Top

Gepubliceerd in:

01-03-2012 | Empirical Research

Personality Traits and Educational Identity Formation in Late Adolescents: Longitudinal Associations and Academic Progress

Auteurs: Theo A. Klimstra, Koen Luyckx, Veerle Germeijs, Wim H. J. Meeus, Luc Goossens

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence | Uitgave 3/2012

Abstract

Changes in personality traits in late adolescence and young adulthood are believed to co-occur with changes in identity, but little research is available that supports this hypothesis. The present study addressed this relatively understudied area of research by examining longitudinal associations of Big Five personality traits (i.e., Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) with dimensions of identity formation (i.e., identification with commitment and exploration in depth) in the domain of education. For this purpose, we used four annual waves of longitudinal data on 485 Belgian late adolescents (87.4% female; mean age at T1 = 18.6 years) covering a 3-year period. Multivariate growth models revealed that changes in Big Five personality traits were related to changes in identification with commitment and exploration in depth. Cross-lagged panel models uncovered that, except for Openness, all Big Five traits predicted educational identity dimensions. Educational identity dimensions only predicted Neuroticism. In addition, adolescents with higher levels on the personality trait of Conscientiousness faced fewer study delays. In sum, the present study adds to the growing literature that explores the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of personality trait development by uncovering the interplay of personality traits, educational identity dimensions, and academic progress in late adolescents.

vorige artikel Are Middle Schools Harmful? The Role of Transition Timing, Classroom Quality and School Characteristics

volgende artikel Beyond Participation: The Association Between School Extracurricular Activities and Involvement in Violence Across Generations of Immigration

Allison, P. D. (2003). Missing data techniques for structural equation modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 545–557.PubMedCrossRef

Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–480.PubMedCrossRef

Asendorpf, J. B., & van Aken, M. A. G. (2003). Personality-relationship transaction in adolescence: Core versus surface personality characteristics. Journal of Personality, 71, 629–666.PubMedCrossRef

Bollen, K. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York: Wiley.

Bosma, H. A., & Kunnen, E. S. (2008). Identity-in-context is not yet identity development-in-context. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 281–289.PubMedCrossRef

Burkholder, G. J., & Harlow, L. L. (2003). An illustration of a longitudinal cross-lagged design for larger structural equation models. Structural Equation Modeling, 10, 465–486.CrossRef

Caspi, A., Roberts, B. W., & Shiner, R. L. (2005). Personality development: Stability and change. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 453–484.PubMedCrossRef

Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and the five factor inventory (NEO-FFI): Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1995). Domains and facets: Hierarchical personality assessment using the revised NEO personality inventory. Journal of Personality Assessment, 64, 21–50.PubMedCrossRef

Cox, D. R. (1972). Regression models and life-tables. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 34, 187–220.

Denissen, J. J. A., & Penke, L. (2008). Motivational individual reaction norms underlying the five-factor model of personality: First steps towards a theory-based conceptual framework. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1285–1302.CrossRef

Duncan, T. E., Duncan, S. C., Stryker, L. A., Li, F., & Alpert, A. (1999). An introduction to latent variable growth curve modelling. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton.

Germeijs, V., & Verschueren, K. (2007). High school adolescents’ career decision-making process: Consequences for choice implementation in higher education. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 70, 223–241.CrossRef

Germeijs, V., & Verschueren, K. (2011). Indecisiveness and big five personality factors: Relationship and specificity. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 1023–1028.CrossRef

Goossens, L. (2001). Global versus domain-specific statuses in identity research: A comparison of two self-report measures. Journal of Adolescence, 24, 681–699.PubMedCrossRef

Graziano, W. G., & Eisenberg, N. (1997). Agreeableness: A dimension of personality. In R. Hogan, J. Johnson, & S. Briggs (Eds.), Handbook of personality psychology (pp. 795–824). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Helson, R., Kwan, V. S. Y., John, O. P., & Jones, C. (2002). The growing evidence for personality change in adulthood: Findings from research with personality inventories. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 287–306.CrossRef

Hoekstra, H. A., Ormel, J., & De Fruyt, F. (1996). NEO persoonlijkheids vragenlijsten: NEO-PI-R, NEO-FFI. Handleiding [NEO personality questionnaires: NEO-PI-R and NEO-FFI-Manual]. Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.

Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.CrossRef

Jensen-Campbell, L. A., & Malcolm, K. T. (2007). The importance of conscientiousness in adolescent interpersonal relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 368–383.PubMedCrossRef

Kalakoski, V., & Nurmi, J.-E. (1998). Identity and educational transitions: Age differences in adolescent exploration and commitment related to education, occupation, and family. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 8, 29–47.CrossRef

Kerpelman, J. L., Pittman, J. F., & Lamke, L. K. (1997). Toward a microprocess perspective on adolescent identity development: An identity control theory approach. Journal of Adolescent Research, 12, 325–346.CrossRef

Klimstra, T. A., Akse, J., Hale, W. W., Raaijmakers, Q. A. W., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2010a). Longitudinal associations between Big Five personality traits and problem behavior in adolescence. Journal of Research in Personality, 44, 273–284.CrossRef

Klimstra, T. A., Crocetti, E., Hale, W. W., Fermani, A., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2011). Big five personality dimensions in Italian and Dutch adolescents: A cross-cultural comparison of mean levels, sex differences, and associations with internalizing symptoms. Journal of Research in Personality, 45, 285–296.CrossRef

Klimstra, T. A., Hale, W. W., I. I. I., Raaijmakers, Q. A. W., Branje, S. J. T., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2010b). Identity formation in adolescence: Change or stability? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 150–162.PubMedCrossRef

Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79–122.CrossRef

Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., van Geert, P. L. C., Bosma, H. A., & Kunnen, E. S. (2008). Time and identity: A framework for research and theory formation. Developmental Review, 28, 370–400.CrossRef

Little, R. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83, 1198–1202.CrossRef

Little, T. D., Cunningham, W. A., Shahar, G., & Widaman, K. F. (2002). To parcel or not to parcel: Exploring the question, weighing the merits. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 151–173.CrossRef

Lodi-Smith, J., & Roberts, B. W. (2007). Social investment and personality: A meta-analysis of the relationship of personality traits to investment in work, family, religion, and volunteerism. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11, 68–86.PubMedCrossRef

Lüdtke, O., Trautwein, U., & Husemann, N. (2009). Goal and personality trait development in a transitional period: Assessing change and stability in personality development. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 428–441.PubMedCrossRef

Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., & Soenens, B. (2006a). A developmental-contextual perspective on identity construction in emerging adulthood: Change dynamics in commitment formation and commitment evaluation. Developmental Psychology, 42, 366–380.PubMedCrossRef

Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2006b). Unpacking commitment and exploration: Preliminary validation of an integrative model of late adolescent identity formation. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 361–378.PubMedCrossRef

Luyckx, K., Schwartz, S. J., Goossens, L., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2008). Developmental typologies of identity formation and adjustment in female emerging adults: A latent class growth analysis approach. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18, 595–619.CrossRef

Luyckx, K., Soenens, B., & Goossens, L. (2006c). The personality-identity interplay in emerging adult women: Convergent findings from complementary analyses. European Journal of Personality, 20, 195–215.CrossRef

Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551–558.PubMedCrossRef

Marsh, H. W., & Hau, K.-T. (1999). Confirmatory factor analysis: Strategies for small sample sizes. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Statistical strategies for small sample research (pp. 252–284). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

McAdams, D. P., & Olson, B. D. (2010). Personality development: Continuity and change over the life course. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 517–542.PubMedCrossRef

McAdams, D. P., & Pals, J. L. (2006). A new big five: Fundamental principles for an integrative science of personality. American Psychologist, 61, 204–217.PubMedCrossRef

McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 81–90.PubMedCrossRef

McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1999). A five-factor theory of personality. In L. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 139–153). New York: Guilford Press.

