Source Traits of Adolescents’ Personality as a Predictor of their Academic Achievement - A Cross-Sectional Study

Oct 15, 2026

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A cross-sectional survey in Pakistan examines whether primary source personality traits predict secondary-school academic achievement. The study involves 357 students in class 10 (182 boys, 175 girls). A 43-item Likert 5-point trait scale, modeled on the Big Five Questionnaire-Children version (BFQ-C), measures eight traits: independence, intelligence, sociable, easygoing, generous, friendly, emotionally stable, and dominance. Academic achievement uses annual class 9 examination results. Descriptive, inferential statistics and factor analysis show that independence, intelligence, emotionally stable, and friendly predict achievement to some extent, while other traits have minimal or negative effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages19

Reading Time48 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Source Traits of Adolescents’Personality as a Predictor of their Academic Achievement: A Cross-Sectional Study Hakim Ali *, Bashir Hussain** and Muhammad Nadeem Iqbal *** Abstract A bulk of research has been conducted to investigate the relationship of the personality traits of students with their academic achievement in international context. This area, however, has yet been rarely explored in the context of Pakistan. This cross-sectional survey study, therefore, investigated the degree to which selected primary source traits of the personality of students can serve as a predictor of their academic achievement at secondary school level in the context of Pakistan. Three hundred fifty seven (357) secondary school students (182 boys and 175 girls) attending class 10th participated in this study. A 43-item Likert 5-point trait scale, following the example of the items included in the ‘‘Big Five Questionnaire – Children version (BFQ-C)’’ by Barbaranelli et al., (2003), was developed for measuring the eight selected primary source traits, namely: independence, intelligence, sociable, easy going, generous, friendly, emotionally stable, and dominance. Academic achievement of the representative sample of the students was measured on the basis of their annual examination results of class 9th.Collected data were analyzed and interpreted by applying descriptive and the inferential statistics as well as factor analysis. Values of regression analysis revealed that, among the eight primary source traits, “Independence”,“Intelligence” “Emotionally stable” and “Friendly” were the only factors that predicted students’academic achievement to some extent while the role of other four traits found to be minimal or negative in predicting academic achievement. Keywords: Academic Achievement, Personality Traits, Primary Source Traits, Secondary Schools * Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Govt. Willayat Hussain Islamia College, Multan. [Email: hakimalimphil@gmail.com](Email: hakimalimphil@gmail.com) **Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. [Email: bashirhussain@bzu.edu.pk](Email: bashirhussain@bzu.edu.pk) *** Assistant Professor, Institute of Social Sciences, Bahaddudin Zakaraiya University, Multan. Introduction Educational psychologists and researchers have always been concerned about understanding the major reasons of individual’s academic performance. As a result, educators have been interested in knowing in advance about the potential performance of the students, enrolled in different academic programs. This sort of information not only helps them in differentiating between poor-performers and high-performers but also helps them in planning effective teaching and learning activities. Furthermore, it is also an admitted fact that the success of students in school performance plays a vital role in predicting future opportunities for them. Academic success of the students is influenced by a number of factors and the knowledge of those factors has significant implications for the teaching and learning planning, processes, and activities. For instance, Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham (2005) identified intelligence and personality as the two most fundamental factors that are significantly correlated with students’ academic achievement. Earlier researchers also observed a direct relationship between personality and academic achievement (Diseth, 2003; Pintrich & Schunk, 2002) . A number of studies further emphasized that both the cognitive and personality variables should be considered while determining the future academic achievement of the students (Chammorro-Premuzic & Furnham, 2005; Rindermann & Nevbauer, 2001) . In connection with the relationship of personality with academic achievement, it has a number of traits, which are vital to predict behaviour. A trait is a dimension or a basic element of personality, which can be measured and describes the consistent behaviour of a

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the study?

To investigate the extent to which selected primary source personality traits predict students’ academic achievement in Pakistan at the secondary school level.

Who participated in the cross-sectional survey?

The study included 357 secondary school students attending class 10, consisting of 182 boys and 175 girls.

Which personality traits were found to predict academic achievement?

Independence, intelligence, emotionally stable, and friendly were the only traits that predicted academic achievement to some extent; the other four had minimal or negative predictive roles.

Oct 15, 2026

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