INFLUENCE OF PERSONALITY TRAITS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (A CASE STUDY OF IBADAN SOUTH WEST LGA, OYO STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Personality traits can simply be said to be distinct qualities that are the embodiment of an individual. They are regarded as one’s habitual patterns of behavior, temperament and emotion. Personality traits are a household name among people, but few know exactly what it is (Schneewind and Ruppert, 1998). It is certainly true that it is challenging to put human personality which Goethe (1970) called the greatest happiness for people of this earth into scientific terms. Personality traits determine a couple of important characteristics and how people associate/interact with others. Personality can be measured as a set of items usually questions about attitude, behaviour and feelings to which the subjects have to respond by agreeing or disagreeing with that question or assertions (Kline, 1993).

In 1930 personality psychology became a cardinal discipline in the social sciences. During that time many separate lines of inquiry came together for the field generated by Allport (1937), Murry(1938) and Lewin(1935). Lewin (1935) described the following as the components of personality which are habits, attitudes, interests, values, principles and mental capacity or intelligence.

Academic performance/achievement is a major issue among students, teachers, parents, school administrators, and the Nigerian society at large. Attempts have been made by researchers to unravel the complexities and intricacies surrounding academic performance. Psychologists have put forward a lot of reasons why these disparities in academic performance exist among students. A lot of attention had been paid to external factors such as type of school, teaching methods, school location, instructional materials, teachers experience amongst other factors (WAEC, 2005). Many spend lots of money on quality education by securing good schools either for their children or themselves and those who can afford it even invest on education abroad as they believe this will improve academic performance, and which in turn gives an added advantage in terms of securing gainful employment. Opinions differ as to why some students excel academically while others appear to be underachievers. Many psychologists have consistently attempted to identify the major predictors of individual academic performance or achievement. Factors such as intelligence, self concept, gender, study habit, maturation, home background, amongst others, just to mention a few, have been extensively explored as being responsible for academic performance. Other factors that have been studied in the past include: child rearing patterns, peer group influence, socio-economic background and learning environment. Another major factor that is believed to be responsible for academic performance or achievement in students is their personality traits. Traits Theorists have tried to identify the major traits that characterize personality. Notable among these are Sigmund Freud in the early 1900's, Gordon All port (1961), Cattell (1967), Hans Eysenck (1985) Feldman (1994), McCrae and Costa (1987) and a host of other researchers and theorists.

The researcher is therefore out to examine what influence these personality traits have on the academic performance of students.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

There are many opinions by researchers and theorists stating that a student's academic performance is related to student mental alertness factors, this is because due to the role of other factors such as personality factors, environmental factors, psychological and sociological factors cannot be ignored. Several studies conducted by several psychologists have shown that personality factors play a massive role in influencing the student's academic performance/achievement (Orpen, 1976, Sandra Kay, 2001). According Chiam (1992), students often experience frustration as a result of not getting the encouragement and stimulation of challenging in the classroom especially in terms of communication and performance as a result of the restrictions of the autocratic nature of teachers. This was associated with a student's personality trait. Khadijah (1992), which conducts research on a number of personality traits of students find that they are bored and frustrated with the situation in school because most teachers who teach using traditional methods, lack of understanding the needs and taste of which is more of a one-way communication only, not between students and teachers.  This study is therefore aimed at an examination of the influence of personality traits on academic performance of secondary school students.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The major aim of the study is to examine the influence of personality traits on the academic performance of secondary school students. Other specific objectives of the study include;

1. To examine the relationship between personality trait and the academic performance of secondary students.
2. To examine the different types of personality trait that can influence the academic performance of secondary school students.
3. To assess the importance of students academic performance to educational development in Nigeria.
4. To examine other factors influencing students’ academic performance.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the relationship between personality trait and the academic performance of secondary students?
2. What are the different types of personality trait that can influence the academic performance of secondary school students?
3. What is the importance of students’ academic performance to educational development in Nigeria?
4. What are the other factors influencing students’ academic performance.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

HO: There is no significant relationship between personality trait and students academic performance

HA: There is significant relationship between personality trait and students academic performance

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will educate the stakeholders in the education sector on how the individual personality traits of students can influence their academic performance. This study will also enlighten them on different types of personality traits and how these traits can influence academic performance of students. This research will be a contribution to the body of literature in the area of the effect of personality trait on student’s academic performance, thereby constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.

SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study on the impact of personality trait on the academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria covers all the students in Ibadan South west LGA, Oyo state, Nigeria by carefully examining their different personality traits and its effect on student’s academic performance. The study will also cover an overview of factors hindering student’s academic performance.

LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Personality: the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character.

Performance: is the outcome of education — the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals

Trait: a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person.

REFERENCES

Agbakwuru, C. (2000). Teacher Personality traits and Characteristics and learning Effectiveness of Pupils. Psychological Perspective vol. 2 (22)-28

Blickle , B. Costa, G and McCrae (1992). The biological basis of personality. New York: Springfield

Colman, A.M. (2003). Dictionary of Psychology, New York: Oxford.

Daminabo, W. H. (2008). The Relationship between Personality Traits and Academic Achievement of Secondary School students in Rivers State.Unpublished M.Ed. dissertation, University of Pot-Harcourt.

Gulliford, M. Paul, C. (1999). Citation and Referencing : The 5th Edition Apa style. Onitsha: West and Solomon.

WAEC (2005).Variables affecting student achievement. Available at http://www.waec.org/resource/primer/variable.htm