Engagement, boredom, and burnout among students: Basic need satisfaction matters more than personality traits

• we examine the incremental value that basic need satisfaction has over personality in explaining engagement, boredom and burnout
• certain personality dimensions are related to well-being dimensions
• basic needs have an incremental value over personality in explaining well-being teachers may foster a context relevant for satisfying needs
• satisfied basic needs fuel optimal functioning and creating social contexts that address such needs may significantly contribute to individual motivation and well-being.

Drawing on the Five Factor Personality Model and Self-Determination Theory, the current study examines the relations between three different kinds of well-being - engagement, boredom, and burnout- and personality, and evaluates whether basic need satisfaction has an incremental contribution over personality in explaining these types of well-being. In a sample of 255 students we found that agreeableness and neuroticism were significantly related to each well-being dimension, whereas conscientiousness was only significantly related to engagement and to boredom, and extraversion being only significantly related to burnout. Need satisfaction significantly contributed to well-being, over and above personality. Results indicate that certain personality factors play a role in well-being, but that the fulfillment of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness is of additional importance.