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Páginas: 137-148 Recibido: 2021-10-01 Revisado: 2021-11-12 Aceptado: 2022-04-12 Preprint: 2022-03-15 Publicación
Final: 2022-05-31 |
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Relationships between Academic
Engagement and Personality Factors in Nursing Students
Relación entre Compromiso Académico y Factores de Personalidad
en Estudiantes de Enfermería
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Ana Villafañe |
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Laura Espín López Universidad de Murcia (España) |
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Diego Salmerón Martínez |
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María del Pino Sánchez López |
Abstract
Academic Engagement is
defined as a psychological state of accomplishment and commitment to the task
performed. Personality factors can help to understand why, some students show a
positive mental state related to their studies and others show a lack of engagement.
The aim of this study was to determine the personality characteristics of a
sample of nursing students based on the Big Five model and to analyze the
differences in engagement. The sample consisted of 90 nursing students.
Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated, and a multivariate analysis
of variance was performed. The results showed that the existence of engagement
is positively associated with Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness,
and Openness, and negatively associated with the Neuroticism personality trait.
The students classified in the first cluster, which was defined by a profile
with high neuroticism and low scores on the rest of the personality traits, had
a lower presence of engagement. In the second cluster, defined by low
Neuroticism and high Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness and
Conscientiousness, the presence of engagement was higher. In conclusion,
assessments of personality and engagement can be useful measurement tools to
find out about students’ academic performance and be able to carry out
strategies aimed at preventing the consequences of academic stress in the most
vulnerable students.
Resumen
El
concepto de compromiso académico se define como un estado psicológico de
realización y compromiso con la tarea realizada. Los factores de personalidad
pueden ayudar a comprender por qué algunos estudiantes muestran un estado
mental positivo relacionado con sus estudios y otros muestran una falta de
implicación. El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar las características
de personalidad de una muestra de estudiantes de enfermería basada en el modelo
Big Five y analizar las diferencias en la implicación académica a partir de
estos perfiles. Los participantes fueron 90 estudiantes de enfermería. Se
calcularon los coeficientes de correlación de Pearson y se realizó un análisis
de varianza multivariado. Los resultados mostraron que la existencia de implicación
académica se asocia positivamente con Extraversión, Amabilidad, Responsabilidad
y Apertura, y negativamente con Neuroticismo. Los estudiantes clasificados en
el primer clúster, definido por un perfil de Neuroticismo alto y puntuaciones
bajas en el resto de rasgos de personalidad, tuvieron
una menor presencia de implicación académica. En el segundo grupo, definido por
bajo Neuroticismo y alta Extraversión, Amabilidad, Apertura y Responsabilidad,
la presencia de implicación fue mayor. En conclusión, las evaluaciones de
personalidad e implicación académica pueden ser herramientas de medición útiles
para conocer el funcionamiento académico de los estudiantes y poder llevar a
cabo estrategias encaminadas a prevenir las consecuencias del estrés académico en
los alumnos más vulnerables.
Keywords / Palabras clave
Academic engagement, University students,
Personality, Nursing, Educational psychology, Admission requirements.
Compromiso académico,
Estudiantes universitarios, Personalidad, Enfermería, Psicología de la
educación, Condiciones de admisión.
1. Background
Recently, researchers have turned their interest toward engagement
studies. The lines of research on this construct have focused on demonstrating
that engagement is the opposite of burnout (Salanova
et al., 2010; Agarwal et al., 2020) and testing the positive influence of
engagement on personal and social performance in work and academic contexts.
The study of academic engagement is associated with a strong emotional
charge established through a link in the chosen studies and defined by three
dimensions: Vigor, Dedication, and Absorption. Vigor refers to the presence of
high levels of energy and endurance and a strong desire to make
an effort while studying. Dedication is manifested by high levels of
enthusiasm and pride related to one’s studies, and Absorption is characterized
by the ability to be deeply focused and absorbed in what one is doing when
studying. Academic engagement, therefore, is understood as a positive,
satisfactory mental state related to work or studies, and it is commonly
measured empirically using the Utrecht Engagement Scale (UWES-S) (Schaufeli et
al., 2003).
It is important to note that two major conceptual models currently
coexist. The first one the European that we use in this study and the second
one, mainly North American. This last model considers commitment as a
multidimensional construction that includes behavior, emotion
and cognition (Fredricks et al., 2014).
On the one hand, research on engagement in university students shows its
positive influence on academic performance, and students’ levels of health
(Agarwal et al., 2020; Cabrera Rivas, 2019; Casuso-Holgado
et al., 2013; Moreno-Morales et al., 2013). Measuring academic engagement has
the potential to satisfy the need to move from the study of burnout or
exhaustion to a more positive construction, and it can serve as a useful
measurement tool for institutions that wish to assess their students’ academic
performance (Agarwal et al., 2020).
On the other hand, personality traits of professionals who provide health
care have been the topic of discussion in numerous investigations. Personal
qualities such as empathy, the capacity for self-control, social skills,
adaptive responses to stressful situations, and emotional stability are
considered essential in health science professionals (Pitt et al., 2014; Powis, 2015; Powis et al., 2019).
In recent decades, the theory of the structure of the personality has
mainly drawn on the Big Five Factors of Personality model (Costa & McRae,
1985). The five-factor theories assign a central role to traits, recognizing
the possible modifying influences of the social and cultural environment
(McCrae, 2011).
Evaluating students’ personal qualities in their selection process is
considered essential in nursing studies (Chan & Sy, 2016; Drach-Zahavy & Srulovici,
2019; Fornes-Vives et al., 2016; Pitt, Powis et al., 2012; Pitt, Powis
et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2017) and in medicine (Bore et al., 2009; Lo et al.,
2018; Sobowale et al., 2018; Song & Shi, 2017).
As Powis (2015) points out, people with high
Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness and low
Neuroticism would have the necessary qualities to work in a profession based on
interpersonal relationships. Most research highlights high Agreeableness as a
reliable indicator for establishing personal ties (Melchers et al., 2016;
Nettle, 2007). In this regard, studies carried out with nursing and medical
students (Pitt et al., 2014; Powis, 2015; Sobowale et al., 2018; Song & Shi, 2017; Trujillo et
al., 2016; Wang et al., 2017) reveal that high scores on the Agreeableness
factor are related to an adequate disposition to provide health care.
Otherwise, undergraduate nursing students experience high levels of stress and
anxiety during their clinical practices. This is correlated with Neuroticism
factor (Fornés-Vives et al., 2016; Milić et al., 2019).
Moreover, the relationships between personality traits and engagement
have been analyzed by several authors in populations of medical and nursing
professionals (Janssens et al., 2019; Scheepers et al., 2016; Pérez-Fuentes et
al., 2019) and medical students (Hansen et al., 2016) but not in nursing
students. The results of the reviewed studies show that the existence of
engagement was positively associated with Extraversion (Pérez-Fuentes et al.,
2019; Hansen et al., 2016; Janssens et al., 2019), Agreeableness (Pérez-Fuentes
et al., 2019), Conscientiousness
(Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019; Janssens et al., 2019), and Openness
(Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019; Janssens et al., 2019), and negatively with the
Neuroticism trait (Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019; Janssens et al., 2019).
Specifically, the results of the study by Hansen et al. (2016) showed that the
opportunity to make a commitment or experience engagement was 10 times greater
in medical students who had high scores on the Extraversion factor of the
NEO-PI-R. The studies that analyze the relationship between personality traits
and engagement shed variability in the results. This fact highlights the
need to continue this line of research given the impact that it will have.
