Influence of Academic Discipline and Activity-Based Learning on Big Five Personality Traits: A Comparative Study of Physical Education and Non-Physical Education Students

Abstract

This paper surveys the role of academic discipline with respect to personality traits of the Big Five model, which are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness, which are influenced by the personal disposition as well as the learning surroundings. Physical education (PE) provides a body-in-action learning environment that can lead to different personality characteristics than other, more sedentary academic programs. The authors of this paper investigate the variations of the Big Five personal traits in PE and non-PE students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A multi-stage sampling process was used with 120 total participants (an equal number of female and male in each of the academic levels). BFI-Big Five Inventory (John & Srivastava, 1999) was used and group differences were determined with the help of independent t-tests in SPSS 27. The findings show that male PE students at both academic levels recorded higher scores on extraversion and conscientiousness and higher neuroticism at the undergraduate level. The results demonstrated that females are more conscientious at postgraduate PE and neurotic at undergraduate PE than their non-PE counterparts. This evidence leads to the argument that lifetime participation in structured, physical and socially mediated affairs might not only focus on the point of attracting individuals with specific traits of personality but also help them acquire self-control, social sensitivity and friendliness. The polarities suggest the inclusion of structured activity-based elements in learning plans to promote desirable personalities. Research in the future needs to consider the causal mechanisms, cross-cultural situations and long-term tendency of personality change across various educational contexts.