What is unique about high performing students? Exploring personality, motivation and competitiveness

The novel variable of competitiveness is explored to determine whether it has a role in differentiating high performing students from others. While the Big Five personality traits and motivation have been well-researched in relation to academic performance, the concept of competitiveness has yet to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inAssessment and evaluation in higher education Vol. 46; no. 8; pp. 1314 - 1326
Main Authors Baumann, Chris, Harvey, Marina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 17.11.2021
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Academic Achievement
Academic performance
Big Five
Business Administration Education
College Students
Competition
competitiveness
Educational Strategies
High Achievement
Individualized Instruction
Motivation
Personality
Personality Measures
Personality traits
Student Motivation
Students
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The novel variable of competitiveness is explored to determine whether it has a role in differentiating high performing students from others. While the Big Five personality traits and motivation have been well-researched in relation to academic performance, the concept of competitiveness has yet to receive such attention. The competitiveness of business students (n = 226) was investigated in tandem with personality traits and motivation. Four academic performance tiers emerged from the analysis. These results unambiguously reveal that the Tier one cohort, which was comprised of a homogenous subset - i.e. the students attaining a high distinction grade - was statistically unique. The distinct point of differentiation is that these students were competitive as well as conscientious and intrinsically motivated. The implications of this finding open opportunities for future research, and potentially for learning and teaching strategies that acknowledge competitiveness in student learning.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:0260-2938
1469-297X
DOI:10.1080/02602938.2020.1870930