The aim of the current study was to determine the personality
characteristics of a sample of nursing students, compared to the Spanish
normative population, and analyze engagement based on the personality profiles
found. An additional objective was to describe how differences in personality
are related to a student's engagement. The intention was to study the
associations between the presence of engagement and personality traits in
nursing students, evaluating this relationship through the five-factor model,
one of the most accepted models in the description of human personality. It is
an understudied topic in our population, and knowing
which personality traits lead to greater student achievement, satisfaction, and
commitment to the task is beneficial, not only for academic performance, but
also for future professional performance in a discipline with a tendency to
experience symptoms of burnout.
2. Method
2.1 Participants
The study population
was composed of all the students who were enrolled in the first year of the
Nursing degree during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years and continued
their studies in the second year at the University School of Nursing affiliated
with Cartagena. The study sample included 90 nursing students (68 women and 22
men). The age range of the women who participated in the study ranged between
18 and 52 years (M = 23.09 years, SD = 9.656), and the age of the men ranged
between 18 and 47 years (M = 21.82
years, SD = 7.980). The mean nursing
school entrance grade was 13.3 out of a maximum of 14 (SD = 1.35).
The study was
conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was
approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Murcia. All the students
participated voluntarily and gave their signed informed consent. They were
assured that the results would be for research purposes only and would not
influence the results of the exams, and that their personal data would be
protected and included in a file subject to the guarantees of data protection
law.
2.2 Instruments
For the personality
analysis, we used the third revised and expanded Spanish edition of the
NEO-PI-R Inventory (Costa and McCrae, 2008). It consists of 240 elements
responded to on a 5-point Likert scale, and it evaluates five main factors:
Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Each
factor is broken down into six facets, allowing a personality analysis to
obtain 35 different scores. Reliability analyses of the internal consistency of
the NEO PI-R global scales were excellent (alphas ≥ .85), whereas on 25 of the
30 specific scales, they ranged from adequate to good (alphas ≥ .60 and <
.80).
To measure engagement,
the instrument used was the Student
Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-S), originally created for the Dutch population
(Schaufeli et al., 2003) and validated in Spanish through a cross-cultural
study with Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish university students. The validation
study for the Spanish university population showed that the internal validity
values improved after eliminating three of the items on the original
questionnaire, so that the resulting Spanish questionnaire consists of 14 items
instead of 17 (Schaufeli et al., 2002). The items are grouped into three
subscales: vigor, dedication, and absorption, and they are scored on a 7-point
scale from "never" (0) to
"always" (6). The
reliability of each dimension of the UWES-S scale, demonstrated a good internal
consistency, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.78 (vigor), 0.86
(dedication) y 0.81 (absorption). These values are high and similar
to those obtained by other authors with Spanish samples (Casuso-Holgado et al., 2013; Casuso-Holgado
et al., 2016).
2.3 Procedure
A
quantitative exploratory descriptive study was designed. Recruitment was
carried out through advertisements on boards inviting the target population to
participate. Students who participated voluntarily made up the study sample. At
the beginning of the first academic year of nursing studies, the questionnaires
were administered to the students. They were informed about the purpose of the
study and told that they would receive individual feedback, available through
their student number, which was the only ID they had to submit. Voluntariness
was reported as a requirement for participation, and they could withdraw from
the study at any time without any consequences.
2.4 Data
analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using R Core Team and the SPSS statistical package
version 24 for Windows. Means and standard deviations of the scales were
calculated, and Student's t test was used for comparison with the national
study. T scores (M = 50, SD = 10) were obtained directly from the
profile generated by the NEO-PI-R measurement instrument. To quantify the
magnitude of the differences, we used the Cohen’s d effect size measure.
According to Cohen (Aron and Aron. 2001), an effect size of 0.20 is considered
small, 0.50 moderate, and 0.80 large. To study the relationship between the
questionnaire scales and between the personality and engagement measures,
Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated, and statistical
significance was established through the corresponding p-value. A two-step
cluster analysis was performed to establish student groups by personality
factors: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and
Conscientiousness, with distance based on the likelihood. The maximum number of
clusters was 15, and the Bayesian information criterion was employed. Two
cluster was the result of the analysis. Once the groups or clusters had been
identified, the comparison of means (multivariate analysis of variance) was
carried out to determine the existence of significant differences between the
groups with respect to the scores for each of the engagement components
3. Results
3.1. Personality
Distribution
The students who participated in the study showed scores above the mean
of the Spanish normative population for the Neuroticism factor (p <
.001) and below the mean for Extraversion (p = .03), Agreeableness (p
< .001), and Conscientiousness (p < .001). With
regard to the Openness factor, the sample of students obtained scores
within the mean of the Spanish population (p =.37) (See Table 1).
