ABSTRACT
This study is to examine the impact of personality traits on interpersonal dependence among undergraduates in Imo State with a particular reference to Imo State University, Owerri. To achieve this objective, three research questions and three research hypotheses were formulated to guide this study. The data collected were analyzed using simple percentages and tables to analyze research questions and regression analysis was used for testing of research hypotheses using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. A structured questionnaire was used as the major instrument for data collection from undergraduates students of Imo State University. After careful analysis of the data, the following findings were revealed that; there is a significant relationship between personality traits and interpersonal dependence among undergraduates in Imo State, there is a strong relationship between conscientiousness and students academic achievement and there is a positive relationship between agreeableness and students academic achievement in Imo State. The study was concluded with some recommendations that Parents and teacher (lecturers) encourage their children/ wards or students to set clear goals, and ensure that they are disciplined and careful to consistently achieve them.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
         Personality traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics that are the embodiment of an individual’s. They are your habitual patterns of behaviour, temperament and emotion. Skills, on the other hand, are the learned capacity to carry out specific tasks. Personality, in the other hand, is a set of individual differences that are affected by the development of an individual: values, attitudes, personal memories, social relationships, habits, and skills (McAdams & Olson, 2010; Mischel & Smith, 2004).
         Academic motivation is one of the effective factors on students’ achievement. Learners need to be interested in learning; otherwise, all efforts of the educational system would fail. So, understanding and developing the knowledge about factors that affect academic motivation can help to improve educational performance. Although ability and intelligence are considered as predictors of academic achievement, there is evidence that personality variables also play a role (O’connor & Paunonen, 2007). The literature also suggests that personality traits affect the academic motivation and performance (e.g., Costa & McCrae, 1992; Komarraju & Karau, 2005; Chamorro-Premuzic & Furnham, 2003, 2008). Therefore, the study tries to investigate the impact of personality traits on interpersonal dependence of undergraduate in Imo State.
         There is evidence that personality traits can predict academic motivation and achievement (Costa & McCare, 1992). Grozier (1997) mentions motivation as a core trait in the Big Five factor model of personality knowing that conscientious individuals are organized, hardworking, self-disciplined, ambitious and persevering. In addition, motivation has an important influence on a learner’s learning behavior and achievement (Vallerand et al., 1992). O’Connor and Paunonen (2007) consider three rationales for the evaluation of personality traits as predictors of post-secondary students’ academic achievement. First, there are behavioral tendencies reflected in personality traits that can affect certain habits that influence academic achievement such as perseverance, conscientiousness, talkativeness. Second, whereas cognitive ability reflects what an individual can do, personality traits reflect what an individual will do. Third, personality as well as cognitive proficiency would predict subsequent performance better in older students, especially motivation-related personality variables.
