Relationship Between Personality Traits and Academic Performance of Senior Secondary School Students in North Central Nigeria.

Abstract:

The study investigated the relationship between personality traits and academic performance of senior secondary school students in North Central, Nigeria. Three objectives, three research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The research employed a correlational-descriptive survey design. The population comprised 748,140 students in North-Central, Nigeria. The sample was four hundred (400) students. An adapted questionnaire titled Big Five Inventory (BFI), also known as Five Factor Model (FFM), developed by John and Srivastava (1999), was used for the study. A reliability coefficient index of 0.86 was obtained using test-retest. The data collected were analysed using mean scores, standard deviation and an independent samples t-test. The findings reveal that senior secondary school students in North-central Nigeria manifest the attribute of extraversion personality traits. The students also show agreeableness traits such as forgiveness, trust, and being unselfish. The result also shows no significant relationship between male and female students’ personality traits, and that no significant relationship exists between urban and rural students' personality traits. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school administrators should implement structured counselling programmes that help students understand their personality tendencies and develop adaptive study habits. Students low in conscientiousness should receive explicit training in planning, time management, and goal setting.