Personality and academic productivity in the university student

This study describes the personality characteristics of the failing univers ity student at the University of Seville. One hundred and three students wi th a mean age of 21 years were evaluated using the 16 PF questionnaire. The personality profile was completed by application of the Survey of interper sonal Values (SIV), including an intelligence evaluation using the WAIS sca le of intelligence. The results support the majority of previous studies wh ich relate certain personality traits to academic failure (Lathey, 1991; We iss, Lotan, Kedar & Ben-Shakhar, 1988). Students who are failing in their c ourses scored significantly higher in neurosis and extraversion than did th eir population group. The data encourage consideration of the existence of other personality traits which limit academic success; among these are psyc hoticism, poor leadership, strong nonconformity and low generosity. The fin al discussion points up the need to introduce more precise lines of investi gation and the formulation of new working hypotheses.