OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE AND CONSCIENTIOUSNESS DIMENSIONS OF PERSONALITY TRAITS AS CORRELATES OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUGE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study utilized correlational research design to examine openness to experience and conscientiousness dimensions of personality traits as correlates of secondary school students’ academic achievement in English language in Anambra State. Two research questions and two corresponding hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population consisted of 10,436 Senior Secondary School Two (SS II) students across the six education zones in Anambra State. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to draw 600 students from the population who served as the sample of the study. Two sets of questionnaires were used to collect data for the study including ‘Personality Inventory (PI), and Students’ Academic Achievement in English language. ‘Personality Inventory (PI) was validated by experts and subjected to reliability testing. A Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.73 was obtained, indicating good internal consistency. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient to answer the research questions, while regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed a low but significant positive correlation between Openness to experience with academic achievement in English Language. Conscientiousness showed a moderate and significant positive correlation with English Language achievement. The researchers recommend among others that teachers should incorporate more creative, inquiry-based, and exploration-driven learning activities—such as debates, project-based tasks, and exposure to diverse literary texts—to stimulate students’ curiosity and openness.