PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AS PREDICTORS OF STUDENTS9 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

The aim of the research presented in this article is to investigate which psychological characteristics are related to students ’ academic achievement, and to find out the relative share of intelligence, creativity and achievement motivation in academic achievement prediction. A total of 319 students, of which 143 from primary schools (Ml = 12.9 years) and 176 from high schools (M2 = 16.8years) participated in the study. Psychological characteristics are measured by appropriate tests while the academic achievement scores were obtained on the basis of the students' answers to a questionnaire prepared by the author of this study. The results show that the joint effect of the predictor variables: creativity, achievement motivation and general intellectual ability, explains 30% of the academic achievement variance regarding elementary school students, whereas 18.6% of the variance of high school students' academic achievement. The obtained data are discussed in relation with the findings of the relevant studies.