The Interplay of Agreeableness and Self-Esteem, in Predicting Academic Competence among Undergraduates

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between agreeableness, self-esteem, and academic competence among undergraduate students that was examined in current research. Young adulthood, especially during university life, presents both academic and personal challenges that can significantly influence students' self-esteem, either positively or negatively, depending on their adaptability and background. Undergraduate students from various private and government institutions enrolled in various departments make up the population of interest. Correlational research design was used to identify the relationship between these variables and the participants were taken from the different public and private universities. A convenience sampling was used to obtain the data in where 125 males and 125 were females (N= 250) and the mean age was M= 21.12. To measure agreeableness, self-esteem, and academic competence, indigenous scales were used such as Big Five Inventory (Rehman & Johnson, 2019), Self-Esteem Scale (Zafar & Saleem, 2012), and Academic Competence (Jabeen & Afridi, 2019) scale were administered. Pearson Product analysis was used to check the correlation, Regression analysis to find the predictability and t test analysis were applied to find out the gender difference. The findings of this study indicated the positive relationship between agreeableness personality traits and academic competence (r=0.28**) whereas the negative relationship between self-esteem and academic competence (r= -0.17**). The results of this study have significant ramifications for university students, teachers, and mental health specialists. Intervention to help students improve their academic performance and self-esteem can be devised by recognizing the link between agreeableness, self-esteem, and academic competence.