Personality traits positively associate with science achievement, with stronger effects in individualist societies
摘要
The relationship between personality traits and science academic achievement remains a subject of ongoing debate, and the extent to which these associations vary across cultures is underexplored. This study aims to address these gaps using data from the PISA 2022 survey. Multilevel linear modeling of 213,259 adolescents from 30 nations revealed positive associations between science achievement and six personality traits: curiosity (r = 0.191, p < 0.01), perseverance (r = 0.125, p < 0.01), emotional control (r = 0.119, p < 0.01), assertiveness (r = 0.094, p < 0.01), empathy (r = 0.080, p < 0.01), and stress resistance (r = 0.047, p < 0.01). Conversely, cooperation (r = −0.014, p < 0.01) exhibited a slight negative association with science achievement. These findings align with prior research identifying that openness and conscientiousness are robust personality dimensions contributing to academic achievement. Moreover, multilevel modeling analysis indicated that the associations between science achievement and perseverance, curiosity, stress resistance, and emotional control were stronger in individualist societies than in collectivist ones. This moderation by cultural individualism may have implications for the implementation of personality-based interventions in diverse cultural societies.