From traits to grades: How cognitive engagement links personality to academic success among high and low achievers at university
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33736/jcshd.10326.2026Keywords:
personality, cognitive engagement, academic achievement, university high achievers, university low achieversAbstract
Although previous research has investigated personality traits, cognitive engagement, and academic achievement, few studies have examined these factors among high- and low-achieving students, particularly within specific cultural contexts such as Bangladesh. Considering this gap, this study inspected these relationships among 306 Bangladeshi university students using the Big Five Personality Inventory and the Motivation and Strategy Use Survey. Using correlation and mediation analyses, the findings revealed that openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness were positively related to academic achievement, whereas neuroticism showed no significant association. Cognitive engagement also demonstrated a significant positive correlation with academic achievement and significantly mediated the relationship between personality traits and academic achievement, except for neuroticism. Furthermore, high achievers scored significantly higher than low achievers in openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and cognitive engagement. Overall, the results point to the importance of providing students with the necessary support to boost their cognitive engagement and, consequently, improve their academic achievement.
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