Exploring the Relationship Between Personality Traits and Learning Styles Among Higher Education Students

Abstract

This study investigates two key factors that shape teaching practices and academic performance in the higher education context at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS). The study is framed within the Big Five Model of personality, including five major dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. The study used two methods, a questionnaire survey and classroom observation, to collect and quantitatively analyse the data. The findings demonstrate a moderate degree of variation in students’ personality traits and reveal a meaningful relationship between personality traits and preferred learning strategies. The findings also found that the student sample in this context is characterized by higher levels of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness, while lower levels of Neuroticism, and these are associated with more dynamic and engaging learning environments. The study offers important pedagogical and theoretical implications for educators, researchers, and stakeholders in higher education in Oman, particularly in designing learner-cantered instructional strategies that align with students’ personality profiles.