The role of personality traits in academic wellbeing of agricultural students of Bu-Ali Sina University

Literature shows that personality is one of the key factors that affect well-being of different professional groups. However, little research has been undertaken related with university students. Thus, drawing on the Five Factor Personality Model, current study investigates relations between personality traits and three different kinds of well-being – engagement, boredom, and burnout- among agricultural students. The study adopted a cause-correlational method. The statistical population of this research consisted of 1780 agricultural students at Bu-Ali Sina University. According to Bartlett’s table, a sample of 260 students was chosen through random sampling method. Data was collected using four standardized self-administered scales including 15-item Big Five Inventory, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale- Student Survey, Utrecht Boredom Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory- Student Survey. Spearman correlation formula and ordinal regression analysis was run to analyze the data. SPSSwin20 was used to do statistical analysis. The results indicate that conscientiousness and neuroticism were significantly related to each well-being dimension. In addition, agreeableness was only significantly related to burnout and openness to experience being only significantly related to boredom. In total, results indicate that personality traits can explain 5 to 16 percent of the variance in students’ well-being.