Table 1
Descriptive statistics for the total sample compared to the Spanish
reference for the 5 main factors obtained from the NEO-PI-R
|
|
Study Sample |
Reference Population |
|
|
||
|
|
Mean |
SD |
Mean |
SD |
Cohen’s d |
P-value |
|
Neuroticism (N) |
94.48 |
22.38 |
71.75 |
19.45 |
1.29 |
.00 |
|
Extraversion (E) |
113.21 |
19.15 |
119.41 |
15.72 |
0.26 |
.03 |
|
Openness (O) |
115.37 |
17.48 |
118.81 |
15.51 |
0.10 |
.37 |
|
Agreeableness (A) |
119.93 |
17.60 |
134.12 |
14.51 |
0.75 |
.00 |
|
Conscientiousness (C) |
123.93 |
21.13 |
140.97 |
16.99 |
0.90 |
.00 |
In relation to the data of the normative group,
we performed the interpretation of the personality profile of each participant
evaluated for each factor and facet based on the following reference scores for
the typified T scores: Very high ≥ 65, High 56-65, Medium 46-55, Low
36-45, Very low ≤ 36. Regarding the Neuroticism factor, 24.44% of the sample
presented typified scores at the mean or below it, whereas 76% of the sample
showed high (48%) and very high (28%) scores. Regarding the Agreeableness and
Conscientiousness factors, 14% and 10% of the students scored above the mean,
respectively. On Agreeableness, 50% scored below the mean, specifically, 38%
with low values and 12% with very low values. On
Conscientiousness, 60% scored below the mean, 53% low and 7% very low. On
Extraversion, 44% of students scored below the mean. However, the analysis of
the facets of this factor shows that, in the search for emotions, 64% of the
students scored above the mean, specifically, 44% with high values and 20% with
very high values, contrary to what occurred in the rest of the facets (See
Figure 1).
Figure 1
Means of the T scores obtained on the global dimensions and facets of
the NEO-PI-R
3.2.
Engagement Distribution
Approximately half of the students were in the
average category for the total scale and on the subscales of Vigor and
Absorption. We observed that only 32% had high and very high total scores on
the scale,14.4% on the Vigor subscale, and 28% on Absorption. However, on the
Dedication subscale, 70% of the students had high and very high scores. Table 2
presents the means, standard deviations, 95% confidence intervals, and
frequency data for each of the UWES-S dimensions.
Table
2
Description of the dimensions of the UWES-S
|
|
Very low N % |
Low N % |
Average N % |
High N % |
Very high N % |
M |
SD |
IC
95% |
|
||||||
|
Vigor |
5 |
5.6% |
24 |
26.7% |
48 |
53.3% |
11 |
12.2% |
2 |
2.2% |
3.79 |
1.04 |
3.58-4.01 |
|
|
|
Dedication |
0 |
0% |
5 |
5.6% |
22 |
24.4% |
32 |
35.6% |
31 |
34.4% |
5.12 |
.96 |
4.92-5.32 |
|
|
|
Absorption |
5 |
5.6% |
20 |
22.2% |
40 |
44.4% |
15 |
16.7% |
10 |
11.1% |
3.62 |
1.25 |
3.36-3.88 |
|
|
|
Total (n=90) |
1 |
1.1% |
9 |
10% |
51 |
56.7% |
24 |
26.7% |
5 |
5.6% |
4.21 |
0.88 |
4.03-4.40 |
|
|
Note: Cutoff scores: Total UWES (Very high ≥
5.54. High ≥ 4.67. Average ≥ 3.07. Under
≥ 1.94. Very Low ≤ 1.93). Vigor (Very high ≥ 5.61. High ≥ 4.81. Average ≥ 3.21. Under ≥ 2.18. Very Low ≤
2.17). Dedication (Very high ≥ 5.80. High ≥ 4.91. Average ≥ 3.01. Under ≥ 1.61. Very Low ≤
1.60). Absorption (Very high ≥ 5.36. High ≥ 4.41. Average ≥ 2.76. Under ≥ 1.61. Very Low ≤
1.60).
