'Agreeable' Students May Get Higher Grades
A recent study has found that teachers may give higher grades to students who have more "desirable" personality traits.
The study was led by researchers from Queen's University Belfast, as well as from Goldsmiths, University of London, and Sirius University of Science and Technology in Sochi, Russia.
It looked at data from almost 1,200 high-achieving Russian students between the ages of 14 and 18 who were taking part in an educational program at the Sirius University of Science and Technology. The study looked at their grades and behavior, as well as the students' self-reported personality traits.
In a number of cases, teachers gave higher grades to students who had more positive personality traits, such as being more agreeable or more conscientious.
In the study of psychology, being agreeable is linked to things like being trusting, helpful and sympathetic to others. And someone who is conscientious is hardworking, reliable and responsible.
Interestingly, the study also noted that high levels of narcissism — usually seen as a negative personality trait — were linked with fewer behavior problems. Narcissism can often be expressed as a need to be respected and liked, so it may actually help students behave better.
It was also found that too much of any trait — even positive ones, such as being conscientious — could be linked to poorer results in school.
The study also compared exam results in math and Russian that were marked anonymously and found that personality had no effect on grades.
One of the researchers, Dr. Kostas Papageorgiou, from Queen's University Belfast, said that the results suggest that in some cases, student grades can differ because of how teachers see their personalities, and not their actual abilities. However, he also said that the difference in results was not very large.
He said that marking exams without knowing students' names, and having teachers discuss and review the grades they give with others, would reduce any possible biases caused by personality.
