The Impact of Motivation and Personality on Academic Performance in Online and Blended Learning Environments

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of students’ motivation and personality traits on their academic performance in online and blended learning environments. It was conducted with students attending a mandatory introductory information technology course given in a university in Turkey. The Big Five Inventory and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were completed by a total of 316 students. A learning management system (LMS) was used for online collaboration and accessing course materials. At the end of the course, information on the accessibility of LMS and students’ academic performance including their exam results was obtained. The Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine academic performance in terms of its relationship with motivation and personality. In the online learning environment, the results showed that the conscientiousness trait was significantly related to LMS use whereas in blended learning, there were no significant relations between personality traits and LMS use. Self-efficacy was found to be the predictor of LMS use in the online environment while task value and test anxiety were the predictors in the blended learning environment. Conscientiousness and LMS use were significantly related to course grades in both learning environments. Finally, self-efficacy for learning performance was also associated with course grades in the online learning environment.