The determinants of scholastic achievement: The contribution of personality traits, self-esteem, and academic self-efficacy

• Traits, self-esteem, and self-efficacy operate in concert in predicting academic performance.
• Self-efficacy mediates the effect of conscientiousness on senior high school grades.
• Self-efficacy mediates the effect of self-esteem on senior high school grades.
• Such relationships did not differ as a function of gender.
• Such relationships held controlling for parents' education and previous scholastic achievement.

The contribution to academic achievement of personality traits, self-esteem, and self-efficacy beliefs has been examined in high school. SEM analysis showed that conscientiousness, openness, and self-esteem were positively inter-related, with both traits and self-esteem increasing students' perceived academic self-efficacy, which in turn mediated the effect of conscientiousness and self-esteem on senior high school grades. These relationships held controlling for gender, parents' education, and previous scholastic achievement.Educators should be aware of students' personality antecedents in order to improve their students' beliefs about their capabilities to master different areas of coursework and to regulating their motivation and learning activities.