Chapter I

Introduction

This chapter represents the problem, the background and the significance of the study,

summary of related literature linking the relationship of personality traits, aspirations and study

habits to academic achievement of accountancy students in Baliuag University. The reviewed

literature served as basis for the researchers to map the degree of relationship of the three

independent variables and a dependent variable. This is also supplemented with the guiding

framework and scope of the study.

The Problem and its Background

In today's business world, accountants are more directly involved with strategy and

decision-making (Thomas, 2015). Due to the growth of our economy in complexity and

specialization, there is an ever-increasing demand for more and better trained accountants.

According to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the

demand for professional accountants brought the need to protect the public from rogue

practitioners who had the potential to damage the reputation of genuine, honest accountants.

With the sustained increase in the demand for accountants, a governing body needs to be

established and licensure examinations must be passed. The Accountancy profession in the

Philippines has gone a long way in the global professional community. Certified Public

Accountant (CPA) Licensure examination is one of the most difficult government test

administered by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) which continuously shines their

prestige for molding and creating new accountants every year.

 Given these demands of the profession, universities offering the accountancy program

must perform well, provide quality education to their students and makes sure that their students

will be ready and prepared to take their licensure exam (Del Mundo, 2011).

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) summarized the previous CPA Board

examination conducted last October and May 2017 and October and May 2016 having national

passing percentages of 30.44%, 35.14%, 36.48% and 42.84%, respectively, in which the Baliuag

University landed on the 18th spot of schools offering Accountancy program in the Philippines.

Under the category 2 bracket having 101-200 CPALE examinees, the university garnered 45%

passing rate covering 79 first time takers who passed the examination out of the of 175

examinees. This connotes that not all graduates of the university were prepared for the

examination. It is therefore imperative that innovative and continuous intervention programs be

undertaken to improve the BU accountancy graduates’ performance in CPA board examinations.

This intervention program must be research-based and therefore this study was conducted to

derive findings that will help prepare students assess several factors including personality traits,

aspirations, and study habits in connection to their academic achievement.

Personality traits also influence academic achievement. For instance, conscientiousness

has consistently emerged as a stable predictor of exam performance (Chamorro-Premuzic &

Furnham, 2003) and GPA (Conard, 2006). Combinations of Big Five traits have also been found

to predict various educational outcomes. Namely, conscientiousness and openness predict course

performance (Paunonen & Ashton, 2001), and agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness

predict overall academic performance (Farsides & Woodfield, 2003; Poropat, 2009). Although

these findings confirm the general significance of personality traits, there remains a need to

examine other individual level factors such as students’ aspirations and study habits.
 The level of aspiration, which is also an important psychological factor to affect the

human being’s achievement (Talwar, 2006). It sets a right situation or right platform for one’s

success in life. If this aspiration is high, it drives an individual towards his goal. It energizes and

controls human beings and directs him towards a right situation. But if the aspiration is low, it

directs us towards deep anxiety, frustration and failure which compromises students’

achievement.

A habit is just a behavior that is repeated until it is automatic. A habit is something that is

done on a scheduled, regular and planned basis that is not relegated to a second place or optional

place in one`s life (Bhat & Khandai, 2016). Study habits are the ways that we study which we

have formed during our school years. Study habits can be ‘good’ which means they work and

help us to make good grades – or “bad” which just means they don`t work and don`t help us

make good grades. Good study habits include being organized, keeping good notes and reading

textbook, listening in class, and working every day. Bad study habits include skipping class, not

doing work, watching too much TV or playing video games instead of studying, and losing work.

Without good study habits, students cannot succeed. To succeed, students must be able to

appropriately assimilate course content, digest it, reflect on it, and be able to articulate that

information in written and/or oral form.

In a research conducted by Gracia and Jenkins (2003), they found that women act better

than men in the second year of study and also maintained that there is a negative correlation

between age and score. According to the findings of this research, students with experience

related to their field of study act better than those who are just studying. Nonis and Hudson

(2010) also indicated that there is no positive significant relationship between study hours and
students’ academic performance. However, there is a significant positive relationship between

study habits and students’ academic performance.

