Personality Traits and Academic Performance in Mathematics of Secondary Students

Abstract

Personality, a blend of attitudinal, emotional, and behavioral patterns of an individual, is a non-cognitive aspect of learning which is considered as one of the key factors to academic performance in Mathematics. This study assessed the personality traits and academic performance of 203 junior high school students out of the 413 total population in Loon South National High School, Bohol. The proportionate random sampling design was used to eliminate systematic bias. The personality traits were identified though a standardized tool patterned from the Big Five Inventory. The academic performance was measured according to the general average of the first two quarters in mathematics. To determine the personality traits of students, the weighted mean was used. For the degree of relationship between personality types and academic performance, the Pearson Product-Moment Coefficient Correlation was used while to determine the significant degree of difference between personality traits and academic performance of male and female respondents, the data were subjected to T-Test for uncorrelated means. To determine the significant degree of relationship between the profile and the personality traits, profile and academic performance, the researcher used the Chi-Square Test for Independence. Furthermore, the One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significant degree of variance of academic performance when grouped according to personality traits and the academic performance in the four grade levels. Results showed that respondents have moderately high level of conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experiences and extraversion and slightly high level of emotional stability. The most dominating personality was agreeableness and the least dominating was emotional stability. In general, respondents have satisfactory academic performance in mathematics. Personality trait as a whole was found to be insignificantly correlated with academic performance in all grade levels. An insignificant difference was found between personality traits and gender while a significant difference was found between academic performance and gender. The following variables were significantly correlated: sex and academic performance, age and personality traits, grade level and personality traits. Hence, there is a need to focus on programs on increasing emotional stability, understanding gender-sensitivity towards improving academic performance in mathematics of secondary students.