The relationship between the big five personality traits and academic motivation in University students: The case study of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University

Abstract

The relationship between personality and academic motivation has received high levels of interest from researchers in recent years. However, there is little research on this topic in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between personality and academic motivation in Saudi Arabia, using a sample of 379 undergraduates at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. This research applies a mixed method approach. Quantitative data were collected using an online survey. Students' personality traits were measured using 10 items from the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Students' academic motivation was measured using 10 items from the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). I analysed the data quantitatively using SPSS. The results show a significant positive correlation between all the big five personality traits and academic motivation; openness, agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism each correlated positively and significantly with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The research findings and their implications are discussed in the conclusion. Keywords: Personality; Academic motivation; students; Saudi Arabia; universities.