EXAMINING PERSONALITY TRAITS AS PREDICTORS OF UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE (CGPA): A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study provides a critical review of empirical research on the Big Five personality traits and their connection to academic performance (CGPA), aiming to clarify how each trait influences achievement. The results consistently indicate that personality traits play a significant role in determining students’ academic success. Focusing on Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism, this research also examines gender differences by including an equal number of male and female respondents. Since the other two traits (Agreeableness and Openness to Experience) didn’t show much correlation hence they were not taken as variables for this study.

By correlating Big Five personality test scores with students’ CGPA, the findings show that Neuroticism has a negative correlation (r = –0.50), Conscientiousness a positive correlation (r = 0.58), and Extraversion a negative correlation (r = –0.80) with academic performance among undergraduate students. These outcomes suggest that awareness of personality traits can enable educational institutions to design more effective learning strategies to improve student’s performance.