Significance of the Study

This research contributes to the understanding if there is a significant relationship

between the personality traits, aspirations, and study habits to the academic performance of

accountancy students. The findings of this study will be of great benefit to different research

organizations, individuals, and students who would intend to have a further examination with

this topic by providing a proper path, of what could not be covered by this research because of its

limitations. The researchers would benefit from the findings and from the related literature

gathered and reviewed to support the study. This study is also noteworthy to the following:

Accountancy department and/or faculty will have deeper understanding of the factors

affecting students’ academic achievement and may use the outcome of this research to come up

with other teaching approach, and treatment of students to facilitate overall training and learning.

Different activities can also be conducted to resolve provisions that were evaluated as low.

School administrators for the improvement and modification of curriculum based on the

results. As university plays the significant role in providing students with broad base of

knowledge in accounting, auditing, management and cost accounting, taxation, economic and

industry issues, as well as business process structures, functions and practices, it is important that

its programs and policies deliver positive association towards better performance.

Accountancy and accounting-related courses students, as the major stakeholders of this

study will have an overall picture of the different factors affecting their performance. This study
can serve as the wake-up call for students to strive harder and have the initiative to go beyond

what is being offered by the institution.

Lastly, this study will assist further studies and evaluation by the Commission on Higher

Education, Board of Accountancy, review institutions, colleges and universities nationwide to

assess and re-assess their accountancy program and formulate projects and activities that will

pave way to success in both academe and the profession itself.

Review of Related Literature

Personality traits. Personality traits are a quality or characteristic that distinguishes the

character, action and attitude of a person, it reflects people’s characteristic patterns of thoughts,

feelings, and behaviors. Personality traits reflect basic dimensions on which people differ

(Matthews, Deary, & Whiteman, 2003). The trait theory within personality psychology, where

individuals and their unique qualities are distinguished based on descriptions of different

universal traits, is a common perspective on human personality (Costa & McCrae, 1992a).

Generally, a trait is understood as “a particular quality in your personality” (Oxford Learner’s

Dictionaries, 2014b). The more established technical definition of a personality trait is the more

that it resembles the differences between individual’s frequency and intensity of thinking,

behaving and feeling in certain ways (Fleeson & Gallagher, 2009; McAdams & Pals, 2006).

Personality traits are the consistent traits of an individual which make him different from

other individuals. The blend of personality traits is also important in predicting success in

various domains (Kumari, 2014). Personality and academic performance may be associated due

to common links with intelligence. Consistent with this, Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham

(2006) argued that correlations between academic performance and personality measures would
mirror corresponding correlations of intelligence with personality. The measures of personality

based on the Five Factor Model should be correlated with academic performance relate to the

evidence supporting the importance of personality factors for predicting socially valued

behaviors and on the recognition of personality as a component of an individual’s willingness to

perform.

Aspirations. Aspiration is the goal which an individual sets for himself in a task which

has intense personal significance for him. The strength of aspiration depends on how important

the aspiration is to the individual. The values of an aspiration to an individual in turn are affected

to some extent by how hard it is to reach (Manju N Garg, 2012). The more difficult to reach, the

greater the halo in the eyes of the aspirant and the more strongly motivated he is to reach it

(Gupta, 1984). During adolescence, young people‘s future aspirations and expectations begin to

crystallize, especially in the domains of education and the kind of career wants are formulated

during this period. Further these goals are associated with educational and occupational

attainment in adulthood (Beal & Crockett 2010, Mello 2008, Messersmith & Schulenberg 2008).

According to Akerman (2008) aspirations begin to be shaped early in a child’s life, but

are modified by experience and the environment. Aspirations tend to decline as children mature,

in response to their growing understanding of the world and what is possible, and to constraints

imposed by previous choices and achievements. This decline is particularly marked for those

facing multiple barriers.

