Ballantine, Roslyn (2008) The Relationships Between Student Support Services, Personality, Learning Approaches and Academic Success. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to examine the relationships between Student Support Services, personality, learning approaches, and academic success in firstyear undergraduate students enrolled in semester one at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). An initial sample of 647 on-campus and distance students responded to an on-line self-report survey consisting of demographic information and questionnaires measuring student satisfaction, personality traits, and learning approaches. The Student Learning and Support Services Survey (SLSSS) measured student satisfaction with the USQ Support Services. The NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Form S measured the Big Five personality traits: Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) measured the Deep, Surface, and Strategic learning approaches. Academic success was measured by Grade Point Average (GPA). Firstly, it was found that overall student satisfaction predicted GPA and accounted for 2% of the variance in GPA. Student Support Services play a vital role in enhancing both on-campus and distance student satisfaction by providing assistance and awareness of available services that help to enrich their learning experiences. This can ultimately support persistence in higher education endeavours. The second aim of this study was to examine the relationship between personality and GPA. Consistent with previous research, Conscientiousness was a key positive predictor of GPA for both on-campus and distance students. Agreeableness also positively predicted GPA, but only for on-campus students. The third aim was to investigate the nature of the relationship between learning approaches and GPA. This study found that for both study modes, the Surface approach negatively predicted GPA, while the Strategic approach positively predicted GPA. Finally, the fourth aim was to examine the relationship between personality and learning approaches. As expected, both Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience positively predicted the adoption of the Deep and the Strategic approach to learning and Neuroticism positively predicted the adoption of the Surface approach. The current data confirmed the predictive nature of the relationships between personality, the learning approaches students’ adopt and their academic success. Therefore, it is important for educators to consider integrating all this information when designing courses so that students are encouraged to develop a conscientious application and effective study strategies that support a deep engagement in study. Future research is recommended to investigate other forms of support and to track student experiences as they progress through their degrees to establish whether there are any differences beyond the initial stages of their tertiary study.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Lorelle Burton |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2025 00:32 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2025 00:32 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52136 |
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