Big Five Personality Traits and Academic Goal Orientations as Predictors of Academic Self-Handicapping among Undergraduate Students of Kenyatta University, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenyatta University, a significant number of undergraduate students are discontinued from their studies every year for failing to meet academic requirements. This may reverse the gains made by the university in its role in human and social capital development. Failure to meet academic requirements among university students is a form of self-handicapping which has not extensively been researched on in Kenya and this may limit the support given to students. This study, therefore, examined how the Big Five personality traits and achievement goal orientations predict academic self-handicapping among university students. The study was anchored on self-worth and Big Five personality theories. A convergent parallel mixed method research design was used. The study targeted all third year undergraduate students in the 2019/2020 academic year. Purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling techniques were used. The study involved 391 undergraduate students. Questionnaires and an interview schedule were used for data collection. A pilot study involving 30 students established the reliability and validity of the research instruments. Data were analyzed using SPSS (v.24). The results revealed significant positive correlations between three of the Big Five personality traits and academic handicapping: Neuroticism (r = .41, p <.05), openness to experience (r = .33, p <.05) and conscientiousness (r = .20, p < .05). Agreeableness had a significant negative correlation with academic self-handicapping (r = -.11, p <.05). Only extraversion had a non-significant correlation with academic self-handicapping (r = .05, p >.05). In addition, only two out of the four academic goal orientations had significant correlations with academic handicapping: mastery approach (r = -.13, p <.05), and performance avoidance (r =.15, p <.05). Non-significant correlations were reported for mastery avoidance (r =.09, p > .05) and performance approach (r =.04, p > .05). A stepwise regression revealed that the Big Five personality traits and achievement goal orientation accounted for 27% of variation in undergraduate students’ academic self-handicapping. When self-esteem was added in the model, it significantly accounted for a 4 % change in the variation of students’ academic self-handicapping (ΔR2 = .04, ΔF (9, 306) =1.92, p = .04). The prediction model was statistically significant (F (19, 306) = 7.12, p < .05, Adjusted R2 = .26). Thus efforts to understand how the Big Five personality traits and achievement goal orientation predict academic self-handicapping should pay attention to self-esteem as a moderator. The study recommends that interventions aimed at guiding undergraduate students to reduce neuroticism, openness to experience and performance avoidance orientation may be beneficial in efforts to reduce academic self-handicapping tendencies. Educational practices that foster mastery goals and enhance students’ self-esteem may help in reducing self-handicapping among university students.