Academic achievement among University students in Ghana: The role of personality and motivational factors

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