PERSONALITY AND LEARNING STYLE: EVIDENCE FOR BIG FIVE TRAITS

The study examined the relationships between Big Five traits and learning styles of college students. Participants were 360 undergraduate students who completed the NEO-FF) and the Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP). While FFI measured the Big Five personality traits, the ILP measured student's adoption of the four learning styles; Synthesis-analysis and Elaborative processing for reflective learning, and Methodical study and Fact retention for agentic learning. The data were analyzed by correlation and multiple regressions. The findings of the study were: (i) conscientiousness was positively and neuroticism was negatively associated with all four learning styles; (ii) both agreeableness and openness were positively associated with reflective learning styles; and (iii) extraversion is associated positively only with elaborative processing. The results of multiple regression analyses showed that respectively 37%, 26%, 35% and 9% of the variances of Synthesisanalysis, Elaborative processing, Methodical study and Fact retention were explained by the Big Five traits. The findings of study have implications for teachers in planning their instructions to the appropriateness of students' personality trait.