Abstract:
Students' academic achievement at every level has become an issue of
concern to stakeholders in the country. Whereas, several
infrastructural and resource constraints at the societal level have been
pointed out, little attention has been given to inherent personal
characteristics of students that influence their academic achievement.
This study examines whether students' personality characteristics
and type of motivation significantly predict their academic achievement.
A total of 273 undergraduate students were sampled from the
University of Ghana, Legon. The cross-sectional survey design was
used and the respondents were administered questionnaires measuring
their personality characteristics, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.
The students reported their current Cumulative Grade-Point
Averages (CGPA) as the criterion. Results from Multiple regression
and Pearson correlation analyses showed that only conscientiousness
significantly predicted students' academic achievement. Further
analysis did not show any significant relationship between extrinsic
motivation and academic achievement as well as intrinsic motivation
and academic achievement. It is concluded that culture might be
exerting a strong influence on personality characteristics and motivation
and therefore, the associations should be interpreted within the
cultural milieu of Ghana. Additionally, students' personality should be
taken into consideration in providing academic guidance