Relationships between academic achievement and personality dynamics during adolescence

The purpose of the present study is to establish whether the psychological personality type, the energetic pattern, the emotional pattern and the motivational structure of personality have any influence on academic achievement among adolescents. In order to achieve this goal, 100 Romanian adolescent subjects were tested, randomly chosen from the same high school. The instruments used were: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Motivational Structure of Personality Questionnaire. To rate the academic achievements of the subjects, we used their annual average grades obtained in the previous academic year. According to our purpose and objectives, three hypotheses were developed, in order to provide the study with a coherent path. The results indicated that the psychological personality type does not influence academic performance significantly: students, whether they possess these personality traits or not, can have similar academic achievements. The energetic and emotional patterns are not preliminary conditions for the academic performance of adolescents; nevertheless, certain motivational traits appear to be paramount conditions. Understanding the relationships between motivation and personality, distinctive components of academic performance may be applied to guide students towards the disciplines and programs in which they are most likely to succeed. In light of the results of the present study, it is necessary that a further analysis be carried out, based on the present data obtained. The main thesis of our research is that there is a discrepancy between the actual configuration of schools and the potentials and needs of adolescents, with the effect of diminishing the formative value of the educational process. Knowledge of the factors influencing academic achievement enables to predict which students will and which will not perform well in the educational process, thus influencing the configuration of the adolescents' future.