McCrae, R. R., & John, O. (1992). An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. Journal of Personality, 60, 175–215.PubMedCrossRef

Meeus, W. H. J. (1996). Studies on identity development in adolescence: An overview of research and some new data. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25, 569–598.CrossRef

Meeus, W. (2011). The study of adolescent identity formation 2000–2010: A review of longitudinal research. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 75–94.CrossRef

Meeus, W., & Dekovic, M. (1995). Identity development, parental and peer support in adolescence: Results of a national, Dutch survey. Adolescence, 30, 931–944.PubMed

Meeus, W., Oosterwegel, A., & Vollebergh, W. (2002). Parental and peer attachment and identity development in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 25, 93–106.PubMedCrossRef

Meeus, W., van de Schoot, R., Keijsers, L., Schwartz, S. J., & Branje, S. (2010). On the progression and stability of adolescent identity formation: A five-wave longitudinal study in early-to-middle and middle-to-late adolescence. Child Development, 81, 1565–1581.PubMedCrossRef

Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2006). Mplus user’s guide (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

O’Connor, M. C., & Paunonen, S. V. (2007). Big five personality predictors of post-secondary academic performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 971–990.CrossRef

Page, J., Bruch, M. A., & Haase, R. F. (2008). Role of perfectionism and five-factor model traits in career indecision. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 811–815.CrossRef

Reed, M. R., Bruch, M. A., & Haase, R. F. (2004). Five-factor model of personality and career exploration. Journal of Career Assessment, 12, 223–238.CrossRef

Robbins, S. B., Lauver, K., Le, H., Davis, D., Langley, R., & Carlstrom, A. (2004). Do psychosocial and study skill factors predict college outcomes? A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 261–288.PubMedCrossRef

Roberts, B. W., Kuncel, N. R., Shiner, R., Caspi, A., & Goldberg, L. R. (2007). The power of personality: The comparative validity of personality traits, socioeconomic status, and cognitive ability for predicting important life outcomes. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2, 313–345.CrossRef

Roberts, B. W., Walton, K. E., & Viechtbauer, W. (2006). Patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 1–25.PubMedCrossRef

Roberts, B. W., Wood, D., & Smith, J. L. (2005). Evaluating five factor theory and social investment perspectives on personality trait development. Journal of Research in Personality, 39, 166–184.CrossRef

Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (1994). Corrections to test statistics and standard errors in covariance structure analysis. In A. Von Eye & C. C. Clogg (Eds.), Latent variables analysis: Applications for developmental research (pp. 399–419). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (2001). A scaled difference Chi-square test statistic for moment structure analysis. Psychometrika, 66, 507–514.CrossRef

Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147–177.PubMedCrossRef

Selfhout, M., Burk, W., Branje, S., Denissen, J., van Aken, M., & Meeus, W. (2010). Emerging late adolescent friendship networks and big five personality traits: A social network approach. Journal of Personality, 78, 509–538.PubMedCrossRef

Skorikov, V. B., & Vondracek, F. W. (2011). Vocational identity. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 693–714). New York: Springer.CrossRef

Super, D. E. (1980). A life-span, life-space approach to career development. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 16, 282–298.CrossRef

Tokar, D. M., Fischer, A. R., & Subich, L. M. (1998). Personality and vocational behavior: A selective review of the literature, 1993–1997. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 53, 115–153.CrossRef

Wood, D., Harms, P., & Vazire, S. (2010). Perceiver effects as projective tests: What your perceptions of others say about you. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 174–190.PubMedCrossRef

Titel: Personality Traits and Educational Identity Formation in Late Adolescents: Longitudinal Associations and Academic Progress
Auteurs: Theo A. Klimstra
Koen Luyckx
Veerle Germeijs
Wim H. J. Meeus
Luc Goossens
Publicatiedatum: 01-03-2012
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence / Uitgave 3/2012
Print ISSN: 0047-2891
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-6601
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9734-7

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Andere artikelen Uitgave 3/2012

Adolescent Girls’ Experiences and Gender-Related Beliefs in Relation to Their Motivation in Math/Science and English

The Pivotal Role of Adolescent Autonomy in Secondary School Classrooms

Beyond Participation: The Association Between School Extracurricular Activities and Involvement in Violence Across Generations of Immigration

Teacher–Student Relationship Climate and School Outcomes: Implications for Educational Policy Initiatives

Are Middle Schools Harmful? The Role of Transition Timing, Classroom Quality and School Characteristics

Peer Selection and Socialization in Adolescent Depression: The Role of School Transitions