Open AccessPersonality, Motivation, and College Readiness: A Prospectus for Assessment and Development
Author(s) -
Kyllonen Patrick C.,
Lipnevich Anastasiya A.,
Burrus Jeremy,
Roberts Richard D.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
ets research report series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.235
H-Index - 5
ISSN - 2330-8516
DOI - 10.1002/ets2.12004
Subject(s) - psychology , personality , remedial education , psychosocial , psychological intervention , big five personality traits , applied psychology , academic achievement , developmental psychology , mathematics education , social psychology , psychotherapist , psychiatry
This article concerns how noncognitive constructs—personality and motivation—can be assessed and developed to increase students' readiness for college. We propose a general framework to account for personality and motivational differences between students. We review numerous studies showing that personality and motivational factors are related to educational outcomes, from early childhood to adulthood. We discuss various methods for assessing noncognitive factors, ranging from self‐assessments to performance tests. We consider data showing that personality and motivation change over time and find that particular interventions have proven successful in changing particular personality facets, leading to increased achievement. In a final section we propose a strategy for implementing a comprehensive psychosocial skills assessment in middle and high school, which would include setting proficiency standards and providing remedial instruction.