3.3.
Personality Factors and Engagement
In the Neuroticism factor, the scores obtained
showed a negative correlation with the dimensions of Vigor (r = -.33. p
= .001) and Absorption from the UWES-S (r = -.35. p = .001). In
the case of the facets, the Vigor dimension correlated negatively with most of
the facets of the Neuroticism factor (Anxiety: r = -.29, p =
.006; Hostility: r = -.23, p = .03; Depression: r = -.30, p
=.004; Social anxiety: r = -.23, p= .03; and Vulnerability: r =
-.42, p < .001). The Absorption dimension correlated negatively with
the facets of Anxiety (r = -.30, p =.004) and Vulnerability (r = -.33, p = .002).
The Extraversion factor correlated positively
with the Dedication dimension (r = .32, p = .002). In addition, four of the six
facets of this factor correlated positively and significantly with this
dimension of engagement (Warmth: r = .28, p = .008;
Gregariousness: r = .27, p= .01; Activity: r = .27, p = 0.01; and Positive emotions: r =
.29, p = .006). The Excitement Seeking facet correlated negatively with the
Vigor dimension (r = -.23, p = .027).
In the Openness factor, the only correlation
found was between the Dedication dimension and the Aesthetic facet (r =
.23, p = .03). Similarly, in the Agreeableness factor, the only
significant correlations occurred between three facets of this factor and the
Dedication dimension (Straightforwardness: r = .23, p = .03;
Altruism: r = .22, p = .03; and Tender-mindedness:
r = .24, p = .02).
The
Conscientiousness factor correlated positively with the three dimensions: Vigor
(r = .46, p < .001) Dedication (r = .28, p = .009), and
Absorption (r = .39, p < .001). The Dedication dimension
correlated positively with the facets of Competence (r
= .27, p = .009), Order (r = .24, p = .025), Dutifulness (r
= .32, p = .002), Achievement striving (r = .30, p =
.004), and Self-discipline (r = .25, p = .02). The Vigor
dimension correlated positively with the facets of Competence
(r = .23, p = .03), Dutifulness (r = .21, p =.04),
and Self-Discipline (r = .36, p < .001). The Absorption
dimension correlated positively with the facets of Achievement striving (r
= .21, p = .04) and Self-discipline (r = .29, p =.005)
(See Pearson correlations between engagement dimensions and personality factors in Table
3)
Table
3
Pearson correlations between engagement
dimensions (UWES-S) and personality factors (NEO PI-R)
|
|
Vigor |
Dedication |
Absorption |
|
Neuroticism |
-.33*** |
-.20 |
-.35*** |
|
Extraversion |
.19 |
.32** |
.14 |
|
Openness |
.11 |
.11 |
.08 |
|
Agreeableness |
.16 |
.18 |
.054 |
|
Conscientiousness |
.46*** |
.28** |
.39*** |
Note: *** = p≤ .001 / ** = p
3.4.
Personality profiles and Engagement
A two-step cluster analysis of the personality
factors was performed to identify the groups. The inclusion of these variables
resulted in two groups with the following distribution: 51.1% (n = 46) of the
participants in Cluster 1 and 48.9% (n = 44) in Cluster 2. The first group
resulting from the cluster analysis (Cluster 1) is characterized by scores
below the mean of the total population on Neuroticism (M = 80.59) and
above it on Extraversion (M = 124.57), Openness (M = 119.89),
Agreeableness (M = 127.04), and Conscientiousness (M = 137.37).
The Second Group (Cluster 2) identifies students with scores above the mean of
the total population on Neuroticism (M =109.00) and below it on
Extraversion (M = 101.34), Openness (M =110.64), Agreeableness (M
= 112.50), and Conscientiousness (M = 109.89). Table 4 shows the means of
the direct scores obtained on the 5 personality factors measured for the total
sample of participants and each group, and Figure 2 shows the results of the
comparative analysis of the profiles.
Table
4
Mean
scores for the total sample and clusters (N= 90)
|
|
|
Cluster |
|
|
|
Variables |
Total
(N=90) |
1
(n = 46) |
2
(n = 44) |
|
|
Neuroticism
(N) |
94.48 (22.38) |
80.59 (14.80) |
109.00 (19.63) |
|
|
Extraversion
(E) |
113.21 (19.15) |
124.57 (14.03) |
101.34 (16.47) |
|
|
Openness
(O) |
115.37 (17.48) |
119.89 (14.63) |
110.64 (19.07) |
|
|
Agreeableness
(A) |
119.93 (17.60) |
127.04 (14.52) |
112.50 (17.60) |
|
|
Conscientiousness
(C) |
123.93 (21.13) |
137.37 (14.45) |
109.89 (17.63) |
|
Note: The data are
means and standard deviations (in parentheses).
Figure 2
Cluster composition (N= 90). The factors were
organized according to the order of importance of the input
After the classification into groups based on
the two-cluster solution, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was
performed to compare the personality profiles with the three dimensions of
engagement. Homogeneity of covariance was examined using the Box M test, and
the null hypothesis of data fit was rejected (MBox =
4.26, F = .68). Multivariate comparison showed significant differences
between the groups (Wilks Lambda = .82,
F (3,86) = 6.46, p =.001, ηp2 =
.18, observed power = 0.964). After analyzing this relationship individually
for each of the dependent variables (Vigor, Dedication, Absorption), we found
that the results were statistically significant in all cases (Table 5). Cluster
1 (with scores above the mean on all the personality factors, except
Neuroticism, which was below the total sample) had significantly higher mean
scores than Cluster 2 on Vigor (F (1,88) = 18.47, p =
0.001, ηp2= .17, observed power= 0.99), Dedication (F(1,88)
= 6.85, p = .01, ηp2
= .07, observed power= 0.7), and Absorption (F(1,88) = 8.3, p
= .005, ηp2 = .09, observed power= .81)
Table
5
Multivariate analysis of variance (effects
between participants per cluster) depending on the dimensions of engagement
|
|
Cluster 1 (n =46) |
Cluster 2 (n =44) |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
F |
p |
ηp2 |
Observed power |
|
Engagement |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vigor |
4.21 |
0.90 |
3.35 |
1.00 |
18.47 |
.000 |
.17 |
.99 |
|
Dedication |
5.36 |
0.87 |
4.85 |
0.98 |
6.85 |
.01 |
.07 |
.74 |
|
Absorption |
3.98 |
1.16 |
3.24 |
1.24 |
8.3 |
.005 |
.09 |
.81 |
4. Discussion
The aim of this study
was to describe the personality characteristics of a sample of nursing
students, comparing them to the Spanish normative population, evaluate the
level of engagement through psychometric tests, and establish possible
associations between the presence of engagement and the personality traits.
This allows us to establish which personality traits lead to greater student
achievement, satisfaction, and commitment related to their nursing studies.
