Self-Awareness, Knowledge, and Personality Traits and the Academic Performance of the Students

Abstract

Academic underachievement is a global concern in educational institutions, which can be linked to factors such as inadequate self-awareness, knowledge deficits, and unfavorable personality traits. Hence, this descriptive correlational study assessed the levels of self-awareness (reflection, goal setting, self-monitoring, metacognitive skills), knowledge (content mastery, information recall, critical thinking), and personality traits (conscientiousness, openness to experience, emotional stability, proactivity), and examined their relationships with academic performance among nursing students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Davao del Sur. Findings revealed high self-awareness among students, especially in reflection and self-monitoring, while systematic goal setting and advanced metacognitive strategies were less practiced. Knowledge levels were also high, with strengths in content mastery and recall, but challenges in practical application and long-term retention. Critical thinking was present but required improvement in deeper inquiry and theoretical application. Personality traits showed strong proactivity, conscientiousness, and openness, while emotional stability under prolonged stress was weaker. Result also revealed that students’ academic performance was generally high. Pearson correlation analysis further revealed that reflection, content mastery, and openness to experience significantly linked to students’ academic performance. Hence, these findings underscore the importance of Nursing HEIs in cultivating reflective practices, strengthening content mastery, and supporting the development of openness to experience to enhance students’ academic performance.