Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

This study is centered around the various theories, studies,

and concepts of personality and study habits.

Personality

The word “personality” is derived from the word persona,

which is Latin for mask, particularly one that performers wear

for their roles or as a disguise. Essentially, personality would

then refer to the pattern of thoughts, behaviors, and overall

characteristics that both make a person unique, as well as

predict and explain their behavior (Cherry, 2022). Throughout the

years, there have been several attempts at labeling and

categorizing what would make up a person’s personality. For

example, Carl Jung’s theory consisted of the two attitudes of

extraversion and introversion, as well as the four functions of

consciousness being sensation, intuition, thinking, and feeling

(McLeod, 2018). Additionally, Eysenck’s theory attributed

behavior to a number of factors grouped under either

extraversion/introversion or neuroticism/stability, whereas

Cattell’s theory instead comprised of 16 personality factors

(McLeod, 2021).

Another such example, which will be the very focus of this

study, is the “Big Five” traits, also known as the Big-Five Model
or the Five-Factor Model. This theory was explored by many

psychologists - D.W. Fiske established it in 1949, then followed

by Norman and Smith in 1967, Goldberg in 1981, and McCrae & Costa

in 1987 who all proceeded to further expand on it (Cherry, 2021).

As a model of five factors, the theory provided that personality,

as a whole, boiled down to 5 particular traits often recalled by

the acronyms OCEAN or CANOE: openness, conscientiousness,

extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. These traits are

defined by John & Srivastava (1999), Van Thiel (2022), Lim

(2020), and Ackerman (2017) as follows:

Openness, or more specifically openness to experience, is

one’s willingness to step out of their comfort one, try new

things, and engage in activities that stimulate their creativity,

imagination, and intellect. It involves the ability to be

vulnerable, and to “think outside the box”.

Conscientiousness relates to one’s ability or tendency to

control impulses, behave in a goal-directed manner, and generally

act in socially acceptable ways.

Extraversion refers to the tendency and intensity in which

individuals seek interaction with their social environment, and

generally whether energy is gained or lost through this

interaction.
 Agreeableness concerns the way one might treat their

relationships with others, such as how well they get along with

others or in what way they may perceive or orient themselves

towards others.

Neuroticism refers to the emotional state or emotional

stability of a person, particularly through the way that they

perceive the world around them. It also involves how confident or

comfortable one might be with themselves and their body.

What makes the Big Five Model unique is that each of the 5

traits is treated as a spectrum, rather than simply sorting

individuals into binary categories (Lim, 2020). Instead,

individuals tested using this theory are ranked on a scale

between two extreme ends of the spectrum, as in whether they are

high or low in a particular trait. This way, the individual

differences in personality are more effectively measured.

Levels of Personality

By using the Big Five Model, the level of personality will

be categorized as being high or low in each of the 5 traits. In

the descriptions made by John & Srivastava (1999), Van Thiel

(2022), Lim (2020), and Ackerman (2017), the levels are indicated

as:
 Openness: Traits with high levels of openness include being

curious, clever, unconventional, daring, and perceptive; whereas

being low in openness is associated with predictability,

practicality, a dislike of change and a preference for routine,

and less of a preference for abstract things such as art.

Conscientiousness: Those high in conscientiousness are

associated with having self control and being organized,

disciplined, detail-oriented, thoughtful, and careful; while

those low in conscientiousness are associated with

disorganization, a dislike of structure, difficulty completing

tasks and fulfilling goals, and generally impulsive and careless

behavior.

Extraversion: Those high in extraversion gain energy from

social interaction, and are associated with being sociable,

assertive, outgoing, and friendly. Those low in extraversion

(referred to as introverts) lose energy from social interactions

and gain it from solitude, and are associated with being

reserved, reflective, quiet, and disliking being the center of

attention.
 Agreeableness: People high in agreeableness typically

display altruism, modesty, humbleness, patience, tact, kindness,

politeness, helpfulness, unselfishness, and sensitivity, and tend

to be well-liked and respected. Those low in agreeableness

typically display opposite traits like callousness, bluntness,

sarcasticness, and a lack of sympathy, and are less likely to be

trusted and/or liked by others.

Neuroticism: Individuals high in neuroticism tend to have

low self-esteem and are associated with negative emotions like

sadness, irritability, anxiety, and insecurity. On the other

hand, those low in neuroticism are associated with calm,

resilience, security, self-satisfaction, and an overall higher

self-esteem.

Study Habits

To study, based on the Latin word studium meaning a

painstaking application, can be described as one’s devotion or

dedication of time and attention to gaining knowledge, and to the

general process of learning (Oxford Dictionary, n.d.). On the

other hand, a habit is a “context-behavior association in memory

that develops as people repeatedly experience rewards for a given

action in a given context” (Mazar & Wood, 2018, p.13). It is a

almost as if it were an automatic behavior.

Thus, by combining the two terms, a study habit can be

referred to as a regular, automatic practice of devoting time and

attention to learning. In fact, Crede and Kuncel (2008) describe

it as “the degree to which the student engages in regular acts of

studying that are characterized by appropriate studying routines

(e.g., reviews of material) occurring in an environment that is

conducive to studying,” (p. 425). In other words, as a system of

methods in which students approach their studying, it is

virtually an important factor to achieving good academic

performance.

Level of Study Habits

The level of study habits will be categorized as having a

high , average, or low score in each of the following types of

study habits: budgeting time, physical condition, reading

ability, note-taking, learning motivation, memory, taking

examinations, and health. The other categories are defined by

Tus, J. et al. (2020) as follows:

Budgeting time includes managing time and schedules,

creating time to study, making use of time effectively when

studying, and being able to submit appropriate tasks on time.

the period of studying, and includes things such as preparation,

goal-setting, thinking of future consequences, and/or

distractions.

Reading ability includes how one might read, understand, and

take into consideration key points in the material they are

reading.

Note-taking refers to when and how often students will take

notes, and includes what importance they see in doing so.

Learning motivation includes how motivated and willing the

students are to study, and in what way.

Memory refers to how often students will need to refresh

their memory through review, how much they tend to forget after

reviewing, or how they review and aid their memory.

Taking examinations refers to how students feel and do when

they prepare for and take examinations, and includes how

seriously they might take them or how important they may view

examinations to be.

Health refers to the results of what a student may have

studied for, and how they react to it and feel about such

results. It also includes what they would do about the results.

As the various theories of personality state, there are

certain traits that constitute the behavior and state of human

beings, such that these traits, or combination thereof, make

individuals uniquely the way that they are. Considering the

spectrum presented in the Five-Factor Model, many of these traits

can point to how an individual may approach a certain activity,

such as: imagination, creativity, and curiosity under openness;

goal-directed thinking and organization under conscientiousness;

or even anxiety and high or low self-esteem under neuroticism.

Because of these traits or their combinations, each individual

may have varying attitudes towards partaking in certain

activities, such as studying. This could lead to a more cohesive

and complete development of study habits, or even a lack thereof.

Several other studies over the decades have shown that there

may indeed be a correlation between personality and the way

people study, be it study habits or learning skills, such as that

of Sadeghi et al. (2012) and Brav and Trejo (2021) as discussed

in the review of related literature. Notably, both these studies

found a positive correlation between the two variables, with the

former showing a relationship between personality types and

learning styles, and the latter showing a relationship between

personality types and study habits.

Figure 1 below shows the paradigm of the study. The paradigm

will examine the relationship between personality and study

habits, specifically using college students’ personalities based

on the Big Five Model.

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