analysis. Three distinct themes emerged from the data: (1) self-perceptions of efficacy and feelings of competency, (2) achievement motivation, and (3) locus of control. The analysis of the interviews revealed that each of these three factors influenced students’ experiences throughout their college years, both overall and in regard to their English studies in particular. The factors were interpreted using Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model of human development. Findings suggest that providing emotional and psychological support to students with visual impairments early in their academic studies could prove beneficial by providing them with the necessary tools for coping with the demands and requirements of higher education.

Differential associations of neurobehavioral traits and cognitive ability to academic achievement in higher education

BACKGROUND

People vary between each other on several neurobehavioral traits, which may have implications for understanding academic achievement.

METHODS

University-level Psychology or Engineering students were assessed for neurobehavioral traits, intelligence, and current psychological distress. Scores were compared with their grade point average (GPA) data.

RESULTS

Factors associated with higher GPA differed markedly between groups. For Engineers, intelligence, but not neurobehavioral traits or psychological distress, was a strong correlate of grades. For Psychologists, grades were not correlated with intelligence but they were with the neurobehavioral traits of executive dysfunction, disinhibition, apathy, and positive schizotypy. However, only the latter two were associated independently of psychological distress. Additionally, higher mixed-handedness was associated with higher GPA in the combined sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Neurological factors (i.e., neurobehavioral traits and intelligence), are differentially associated with university-level grades, depending on the major studied. However, mixed-handedness may prove to be a better general predictor of academic performance across disciplines.

Growth mindsets and psychological distress: A meta-analysis

We investigated if growth mindsets-the belief in the malleable nature of human attributes-are negatively related to psychological distress and if they are positively related to treatment value and active coping. In the meta-analysis, we included articles published between 1988 and 2019, written in English, that reported on mindsets as well as a qualifying dependent variable and included information required to calculate an effect size. With a random effects approach, meta-analytic results (k = 72 samples, N = 17,692) demonstrated that mindsets relate, albeit with minimal effects, to distress, treatment and coping. Specifically, there is a negative relation between growth mindsets and psychological distress (r = -0.220), a positive relation between growth mindsets and treatment value (r = 0.137) and a positive relation between growth mindsets and active coping (r = 0.207). Differences in mindset domain, assessment method of mindsets and timing of assessments moderated effects. There were not differences based on operationalization of psychological distress outcome or sample characteristics (i.e., developmental stage, diagnostic status, ethnicity). We discuss theoretical and practical applications of the findings.

Response suppression, strategy application, and working memory in the prediction of academic performance and classroom misbehavior: A neuropsychological approach

BACKGROUND

Neurological illness can produce a disorganization of behavior, including verbal disinhibition, despite apparent preserved intelligence. Neuropsychological tests of such behavioral control mechanisms may predict real-world performance of healthy people, such as success or misbehavior in educational contexts.

METHOD

In two separate studies, we examined how the Hayling Test of verbal response suppression predicts grades and classroom misbehavior.

RESULTS

Verbal suppression errors and spontaneous strategy use were significant predictors of undergraduate grades. Using a modified version of the Hayling Test designed to reduce strategic responding with high school students (mean age 16), higher grades were predicted by shorter response suppression latencies and better working memory scores, and classroom misbehavior was predicted by lower working memory scores.

CONCLUSION

Verbal response suppression and spontaneous strategy use, both closely linked to disorganized behavior in neuropsychological patients, predict academic achievement but seem unrelated to classroom misbehavior, which is associated with weakness in working memory.

Who Are Our Students? Understanding Students' Personality for Refined and Targeted Physical Education. A Scoping Review

Students' personality is an essential component in order to plan and teach physical education (PE) lessons according to students' individual needs. Additionally, personality formation in general is part of the educational mandate and student personality development specifically is considered as an elementary goal of PE. Although student personality is a central topic in the PE context, the state of research, especially regarding the underlying personality understandings, is diverse and hard to capture. Therefore, this scoping review aims to (I) describe the underlying personality understandings and (II) analyze research questions and results of studies examining students' personality in PE. We conducted a scoping review. Eleven databases were chosen because of their specification within the field of education, sports and health sciences. We included references if they empirically examined students' personality in PE and were published in German or English. Twenty-four studies were included in the review. Fifteen of the included studies were cross-sectional, nine longitudinal. Regarding aim I), the underlying personality understandings were inconsistent across the studies but most of the studies followed trait theory. Considering aim II), the included studies investigated relationships between students' personality and either (a) students' achievement in PE, (b) students' psychological determinants of PE participation (e.g., motivation, anxiety), or (c) a school sports intervention. Results indicated that e.g., extraverted students tend to enjoy PE more and obtain less anxiety in PE. The review showed that students' personality in PE is empirically examined but the studies' underlying personality understandings, research questions and results are diverse. Findings highlight that PE contributes to students' personality development. Additionally, the review showed that results of personality research in PE context can be used in order to teach PE in a student-centered way (e.g., by deducing the detected relationships considering extraversion) and by this support students' lifelong physical activity. Further and targeted research in this field can help PE teachers to tailor their teaching to their students' needs. This increases the chances to achieve PE's two main goals—“educating to sports (e.g., personality-aligned lessons addressing different motives)” and “educating through sports (e.g., personality development)” in the long term.

