Persistence in higher education and its relationship to other personality variables

A variety of personality variables can be theoretically connected to academic success in school at any age. Among these, persistence seems to be a central characteristic. In this study two questionnaires were administered to 181 Israeli college students who entered a four year teachers' college: (1) Persistence Scale in School (PSS); (2) The 16 Personality Factor Inventory (16PF). After four years of college the students were divided into the following two groups: those who completed their degree (PG-Persisting Group), and those who did not complete their degree (NGP-Non-Persisting Group). Comparison of the two groups showed that the PG group had a higher grade point average (GPA) than did the NPG. No other differences were found among the various demographic and personality variables used in the study. However, a significant interaction was found between the level of persistence and the GPA, indicating that the relationship between persistence and grades is not simple. The authors discuss the results and try to elucidate several variables that can explain persistence during university-level studies.