Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
364729 Learning and Individual Differences 2015 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

•Conscientiousness was a stronger predictor of GPA at higher levels of intelligence.•Conscientiousness was a stronger predictor of GPA at lower levels of autonomous motivation.•Future directions for interaction models of academic achievement are considered.

Intelligence, conscientiousness, and autonomous motivation are well-established predictors of academic performance. However, research has yet to examine how these variables combine and interact in the prediction of academic success. We therefore examined intelligence, conscientiousness, and autonomous motivation in the concurrent prediction of students' grade point average (GPA) among university undergraduates. Conscientiousness was a stronger predictor of GPA at higher levels of intelligence, suggesting that an industrious disposition serves a catalytic function among those students who are the most intellectually able. Conscientiousness was a stronger predictor of GPA at lower levels of autonomous motivation, suggesting that an industrious disposition also serves a compensatory function among those students who are the least intrinsically interested. These findings call for further research on Intelligence × Conscientiousness and Conscientiousness × Autonomous Motivation interactions in the prediction of academic performance.

Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Psychology Developmental and Educational Psychology
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