Modulation of striatum based non-declarative and medial temporal lobe based declarative memory predicts academic achievement at university level

BACKGROUND

There is a dearth of research on the roles of non-declarative (implicit) learning linked to the striatum and declarative (explicit) learning associated with the medial temporal lobes as predictors of academic attainment.

METHODS

Participants were 120 undergraduate students, studying Psychology or Engineering, who completed several long-term memory tests.

RESULTS

There was a significant interaction between the groups (Psychology or Engineering) and task type (declarative or non-declarative): Engineers performed better at declarative and psychologists at non-declarative learning. Furthermore, non-declarative but not declarative learning scores were significant correlates of academic achievement (r = 0.326, p < .05). Moreover, competitive modulation (activation of non-declarative learning in conjunction with deactivation of declarative learning) was a significant predictor of future academic achievement in both psychology (r = 0.264, p < .05) and Engineering (r = 0.300, p < .05) groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The results confirm that these declarative and non-declarative systems interact competitively and that the extent of this competition may have implications for understanding educational attainment.

Admission testing for higher education: A multi-cohort study on the validity of high-fidelity curriculum-sampling tests

We investigated the validity of curriculum-sampling tests for admission to higher education in two studies. Curriculum-sampling tests mimic representative parts of an academic program to predict future academic achievement. In the first study, we investigated the predictive validity of a curriculum-sampling test for first year academic achievement across three cohorts of undergraduate psychology applicants and for academic achievement after three years in one cohort. We also studied the relationship between the test scores and enrollment decisions. In the second study, we examined the cognitive and noncognitive construct saturation of curriculum-sampling tests in a sample of psychology students. The curriculum-sampling tests showed high predictive validity for first year and third year academic achievement, mostly comparable to the predictive validity of high school GPA. In addition, curriculum-sampling test scores showed incremental validity over high school GPA. Applicants who scored low on the curriculum-sampling tests decided not to enroll in the program more often, indicating that curriculum-sampling admission tests may also promote self-selection. Contrary to expectations, the curriculum-sampling tests scores did not show any relationships with cognitive ability, but there were some indications for noncognitive saturation, mostly for perceived test competence. So, curriculum-sampling tests can serve as efficient admission tests that yield high predictive validity. Furthermore, when self-selection or student-program fit are major objectives of admission procedures, curriculum-sampling test may be preferred over or may be used in addition to high school GPA.

Implicit Theories of Intelligence and Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Review

The current study intended to model the link between implicit theories of intelligence (ITI) and students' academic achievement, within a meta-analytic review procedure. To assess studies' effect size, the Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was used. The review of 46 studies (94 effect sizes) with 412,022 students presented a low-to-moderate association between the ITI and students' academic achievement. The results indicated that incremental theorists are more likely to have higher grades in specific subjects (verbal and quantitative) and in overall achievement. The entity beliefs were positively associated with students' specific verbal and quantitative domains but at a lower magnitude than incremental beliefs. Moreover, the moderator effect analyses results indicated that the link between ITI and students' achievement was not moderated by gender, but there was a moderate association in student's middle school grade. Additionally, the ITI assessment based on the most recent versions of Dweck's scales, the use of specific academic scales instead of general ITI scales, and the use of the original measures rather than adapted versions strongly moderated the link between ITI and achievement. Moreover, students from Eastern continents (Asia and Oceania) reported a positive association between incremental beliefs and achievement, Europe displayed a positive link between entity beliefs and achievement, whereas North America presented negative correlations between entity perspectives and academic achievement. This meta-analysis updates the current evidence supporting the direct link of ITI and students' academic achievement and acknowledges specific effects that ITI could have in different academic outcomes.

Can you snooze your way to an 'A'? Exploring the complex relationship between sleep, autonomic activity, wellbeing and performance in medical students

OBJECTIVE

Medical training brings with it multiple stressors, including demanding workloads in highly competitive environments, with well-documented impact on psychiatric morbidity. This study evaluated the impact of sleep-related factors on psychological wellbeing, cognitive task performance and academic standing in medical students.

METHODS

A total of 59 undergraduate medical students took part in this cross-sectional study over two consecutive days. Participants responded to questionnaires about their physical and psychological health, sleep, functioning and academic performance at the initial visit. Participants then wore an ambulatory bioharness overnight (to derive heart rate variability measures), before returning to complete a computerised battery of cognitive tasks. A sleep diary was completed for the next 7 days.

RESULTS

Poor sleep quality in the month preceding assessment correlated with psychological distress ( p < 0.001) and reduced nocturnal heart rate variability ( p = 0.007). Psychological distress also correlated with reduced nocturnal heart rate variability ( p = 0.031) and less refreshing sleep during the monitoring week ( p < 0.001), but not with sleep timing parameters. A greater increase in heart rate variability during the transition from awake to sleep significantly predicted better spontaneous cognitive performance ( p = 0.021). Better academic standing was predicted by consistently short, less refreshing sleep (all p < 0.001), along with earlier bedtimes ( p = 0.004) and greater psychological wellbeing ( p = 0.009).

CONCLUSION

Unrefreshing, short-duration sleep and psychological distress are prevalent in medical students during university training and were associated with reduced nocturnal parasympathetic autonomic activity. Achieving higher academic grades was associated with high psychological wellbeing despite consistently short, unrefreshing sleep. The long-term repercussions of such sleep behaviours on later professional functioning remain unclear, warranting further research.