Graduate Program
Clinical Psychology
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
2010
Thesis Director
William Addison
Thesis Committee Member
Cathy Schoonover
Thesis Committee Member
Ronan Bernas
Thesis Committee Member
Wesley Allan
Abstract
Big Five measures of personality have long been used to assess the relationship between personality and academic performance. The Academic Maturity Scale (AMS), a 101-item instrument designed to identify the skills, strategies, and motivations that are shared among successful students, has been shown to be correlated with academic performance (Addison, Althoff, & Pezold, 2009). In the present study, I assessed the relationship between personality characteristics and academic maturity, specifically which personality characteristics are the best predictors of academic maturity. I administered the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991) and AMS to 163 students from introductory and upper division psychology courses. I used multiple regression analyses to assess the relationships between scores on the domain and facet scales of the BFI and scores on the subscales of the AMS in order to identify the personality characteristics that best predict academic maturity. Consistent with predictions, the results of the multiple regression analyses showed that scores on the Conscientiousness domain and Conscientiousness/Self-Discipline facet were the best predictors of AMS total scores. Scores on the Conscientiousness domain and Conscientiousness/Self-Discipline facet were also found to be significant predictors of scores on all four AMS subscales. The study's implications and limitations are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Althoff, Ryan W., "The Big Five Personality Traits as Predictors of Academic Maturity" (2010). Masters Theses. 605.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/605