The study conducted by Dwivedi (2012) showed that there was no correlation between

level of aspiration and achievement. He discussed about the reason may be that most of the

students were found to be over aspirant, i.e., they expect more and do less. In such a situation
one may expect a negative correlation. The reason for non-significant results may be that the

students are over aspirant but not so over aspirant to warrant a negative correlation.

A student of high aspirations, is considered, more spirited than others, and an achiever of

hig merit. The level of aspiration, which is also an important psychological factor to affect the

human being’s achievement. It sets a right situation or right platform for one’s success in life. If

this aspiration is high, it drives an individual towards his goal. It energizes and controls human

beings and directs him towards a right situation. But, if this aspiration is low, it directs us

towards deep anxiety, frustration and failureness. In this way it also affects our achievement

(Talwar, 2006)

Study habits. The key to becoming an effective student is learning how to study smarter,

not harder. Quality of education is reflected through academic achievement which is a function

of study habits and study attitude of the students. Thus to enhance the quality of education, it is

necessary to improve the study habits and study attitudes of the students. Study habits are

student’s ways of studying whether systematic, efficient or inefficient (Ayodele & Adebiyi,

2013) implying that efficient study habits produces positive academic performance while

inefficient study habits leads to academic failure.

According to Azikiwe (1998) study habit is the adopted way and manner a student plans

his private readings, after classroom learning so as to attain mastery of the subject. According to

her, “good study habits are good assets to learners because the (habits) assist students to attain

mastery in areas of specialization and consequent excellent performance, while opposite

constitute constraints to learning and achievement leading to failure”.

 According to study conducted by Abid Hussain Ch. (2006), guidance services have

significant positive effect on student’s study attitudes and study habits. Improvement in study

attitudes and study habits resulted in improvement of students’ academic achievement. Kochhar

(2000) considers guidance necessary to help the pupil with specific problems like lack of

relationship between ability and achievement, deficiency in one or several school subjects, faulty

study habits, defective methods of learning and poor motivation.

The research revealed that candidates of CPA licensure examination would study in a

place that is quiet and has few distractions, and that they would study during their personal peak

time of energy to increase concentration level and they would refer to books to provide a guide

to follow if they are in doubt of the solution for a problem. It also showed that much

concentration is needed for them to really focus on the subject he is studying for them to really

absorb the concepts and techniques. (Read, Tan, 2014).

The positive attitude towards accounting paired with effective study habits might lead to

higher academic performance and therefore higher chance of passing the board exam. To be able

to graduate in the program and later on pass the board examination, there is a need for the

prospective freshmen to have a passion for the field they are entering into because no matter how

effective the other factors would be, at the end of the day, what will make them really successful

is their love for the field that will make them conquer all adversities that they may face. (Read,

Tan, 2014).

There are different study habits college students practice. Positive results were found

when some combination of study behaviors such as attendance, homework turned in, and use of
study guide, prior preparation for the class, participating in class, and coming to class on time

were used (Gracia & Jenkins, 2003; Shaftel & Shaftel, 2005; and Wooten, 1998).

Group learning activities can result to an increase in students’ deep learning approach,

which has been known to improve analytical thinking (Hall, Ramsay & Raven, 2004). Williams

& Worth (2002) conclude that attendance and note-taking predict performance in a large human

development course, and that note-taking is the best predictor of total course performance.

Everyday reading activities in which students engage influence their studying skills and

subsequent academic performance. There is a general sense in which one appreciates the link

between good habits of reading and the academic performance of students generally (Issa et al.

2012).

Proximity to School. Curiously, most of the well-founded investigations focus on factors

restricted to the school time and environment, while little attention has been paid to variables that

are not part of the school shift and surroundings themselves but could significantly affect

academic achievement. A relevant example is the duration of commuting from home to school

(i.e., the travel time). In the context of the theory of choice, parents choose the school that

maximizes their utility as a function of both school and student characteristics, such as the

expected academic achievement a given school can offer to the child and time and travel costs

related to the commuting from home to school (Hastings, Kane, and Staiger, 2005). Following

this rationale, parents inevitably have to trade-off utility from lower commuting costs in order to

gain utility from expected academic outcomes, when there are better schools further from home.

Nevertheless, time of students itself is one of the inputs into the educational process (Becker,

1965), and the additional time spent traveling from home to school could be otherwise allocated
to studying, practicing physical activities and sleeping, activities positively related with

academic achievement (Ahrberg et al., 2012; Perkinson-Gloor, Lemola, and Grob, 2013)

Walking distance as it has been identified by several researchers appears to be a common

factor for poor academic performance. Adeboyeje, Olaniyi and Adepoju (2003) identify home-

school distance through involvement of stakeholders as one among several factors that causes

poor performance of students in public examinations. Other factors were identified to include

poor location of the school, incessant changes in government policies, closure of schools, which

is contingent upon teachers ‘strike action, high student teacher ratio, poor supervision,

monitoring and evaluation machinery, lack of good textbooks, poor content and context of

instruction, poor and nonconductive environment among others. In their explanation, Onderi,

Kiplangat, and Awino (2014) citing Oriko (2002) and Reche et al. (2012) indicate that walking

long distances to school greatly make students reach it with empty stomachs and lateness

influencing negatively, their academic performance.

Poor academic performance has been associated with the location of primary schools in

various studies. Numerous studies link learner’s poor academic performance in specific with the

walking distance, which the learners travel to reach their schools. For example; Engelbrecht et al.

(1996) in a study which investigated the location of schools, revealed that distance traveled by

learners from home to school correlated positively with the academic performance of the

students. The researcher elaborates further that most of the learners were affected by the distance

which made them use most of their time on traveling than learning. The investigation by

Morakinyo (2003) on the effect of distance to school students found that the falling level of

academic achievement was attributed to teacher„s non-use of verbal reinforcement strategy.

Moyo (2013) investigated the effects of poverty on access to education involving students from
Tshazi Secondary School in the Insiza district in Kenya through questionnaires, interviews and

content analysis. In that study, Moyo associated walking over long distances to and from school

might lead to late coming at school and at home after school in evening. It was also explained

that because of longer walking distance, fatigue and hunger lead students to drowsiness during

learning as a result of walking over long distances compared to students from rich families who

usually cycled to school making them at the advantage of arriving at school early without having

lost any considerable amount of energy. Walking distance as it has been identified by several

researchers appears to be a common factor for poor academic performance. Adeboyeje, Olaniyi

and Adepoju (2003) identify home-school distance through involvement of stakeholders as one

among several factors that causes poor performance of students in public examinations. Other

factors were identified to include poor location of the school, incessant changes in government

policies, closure of schools, which is contingent upon teachers‟ strike action, high student

teacher ratio, poor supervision, monitoring and evaluation machinery, lack of good textbooks,

poor content and context of instruction, poor and non-conductive environment among others. In

their explanation, Onderi, Kiplangat, and Awino (2014) citing Oriko (2002) and Reche et., al.

(2012) indicate that walking long distances to school greatly make students reach it with empty

stomachs and lateness influencing negatively, their academic performance. Other studies have

found that the performance of students can be affected by little time to concentrate in studies due

to distance as explained with and non-use of verbal reinforcement strategy by teachers.

Academic achievement. Academic achievement occupies a very important place in

education as well as in the learning process. It has become an index of child’s future in this

highly competitive world. It has been one of the most important goals of the educational process.

It is also a major goal, which every individual is expected to perform in all cultures. Academic
achievement is a key mechanism through which adolescents learn about their talents, abilities

and competencies which are an important part of developing career aspiration.

Some scholars put emphasize on individuals’ internal characteristics (e.g. intelligence,

self-concept, etc) and some others consider external characteristics (family, social status,

educational environment, etc) important. On the other hand, one of the most important factors

underlying development is education. Developed countries usually have effective educational

system but education lacks adequate infrastructure in developing countries (Poor Ali, 2005). In

educational psychology, students’ performance is considered as a product of his learning and for

information on individual learning rate; one should refer to his visible behavior or to be more

precise see his performance. According to Hillgard and Bauer, the distinction between learning

and performance is the same as the distinction between knowing how to do a job and actually

doing it. It is also believed that Individual performance is highly affected by motivation and

emotion, environmental condition, tiredness and illness. So, these factors may yield a fairly

accurate indicator of how much he is learning, unless he can show it well (Seif, 2009).

Academic achievement is generally regarded as the display of knowledge attained or

skills developed in the school subject Busari (2000). It is the level of performance in school

subject as exhibited by an individual. In the school setting, it is referred to as the exhibition of

knowledge attained or skills developed in school subjects. Test scores or marks assigned by

teachers are indicators of this achievement. Recently, it can be observed that educational

psychologists have begun to address what has historically been regarded as the soft side of

individual differences. This includes mood, feelings and emotions in relation to academic

achievement - a way in which students function and perform in accordance with the anticipated

tasks at hand. However, achievement can be said to be the outcome of instruction. Attaining a
high level of academic performance is what every parent or guardian as well as teacher wishes

for their children, wards and students. Schools and teachers are generally graded qualitatively by

achievement based on the performance of their students.

Academic achievement is most commonly operationalized with grade point average

(GPA) in research, which is the mean grade of the courses that are included in the final grade

(Richardson et al., 2012). The benefits of GPA is that the measure is objective, reliable and

temporally stable (Bacon & Bean, 2006), but has limitations concerning grade inflation meaning

that teachers give higher grades for similar performance at different levels (Johnson, 2003). GPA

as an indication of a student’s academic achievement is deliberately determined by the teacher.

For making this decision, different more or less objective information is available for the teacher

including tests, verbal presentations and the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SSAT). None of

these should individually decide the grade, thus teachers are supposed to decide the final grade

based on a variety of sources (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2012). Importantly,

teachers are not allowed to include student’s behaviour or industriousness in the judgement

(Swedish National Agency for Education, 2013b). There are also national knowledge

requirements to be considered by the teacher when setting the grades in each individual course

included in the GPA (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2013c). Altogether, even though

GPA is considered an objective (Bacon & Bean, 2006) and common way to operationalize

academic achievement (Richardson et al., 2012); it is also based on the subjective judgment of

entrusted teachers. Predictors of academic achievement have interested researchers for a long

time and there are number of variables that are suggested to predict academic achievement. First,

gender seems to be a variable differentiating achievement, where females are shown to have

higher average grades than males (Rosander, 2013; Buchmann & DiPrete, 2006; SOU, 2014:6).
Second, research has shown that IQ is an important predictor to academic achievement

(Thorndike, 1994; Busato, Prins, Elshout & Hamaker, 2000; Dickerson Mayes, Calhoun, Blixer

& Zimmerman, 2009). Besides that, research has also shown results indicating that personality

predicts academic achievement to a higher degree than do IQ (Spengler, Lüdtke, Martin &

Brunner, 2013; Rosander, 2013; Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews & Kelly, 2007). More

specifically personality traits such as conscientiousness (Noftle & Robins, 2007) and character

strengths such as persistence and prudence (Lounsbury et al., 2009) are most strongly correlated

to academic achievement, even when IQ is controlled for.

Theoretical Framework

Self-Determination Theory. Several theories have been given on the concept of

motivation (Middleton & Toluk, 1999; Marsh, Craven, Hinkley, & Debus, 2003) but one of the

best among all is the self-determination theory (SDT) given by Deci and Ryan's (1985). This

theory conceptualizes self-motivation as an approach that focuses on the behavioral self-

regulation and personality development (Ryan, Kuhl, & Deci, 1997; Ryan & Deci, 2000). The

SDT theory considered as the useful theory in order to understand the individual's motivation

levels and has grasped the attention of many researchers who applied this theory in multiple

research contexts (Deci et al., 1991; Gagne & Deci, 2005).

Motivation was theoretically approached from different perspective such as biological,

psychological, learning, psychoanalytical, cognitive, and humanistic (Franken, 1994). In

simplified terms motivation is the person’s will to perform (Brooks, 2008). In organizational

studies motivation is one of the most important issues and is often understood as the employee’s

effort towards organizational goals and tasks (Robbins, Judge, Millett & Boyle 2013; Buchanan
& Huczynski, 2013; Ashleigh & Mansi, 2012). This theory explains motivation as a

multidimensional variable and explains three different types of motivation intrinsic motivation

(autonomous), extrinsic motivation (controlled) and amotivation (lack of motivation) (Deci &

Ryan, 1985).

The theory also suggests that the type of behavior is dependent on the underlying

behavior and varies with the continuum of self-determination (Ryan & Deci, 2000; Deci & Ryan,

1985). Intrinsic motivation shows the highest level of self-determination and when the individual

is intrinsically motivated, he/she acts with the full sense of autonomy and choice. On the

contrary extrinsic motivation shows a low level of self-determination and individual in order to

attain specific outcomes acts under external constraints. Amotivation takes place when the

individual believes that his/her participation will not create any effect on the desired outcomes.

Many studies in the past have validated this continuum in education domain as well (Ricard &

Pelletier, 2016; Ross et al., 2016).

Big Five factor theory. There is no one unified way to describe personality. The word

personality goes back into ancient Greece, where it meant a mask which an actor used in the

theater when he played different roles representing different characters (Engler, 2013).

Nowadays theorists use more than fifty different definitions of personality each taking a different

perspective (Brooks, 2008; Engler, 2013). Big Five was chosen as theoretical base for

independent variables because “the Big Five has provided the most widely accepted structure of

personality in our time” (Judge & Ilies, 2002, p.798). The Big Five personality dimensions are

identified as a fundamentally base especially relevant for work environment and companies

(Elbert & Griffin, 2010) and allows for enduring prediction of different work behaviors from

performance (Barrick & Mount, 2005). In this study we employ the generally accepted OCEAN
abbreviation for labeling the Big Five. The Big Five factors names correspond to the capital

letters in the abbreviation and consist of Openness to experience (O), Conscientiousness (C),

Extraversion (E), Agreeableness (A), Neuroticism (N) (McCrae & John, 1992). Each from the

Big Five personality dimensions represents a “super trait” or a set of sub-traits combining under

one dimension (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2013).

Openness to experience has been found to contribute to the likelihood of obtaining

a leadership position, likely due to the ability to entertain new ideas and think outside the box

This indicates that openness to experience leads to gains in knowledge and skills, and naturally

increases as a person ages and has more experiences to learn from. Conscientiousness was

previously found to be a valid predictor in all organizational occupations and jobs and in overall

performance because people with high level of Conscientiousness tend to follow organizational

rules and exert effort (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Judge & Ilies, 2002; Barrick, 2005). Extraversion

was previously found to be correlated with motivation to perform despite occupational frame

because extraverts would have greater confidence in their abilities to perform (Judge & Ilies,

2002). Agreeableness concerns conformity and individual ability to defer to other people, being

friendly, flexible, cooperative, forgiving and soft hearted (Barrick & Mount, 1991). People with

high level of agreeableness tend to be cooperative and trusting, and those with low level are

antagonistic, cold and disagreeable (Robbins et al., 2013). High level of Neuroticism is linked to

low performance motivation (Judge & Ilies, 2002).

Big Five personality traits helped predict the educational identity of students. Based on these

findings, scientists are beginning to see that there might be a large influence of the Big Five traits

on academic motivation that then leads to predicting a student’s academic performance. Some

authors suggested that Big Five personality traits combined with learning styles can help predict
some variations in the academic performance and the academic motivation of an individual

which can then influence their academic achievements.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 presents the conceptual framework adopted by the researchers. It presented the

schematic diagram of the study which investigated the relationship of the personality traits,

aspirations, and study habits to the academic achievement of Accountancy students of Baliuag

University. The framework highlights how these factors affect the academic achievement.

Figure 1:

Paradigm of the study

Conscientiousness
Aspirations
Openness to Extraversion
Experience

Academic
Personality Traits Achievement Study Habits

Neuroticism Agreeableness
Proximity to
School

Figure 1 shows the independent variables and the dependent variable. Independent variables

pertain to personality traits, aspirations, and study habits. Dependent variable pertains to the
academic achievement of accountancy students in terms of subjects related to CPA Licensure

examination.

Statement of the Problem

1. How may the respondents of the study be described in terms of their

1.1 Proximity to School and Gender

1.2 Personality traits

1.3 Aspirations

1.4 Study Habits

2. What is the level of academic performance of the respondents in their professional courses?

3. Is there significant relationship between Academic Achievement and the following factors

3.1 Personality Traits

a. Neuroticism

b. Extraversion

c. Openness to Experience

d. Agreeableness

e. Conscientiousness

3.2 Aspirations

3.3 Study Habits

3.4 Proximity to School

4. Do the combined factors of aspirations and study habits correlate with academic

performance?
Hypotheses of the Study

Hₒ1: There is no significant relationship between personality traits and academic achievement

such as

1.1 Openness to Experience

1.2 Conscientiousness

1.3 Extraversion

1.4 Agreeableness

1.5 Neuroticism

Hₒ2: There is no significant relationship between aspirations and academic achievement.

Hₒ3: There is no significant relationship between study habits and academic achievement.

Hₒ4: There is no significant relationship between proximity to school and academic achievement.

Hₒ5: Aspirations and study habits has no significant relationship with academic achievement.

Definition of Variables

Academic achievement. It can be used interchangeably with academic performance. The

assessment of the extent to which an individual, typically a student, has achieved an educational

goal.

Agreeableness. Having an optimistic view on human nature and get along well with

others.

Aspirations. Are related to longer term academic outcomes, such as as academic

attainment.
 Auditing. The students learn how to handle audits more smoothly and also study auditing

laws.

Conscientiousness. Individuals who prefer to follow a plan, rather than act

spontaneously.

Extraversion. Enjoy being with people, participating in social gatherings, and are full of

energy.

Managerial Accounting. Decision making is the large part of this subject. It is the

discussions of cost determination, cost control, cost behavior and investment decisions.

Managerial Finance. Students learn skills for creating reports with decision makers in

mind.

Negotiable Instruments. The students learn how to detect, examine and correct fraud

issues. The materials will look at the difference between civil and criminal fraud laws and the

outcomes for both.

Neuroticism. Also called emotional stability which refer to a person's ability to remain

stable and balanced.

Openness to Experience. It indicates how open-minded a person is. They are

imaginative, curious, and open-minded.

Personality traits. Set of underlying traits that determine how an individual typically

behaves and thinks.

 Study Habits. The behaviors used when preparing for tests or learning academic

material.

Taxation. This subject looks into the laws and regulations of federal taxation. Discuss

the different types of tax clients and specialized issues, such as multi-state tax returns,

beneficiaries and property transfers.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The purpose of this study is to determine the significant relationship of personality traits,

aspirations, and study habits to academic achievement of accountancy students in Baliuag

University. This study focuses on the current fifth year students of Bachelor of Science in

Accountancy of the present school year, 2018-2019. The grades that will be obtained are limited

to third year 2nd term and fourth year 1st term. The questionnaires were distributed by utilization

of survey forms.

Variables in this study include the academic achievement as the dependent variable and

personality traits, aspirations, and study habits as independent variables. This study does not

include the undergraduates of Baliuag University Bachelor of Science in Accountancy.