The students who
participated in the study obtained scores above the mean on the Neuroticism
factor and below the mean on the Extraversion, Agreeableness, and
Conscientiousness factors, whereas the Openness factor remained at the mean of
the Spanish reference population. Several researchers propose that a
personality that combines a high profile of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness
is the key to establishing a satisfactory relationship with the patient in the
clinical setting (Pitt et al., 2014; Powis, 2015; Sobowale et al., 2018; Song & Shi, 2017; Trujillo et
al., 2016; Wang et al., 2017). These results contrast with our population,
where the scores on the Agreeableness factor, which defines the willingness to
provide emotional care, were low, as were the scores on the Conscientiousness
factor, which expresses the innate capacity for interpersonal relationships,
traits that are considered fundamental in a profession based on caring. After
analyzing these results, two lines of action arise; on the one hand,
re-evaluate this sample of students at the end of their undergraduate studies
to check whether the changes derived from the personal evolution of the
students (Caspi et al., 2005; Ferguson & Lievens
2017; Kool et, 2019; Kostromina & Grishina., 2018; Trillmich et
al., 2018) or the training process itself (Fornes-Vives
et al., 2016) might have shaped their personality traits. Also, the high scores
reached in neuroticism factor could be dues to the students' high levels of
anxiety, as indicated by other studies with nursing students (Fornes-Vives et al., 2016; Milić
et al., 2019).
Moreover, in the
published literature on personality traits in university students, we hardly
find any studies that analyze the facets evaluated by the NEO PIR, as Sobowale et al. (2018) indicated, and so the results
obtained raise questions to analyze due to their importance in clinical
practice and the development of undergraduate studies (Chan and Sy, 2016;
Trujillo et al., 2016). Having more precise knowledge about the personal characteristics
of these students would make it possible to adapt training programs and achieve
better performance (Sobowale et al., 2018; Song &
Shi, 2017; Pitt et al., 2012; Powis, 2015).
Together, these data
taken suggest the need to continue to analyze into the personality
characteristics of this population throughout their undergraduate studies and
observe their variability over time, as indicated in the studies by Fornes-Vives et al. (2016) and Pitt et al. (2014). It would
be important to check the stability or change in the personality traits
analyzed (Caspi et al., 2005; Ferguson & Lievens,
2017) and propose education programs to acquire the necessary professional
skills (Fornes-Vives et al., 2016; Trujillo et al.,
2016).
The students reported
medium-high levels of academic engagement, with the levels of the Dedication
dimension being especially high. As indicated above, this refers to the fact
that these students feel highly motivated about their studies, and it should be
noted that this dimension refers to motivational or vocational aspects in
performing the task. Likewise, students learning strategies and styles are
closely linked to engagement and are excellent predictors of academic results.
Regarding the
correlations found between personality traits and academic engagement, measured
by the UWES-S in the Neuroticism factor, the results obtained are in line with
previous studies (Janssens et al., 2019). The scores obtained show a negative
correlation with the Vigor and Absorption dimensions evaluated. Specifically,
the Vigor dimension correlates negatively with the Anxiety facets, which
measure the degree of current anxiety, hostility, or tendency toward anger,
depression, or melancholy. Social Anxiety shows the discomfort felt in the
presence of others, and Vulnerability expresses the inability to handle
stressful situations. Therefore, an anxious, melancholy, and vulnerable person
will have a low level of energy and endurance and little desire to make an effort while studying. The Dedication dimension
correlates negatively with the Depression facet, which describes a general lack
of enthusiasm, specifically toward studies. The Absorption dimension is
negatively related to the degree of anxiety or discomfort measured by the
Anxiety facet and to the feeling of lacking resources to handle adverse
situations, represented by high scores on the Vulnerability factor. This degree
of restlessness and lack of control would impede the concentration and
absorption in their studies that define this dimension.
