Testing if healthy perfectionism enhances academic achievement in Australian secondary school students

dc.contributor.authorThorpe, E.
dc.contributor.authorNettelbeck, T.
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractAlthough considerable evidence has confirmed that measures of intelligence and conscientiousness substantially predict academic achievement, other personality variables have attracted only limited research. The purpose of this study was to test the extent to which intelligence and personality variables, including perfectionism, accounted for academic grades. Participants were 180 (65 males) secondary school students in years 11-12. They completed tests for fluid and crystallised abilities (Gf, Gc), Conscientiousness (C), Openness to Experience (O), Neuroticism (N), Need for Cognition (NFC) and the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, which was used to define healthy perfectionism (HP) and unhealthy perfectionism (UHP). Gender differences for all measures were negligible and not considered further. One aspect of HP (personal standards) overlapped moderately with NFC but HP and NFC appeared to be different constructs. Hierarchical regression found that Gf, Gc and C together accounted for 27% of variance in academic grade, with HP explaining an additional 6%. Further contribution from NFC was not statistically significant. N correlated with UHP but did not impact grade. Higher concern about parental criticisms correlated (r = -.27) with lower academic grade.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityElizabeth Thorpe & Ted Nettelbeck
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 2014; 4(2):1-9
dc.identifier.doi10.5539/jedp.v4n2p1
dc.identifier.issn1927-0526
dc.identifier.issn1927-0534
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/92195
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherCanadian Center of Science and Education
dc.rightsCopyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.5539/jedp.v4n2p1
dc.subjectacademic grade; healthy perfectionism; secondary students; unhealthy perfectionism
dc.titleTesting if healthy perfectionism enhances academic achievement in Australian secondary school students
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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