Profiling personality factors predicting academic achievement: insights from a diverse student sample

Abstract This study explored the relationship between personality traits and academic achievement in a diverse sample of undergraduate students at a minority-serving institution. Utilizing the self-regulated learning framework, we examined how conscientiousness, procrastination, and two dimensions of perfectionism (personal standards and evaluative concerns) collectively relate to academic achievement. A person-centered approach, latent profile analysis, was employed to identify distinct personality profiles among 400 participants. Two primary profiles were identified: Reliable Secure (42.5%), characterized by high conscientiousness and low procrastination and evaluative concerns, and Unreliable Insecure (57.5%), marked by low conscientiousness and high procrastination and evaluative concerns. Both profiles had relatively high personal standards with minor differences, suggesting that it may not distinguish between them effectively. Students in the Reliable Secure profile had significantly higher GPAs than those in the Unreliable Insecure profile. Contextual variables—such as race, age, gender, parental expectations and criticism, and mental and physical health—were examined as predictors of profile membership. We found that older students were more likely to belong to the Reliable Secure profile, while those with a history of mental health diagnoses and high parental expectations and criticism were more likely to be in the Unreliable Insecure profile. These findings support the use of a person-centered approach in educational settings to better understand the relationship between personality and academic achievement and provide a foundation for future research on personalized academic support tailored to distinct personality profiles.