Student's Personality Traits, Self-Regulation Strategies for Learning and Coping with School Failure, Age and Gender as Predictors of Objective and Subjective School Success

Authors

  • Anela Nikčević-Milković Odjel za nastavničke studije u Gospiću Sveučilišta u Zadru, Gospić
  • Sanja Tatalović Vorkapić Sveučilište u Rijeci, Učiteljski fakultet u Rijeci, Rijeka

Keywords:

personality traits, self-regulation of learning strategies, student’s age and gender, objective and subjective school achievement

Abstract

Series of studies have confirmed the significant correlation between personality traits, selfregulation of learning and academic achievement, although these relations are not simple. Personality traits are important predictors of self-regulation of learning, and both are significant predictors of the explanation of objective and subjective school achievement (school satisfaction). The main objective of this research was to examine the extent to which demographic characteristics of students (age and gender), personality traits, the (meta)cognitive strategies of self-regulation of learning, the coping strategies with school failure and the strategy of seeking social support (as predictors) explain objective and subjective school achievement (as criteria). Total of 457 students from 6th and 8th grade of elementary school and 2nd grade of high school from four elementary and three secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia participated in the study. The results show that objective school achievement decreases as students’ age increases. Female students have higher objective school achievement, as well as more conscientious students and those students who less rely on maladaptive strategies of surface cognitive information processing (which is also the most significant negative predictor of objective school success). The above set of predictors successfully explained 29 % of objective school achievement as a criterion. Subjective school achievement also decreases with increased age. Students who are higher on the Agreableness, who less rely on maladaptive strategies of Protection of emotions by moving away when facing school failure, and use more adaptive strategies Ask for emotional and instrumental support from friends, have greater subjective school success. The above set of predictors successfully explained 18 % of subjective school performance as a criterion.

Published

2020-12-22

Issue

Section

Articles