Does General and Specific Traits of Personality Predict Students’ Academic Performance?

Abstract

Background and Objectives. This study examines whether personality profiles, personality factors, or clusters of personality factors are associated with academic success. Methods. The study includes all fifth-year dental students registered at the College of Dentistry, Ajman University, in 2019/2020. One hundred and seventy students were invited to complete personality and performance measures using the Big Five Inventory (BFI) scale; the weighted grade point average (GPA) was used to assess students’ academic performance. Results. Of the 170 participants, 60% were female and 40% were male. Participants ranged in age from twenty-four to twenty-seven years, with an average age of twenty-four years. There was a relationship between personality scores obtained for the students and their subsequent academic performance. The broad conscientiousness, competence, achievement, and dutifulness predicted academic and clinical success. The prediction accuracy of conscientiousness was improved by the inclusion of dutifulness, self-discipline, and deliberation. Conclusion. This study confirms that the students’ personality profile is a substantial predictor of academic performance and likely to help select future intakes of students, although a prospective study would be required for a definite answer to this question.

Comparison of Interactive Teaching in Online and Offline Platforms among Dental Undergraduates

“…Several studies have demonstrated that interactive teaching mode was as excellent as conventional teaching methods, and in certain trials, it was proven to be the most effective learning approach [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Compared to traditional teaching approaches, interactive teaching has a considerable impact on cognitive achievement and learning attitude.…”

“…When students’ progress was compared with and without using technology throughout teaching, no difference was found between the classroom and distance learning groups [ 16 ]. Singh K et al assessed the merits and demerits of online classes among dental students [ 17 ].…”

“…In addition, learning through e-classes was equally effective compared to conventional classroom teachings among medical students [ 16 , 17 ]. A cross-sectional study assessed the utility of online teaching among dental students, and it was found that the majority of the students liked online teaching [ 18 ].…”

Admission Grades as Predictors of Medical Students’ Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia

“…Skills in time management have been repeatedly listed as one of the top factors in improving the academic achievement of medical students [ 24 ]. In the current study, we found students who spent a long time studying had better CGPA ( Table 3 ).…”

“…Shawwa et al also shared the same observation in a study conducted at the Faculty of Medicine of King Abdulaziz University in October 2012 and found that students who spent more than 2 hours per day studying recorded a better GPA [ 28 ]. Taken together, time management skills are learnable, and the authors recommend medical schools teach students these skills to ensure better academic performance for medical students [ 24 ].…”