Associations between a multifaceted personality and academic performance in secondary school

Whereas meta-analytic evidence has accumulated about the important role personality characteristics such as the Big Five traits play for academic performance in secondary school, less is known about the specific behavioral and emotional repertoire that drives these associations. A closer look at the facet-level of Big Five traits can provide this knowledge helping to better understand why students differ in their success at school. We therefore studied associations between Big Five facets and academic performance (grades and standardized test scores in German and mathematics) in three independent secondary student samples (Study 1 N = 3866, Study 2 N = 2290, and Study 3 N = 366), using regression analytic, structural equation modeling, and meta-analytic procedures to test facet-level associations and incremental associations above traits. We found facet-differential associations with academic performance indicators, particularly for facets of conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion. Evidence for incremental effects of facets beyond traits was weak. Self-discipline (conscientiousness) was the only facet that consistently showed incremental effects across Samples 1 and 2. The results can stimulate research and practice to identify the underlying mechanisms that drive these associations and also highlight the specific emotional and behavioral repertoire that should be supported to help students to succeed in school. People differ in the way they act, think, and feel-their personality traits-and these trait differences have been shown to be predictive for how well students perform in school. Besides findings on the broader trait level, less is known about which specific behavioral and emotional repertoire might drive these associations. A closer look at the narrower facet-level can provide this knowledge helping to better understand why students differ in their success at school. We therefore studied associations between personality facets and academic performance (grades and standardized test scores in German and mathematics) in three independent secondary student samples (Study 1 N = 3866, Study 2 N = 2290, and Study 3 N = 366) and integrated these findings later on. Particularly, we wanted to know whether facets can explain differences in academic performance above what is explained by broader traits. We found evidence for facet-specific associations with grades and test scores; however, evidence for explanations of facets above traits was weak. Self-discipline was the only facet that explained differences above what is explained by the broader trait conscientiousness.