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Personality, competencies, and life outcomes: results from the German PIAAC longitudinal study
[journal article]
Abstract The present paper investigates the power of personality to predict important life outcomes in the context of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). On the most global level, personality can be described by the Big Five dimensions, extraversion, agreeableness, c... view more
The present paper investigates the power of personality to predict important life outcomes in the context of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). On the most global level, personality can be described by the Big Five dimensions, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. These five dimensions were assessed in the German PIAAC longitudinal study (N = 4122) and can thus be directly related to the central competence and outcome indicators measured in PIAAC. In a first step, we report the relationships between the Big Five dimensions and the basic competencies literacy and numeracy. In a second step, we investigate the extent to which the five personality dimensions can contribute to explaining six important life outcomes, above and beyond competencies and sociodemographic characteristics. Our results indicate that personality is substantially related to all six life outcomes. The portion of variance explained by personality was similar to, and sometimes larger than, that explained by competencies. After adjusting for competencies, personality was incrementally predictive of life satisfaction and health, in particular, and, to a lesser extent, of educational attainment, employment status, and income. The only outcome of which personality was not incrementally predictive over and above competencies was participation in continuing education. Overall, these findings highlight the merit of including measures for the Big Five personality domains in upcoming cycles of PIAAC.... view less
Keywords
arithmetic; demographic factors; well-being; Federal Republic of Germany; cognitive ability; occupational integration; level of education attained; literacy; occupational situation; personality traits; longitudinal study; income; adult; personality; level of education; social factors; health; satisfaction with life
Classification
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods
Personality Psychology
Free Keywords
PIAAC; Cognitive skills; Competencies; Personality; Health; Income; Well-being
Document language
English
Publication Year
2017
Page/Pages
19 p.
Journal
Large-scale Assessments in Education, 5 (2017)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-017-0035-9
ISSN
2196-0739
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed