Temperament and Academic Achievement in Children: A Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Temperament significantly influences various aspects of child development.
• Existing research on temperament and academic achievement presents diverse and controversial findings.
• A comprehensive understanding of the effect size and moderating factors is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize empirical research on the relationship between temperament and academic achievement in school children.
• To determine the average effect size of the association between temperament dimensions and academic performance.
• To identify potential moderators influencing the temperament-achievement link.

Main Methods:

• A meta-analysis of 57 original studies published between 1985 and 2019, encompassing 79,913 participants from 12 countries.
• Random-effects and mixed-effects models were employed to analyze the central tendency and moderators of the temperament-achievement relation.
• Moderators investigated included education level, transition status, socio-economic level, and sources of report.

Main Results:

• A significant positive association was found between effortful control (EC) and academic achievement.
• A significant inverse relationship was observed between negative affectivity (NA) and academic performance.
• No clear trend was identified for surgency (SU) in relation to academic achievement; however, sources of report emerged as a significant moderator.

Conclusions:

• Effortful control and negative affectivity are key temperament dimensions associated with academic achievement in school children.
• The way academic achievement and temperament are reported influences their observed relationship.
• Further research should consider reporting sources when examining temperament-academic achievement links.