Assessing the Impact of Personality Traits on Academic Performance: Evidence from Tertiary Students in Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess and predict the impact of personality traits on academic performance evidence from Tertiary students in Ghana. The main objective is to investigate the association between the personal traits (extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness) and academic performance. The target population of the study comprised of students who have studied a minimum of three semesters at selected tertiary institutions in Ghana.627 out of the 700 participants returned their questionnaires. Respondents were recruited from, Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study adopted purposive sampling technique to select the tertiary institution whereas convenience sampling techniques were employed to select the students. With the aid of SPSS the following statistics were used: descriptive statistics in order to have a clear picture of study variables, Cranach’s alpha to measure the internal consistency of the construct, Kurtosis and Skewness values to check the normality of each variable used and regression analysis to measure the effect of independent variables on dependent variables. The findings revealed that, there is a significant positive relationship between the academic achievements of tertiary student’s that are conscientious, agreeable and openness, however extroversion and neuroticism failed to pass the hypothesis test. The research suggests that counsel periods should be organized by parents, lecturers and counselors regarding positive influence agreeableness at home, institutions and workplace and in the society for peaceful co-existence.