The Extraversion
factor is positively correlated with the Dedication dimension, specifically
with the Cordiality facet, which express the tendency to be intimate in
interpersonal relationships, Gregariousness, or the preference for seeking
company, Activity, or the need for constant occupation and positive emotions
that defines the enthusiasm experienced. These characteristics are linked to
the Dedication dimension, manifested by high levels of enthusiasm and pride
related to studies. The Vigor dimension is negatively related to the
Thrill-seeking facet or the need for constant stimulation or arousal. Because
Vigor is related to effort and endurance in the task, people with a constant
need for emotion will see their endurance diminished. Published studies
(Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019; Janssens et al., 2019; Scheepers et al., 2016)
have shown this positive relationship. However, because each factor is composed
of characteristic features that define it, the analysis of the facets yields more
precise results, and particularly, the negative relationship found differs from
previous investigations. The analysis of the facets gives us a more exact image
of the personality than the globality defined by the factors,
and having a high score on one of the facets in the same factor could
distort the total correlation. Specifically, most of the facets of the
Extroversion factor tend to correlate positively with the Vigor dimension, so
that the negative correlation found with the Emotion Search facet would be
masked if only the factor were analyzed.
The Conscientiousness
factor correlated positively with the three dimensions: Vigor, Dedication, and
Absorption, results previously found in the literature (Pérez-Fuentes et al.,
2019; Janssens et al., 2019; Scheepers et al., 2016). The pride in studies,
measured in the Dedication dimension, is found in students who trust their own
abilities and are orderly, with a high degree of fulfillment of their
obligations, achievement of objectives, and motivation to complete the task.
The energy to strive that Vigor implies is related to self-confidence and the
ability to fulfill and finish the task. The Absorption dimension, which
involves the degree of concentration on one’s studies, is found in students who
have a high aspiration and motivation to complete the task and meet their
objectives.
In the Agreeableness
factor, we find that sincere, altruistic, and empathetic students face their
studies with greater enthusiasm, as in other publications (Pérez-Fuentes et
al., 2019; Scheepers et al., 2016). The same thing is true of students with
greater aesthetic sensitivity, defined in the Openness factor, as in results
previously published (Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019; Janssens et al., 2019).
However, when
analyzing all the personality profiles, we found nuances of the previous
results. Specifically, the high need to search for new stimuli that is part of
the Extroversion factor would impede effort and resistance to achieve
objectives.
When the personality
profiles of the nursing students were analyzed, two different groups were
found. The first had positive scores on all the personality factors analyzed
except Neuroticism. The second profile consisted of students with a personality
profile contrary to the one shown by the first group. Thus, this group was
characterized by presenting scores above the mean on Neuroticism and below the
mean on the rest of the factors. A comparison of the engagement scores in these
two profiles showed that the second group, which had low scores on all the
traits except Neuroticism, had a lower presence of engagement. In addition, the
highest scores on commitment were shown by the first group, which had high
scores on Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness, and Conscientiousness.
It is important to notice
that there is barely any research on university students linking personality
and engagement. The results are in line with previously described studies, that
is engagement was higher in students who had high scores on the Extraversion
factor of the NEO-PI-R. (Hansen et al., 2016).
In general, our
results confirm those obtained in other studies, consistently showing that
students with high scores on the Conscientiousness, Extraversion,
Agreeableness, and Openness factors and low scores on the Neuroticism factor
acquire greater commitment to their studies (Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019; Hansen
et al., 2016; Janssens et al., 2019; Scheepers et al., 2016).
A limitation of the
study is that the sample size is small. Therefore, for a
future research will be advisable to increase the sample size and to
enhance the analysis with structural equations which overcome the correlations
analyzed in the study.
5. Conclusions
The results show that personality factors can help to understand why,
under the same learning context conditions, some students are resilient and
linked to their studies. Recognizing personality factors as protective factors
for the presence of engagement can be useful in carrying out programs to
promote mental health and prevent the physical and psychological consequences
of academic stress. Therefore, it is about identifying vulnerable students
through personality factors, these students could benefit from strategies that
help them improve their coping skills when they face stressful situations in
the context. These strategies could have an impact throughout the professional
and personal lives of future nurses. The article shows an advance in the
explanation of personality factors that seem to be related to the academic
engagement for a sample of nursing students. Engagement, measured by the
UWES-S, can be a useful assessment tool for nursing students, due to its
potential to address demands from a positive perspective and provide reliable
information on student academic performance.
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