Work

Associations of Early School Grades With Temperament in Two Cultures Show New Subtleties

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: It has long been recognized that temperament contributes to different abilities of people to succeed in school. The earlier studies identified a consistent association of higher school achievements with temperament traits related to sustained attention, intelligence and positive emotionality. This study used two cultural samples and the neuroscience-based temperament test (Structure of Temperament Questionnaire-Compact, STQ-77-C3), to examine the associations between temperament and 2nd and 3rd years school grades in more detail. The results showed that estimated grades in Canadian sample ( N = 180, M/F = 95/85) and documented grades in eight subjects in Russian sample ( N = 109, M/F = 51/58) supported the earlier findings of positive associations between the grades and temperament traits related to sustained attention and intelligence. However, our results showed a much more differentiated pattern of temperament-grades associations. Contrarily to expectations, the Satisfaction scale measuring emotional valence showed no significant (at p < 0.01) effects in both samples. The Neuroticism scale measuring dispositional behavioural alertness and avoidance of uncertainty negatively correlated with the grades in Mathematics and Science/Environment in both samples but not with other school subjects. Social Tempo had high correlations with documented grades across all subjects, whereas Social Endurance had a significant correlation only with Art in the sample that used documented grades. There was also a differential pattern of temperament-grades associations for Sensation Seeking versus Probabilistic Processing scales. Our results, therefore, highlight the benefits of using the STQ-77-C3 (text provided in this paper) for a subtle differentiation of children’s temperament profiles, to ensure a personalized approach in educational settings.

Source: Psychological Reports

DOI: 10.1177/00332941251415310

Authors: Irina Trofimova, Natalia Zvereva, Maria Zvereva, Aleksey Sergienko

Institution: McMaster University

Language: English

Topic: Personality Traits and Psychology

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650