Academic Achievement in University Students: The Role of Perfectionism and Academic Hardiness

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between two personality factors, namely perfectionism and academic hardiness, and academic achievement. Nine hundred sixty-six undergraduate students from diverse disciplines in Greece made up the entire sample. In addition to two self-reported questionnaires about their achievements, perfectionism, and academic toughness, they were asked to complete one demographic questionnaire. The study revealed statistically significant positive correlations between the adaptive form of perfectionism and academic achievement and negative primarily correlation between the maladaptive form of perfectionism and academic achievement. The dimensions of academic hardiness (challenge, commitment, control) were also found to be positively correlated with the students’ performance. Regarding the predictive role of these two factors for academic achievement, the results indicated that the adaptive form of perfectionism (high standards) and two dimensions of academic hardiness (challenge and commitment) are positive predictors, while the maladaptive form of perfectionism (discrepancy) is a negative predictor. Implications of the above results are discussed.

Keywords

• adaptive perfectionism
• maladaptive perfectionism
• academic hardiness
• academic achievement
• research article