Aim Personality traits and cognitive ability are well‐established predictors of academic performance. Yet, how consistent and generalizable are the associations between personality, cognitive ability, and performance? Building on theoretical arguments that trait–performance relations should vary depending on the demands and opportunities for trait expression in the learning environment, we investigated whether the associations of personality (Big Five) and cognitive ability (fluid intelligence) with academic performance (grades and tests scores) vary across school subjects (German and math) and across ability‐grouped school tracks (academic, intermediate, and vocational). Method Multiple group structural equation models in a large representative sample of ninth‐grade students (N = 12,915) from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Results Differential associations across school subjects emerged for cognitive ability, Emotional Stability, and Conscientiousness (math > German); and for Openness and Extraversion (German > math). Differential associations across school tracks emerged for cognitive ability, Conscientiousness (academic > intermediate > vocational) and Agreeableness (academic > intermediate > vocational). Personality traits explained more variation in academic performance in the academic than in the other tracks. Conclusion Most trait–performance relations varied across subjects, tracks, or both. These findings highlight the need for more nuanced and context‐minded perspective on trait–performance relations.

Personality traits are well-known predictors of academic success across all levels of education. However, whether school provides an environment to cultivate and promote personality traits is largely unknown. Theories about personality development give reasons to assume that enduring experiences at school could lead to prolonged personality changes. We therefore studied the dynamic interplay of impulse control-an important predictor for educational and life outcomes-and perceptions of school-related experiences both in terms of selection and socialization effects. We used a large, representative, longitudinal dataset of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth following students from ages 10 to 21 across 6 assessment waves to examine mutual associations of impulse control and school-related experiences across middle and high school years. Sample sizes for the analyses ranged from 8,204 to 8,421 (51% male). Mutual associations between perceived school-related experiences and impulse control were analyzed using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. Results supported the appearance of selection and, to a lesser extent, socialization effects for impulse control and some school-related experiences. The results point to the importance of school-related experiences not limited to academic matters.

Objective This study examined associations between the five‐factor personality traits and indicators of academic achievement (grades and test scores). A particular aim was to investigate whether personality‐achievement associations differ between primary and secondary educational contexts and whether these differences vary between differential learning environments, that is academic versus nonacademic secondary schools. Method We used two representative random samples from Germany: N = 3,658 6th graders in their last year of primary school and N = 2,129 9th graders attending different secondary school tracks (n = 566 academic track students; n = 1,563 nonacademic track students). Results First, our results confirmed positive associations between Conscientiousness, Openness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness and academic achievement as well as negative associations between academic achievement and Neuroticism. Second, associations with Conscientiousness were more pronounced for school grades than for test scores. Third, associations were higher for 6th than for 9th graders in the overall sample for all personality traits with the exception of Openness. Fourth, personality‐achievement associations differed between academic and nonacademic track students. Conclusion In sum, our results suggest the need for an educational stage‐specific perspective and contextually sensitive approach when examining personality‐achievement associations.