Who ‘fits’ the science and technology profile? Personality differences in secondary education

The present study explores the relationship between personality characteristics and students’ subject choice in secondary education and addresses the question: ‘Are there differences in personality characteristics among students choosing different school subjects?’ The research included 3992 9th grade students. We used the Five-Factor Personality Inventory (FFPI) of Hendriks, Hofstee, and de Raad (1999a) to measure students’ personality. With respect to all five personality factors our results show significant differences among students who chose different sets of subjects. We observed that students who took advanced mathematics, chemistry, and physics were less extraverted and more conscientious than students who chose a less science-oriented set of subjects. The results confirm that students’ interests and, consequently, their subject choices are related to their personality.