Correlations among Personality Traits, Coping Skills, and Competitiveness in Online Learning Environments: A Path Analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran

2 Department of Psychology, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

3 Department of Psychology, Mahallat Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahallat, Iran

10.30476/ijvlms.2025.105861.1329

Abstract

Background: With the expansion of online classes, student competitiveness has emerged as a key factor in academic success. This study explored the correlations among personality traits, coping skills, and competitiveness in online learning environments, aiming to provide insights for improving online educational programs.
Methods: This study used a correlational research design incorporating path analysis to assess the correlations between independent variables (personality traits and coping skills) and the dependent variable (competitiveness). The study involved 427 second-year high school students from Tehran, Iran, who participated in online classes from November 2022 to February 2023, chosen through cluster sampling. Data were collected using three established instruments: the HEXACO Personality Inventory, Lazarus Coping Styles Questionnaire, and a Competitiveness Scale. Data analysis was conducted using LISREL software version 8.80.
Results: The findings indicate that several personality traits and coping strategies are significantly correlated with competitiveness. Specifically, extraversion (β=0.20, r=0.22, p=0.0004), conscientiousness (β=0.13, r=0.16, p=0.0008), seeking social support (β = 0.13, r= 0.26, p=0.040), problem-solving coping (β=0.17, r=0.28, p=0.020), and positive reappraisal (β=0.19, r=0.30, p=0.008) were positively and significantly correlated with competitiveness. Conversely, escape-avoidance coping (β = –0.24, r = –0.14, p=0.0001) showed a significant negative correlation. Other traits and strategies, including openness to experience (β= –0.10, r=0.03, p=0.070), agreeableness (β= –0.07, r=0.07, p=0.210), honesty-humility (β=0.06, r=0.05, p=0.320), emotionality (β= –0.01, r=0.13, p=0.800), confrontive coping (β= –0.07,  r= 0.04, p=0.270), distancing coping (β = –0.04, r=0.08, p=0.510), self-control (β= 0.06, r= 0.17, p=0.390), and responsibility (β= –0.11, r=0.15, p=0.130), did not demonstrate statistically significant correlations. The model fit indices confirmed the adequacy of the path analysis model (χ²/df=1.01, RMSEA=0.02, GFI=0.95).
Conclusion: The findings indicate significant correlations among specific personality traits and coping skills and student competitiveness in online classes. These insights may inform strategies to enhance online educational experiences. It is important to note that, given the correlational nature of the study, the analysis focuses solely on associations rather than causal effects.

Highlights

Rouhoddin Heydari (Google Scholar)

Davood Taghvaei (Google Scholar)

Keywords

References

  1. Li G, Li Z, Wu X, Zhen R. Relations Between Class Competition and Primary School Students' Academic Achievement: Learning Anxiety and Learning Engagement as Mediators. Front Psychol. 2022;13:775213. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.775213. PubMed PMID: 35282231; PubMed Central PMCID: MCPMC8904934.
  2. Al Husaini Y, Ahmad Shukor NS. Factors Affecting Students' Academic Performance: A review. Res Militaris. 2022;12(6).
  3. Haleem A, Javaid M, Qadri MA, Suman R. Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustain Oper Comput. 2022;3:275-85. doi: 10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004.
  4. Kamraju M, Krishnaiah J, Guntipalli D, Shaba N, Begum S, Fatima N, Madhuri Y. Exploring the Impact of Online Education on Higher Education. ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development. 2024;03:27-36.
  5. Akpen CN, Asaolu S, Atobatele S, Okagbue H, Sampson S. Impact of online learning on student's performance and engagement: a systematic review. Discov Educ. 2024;3(1):205. doi: 10.1007/s44217-024-00253-0.
  6. Sanjari S, Mohammadi Soleimani M. Validation of the knowledge sharing behavior scale among nursing and midwifery faculty members in Iran: Psychometric properties and cross-cultural adaptation. Middle East J Rehabil Health Stud. 2024;11(1):e134886. doi: 10.5812/mejrh-134886.
  7. Khojasteh L, Karimian Z, Farahmandi AY, Nasiri E, Salehi N. E-content development of English language courses during COVID-19: a comprehensive analysis of students’ satisfaction. Journal of Computers in Education. 2023;10(1):107-33. doi: 10.1007/s40692-022-00224-0.
  8. Karimian Z, Mokarram P, Zarifsanaiey N. Comparison of the teaching clinical biochemistry in face-to-face and the flex-flipped classroom to medical and dental students: a quasi-experimental study from IRAN. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):137. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05051-8. PubMed PMID: 38350863; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10863239.
  9. Fong M, Zhao K, Smillie LD. Personality and competitiveness: Extraversion, agreeableness, and their aspects, predict self-reported competitiveness and competitive bidding in experimental auctions. Pers Individ Dif. 2021;169:109907. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.109907.
  10. Graziano WG, Hair EC, Finch JF. Competitiveness mediates the link between personality and group performance. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997;73(6):1394–1408. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.73.6.1394.
  11. Ramoshaba J, Kgarose M. Analysing coping strategies of students for online teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science. 2022;11:343-7. doi: 10.20525/ijrbs.v11i9.2192.
  12. Kara A, Ergulec F, Eren E. The mediating role of self-regulated online learning behaviors: Exploring the impact of personality traits on student engagement. Educ Inf Technol (Dordr). 2024;29(17):23517-46. doi: 10.1007/s10639-024-12755-3.
  13. Baruth O, Cohen A. Personality and satisfaction with online courses: The relation between the Big Five personality traits and satisfaction with online learning activities. Educ Inf Technol (Dordr). 2023;28(1):879-904. doi: 10.1007/s10639-022-11199-x.
  14. Fu P, Gao C, Chen X, Zhang Z, Chen J, Yang D. Proactive personality and its impact on online learning engagement through positive emotions and learning motivation. Scientific Reports. 2024;14(1):28144. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79776-3.
  15. Tamannaeifar M, Shahmirzaei S. Prediction of Academic Resilience Based on Coping Styles and Personality Traits. Practice in Clinical Psychology. 2019;7(1):1-10. doi: ‎ 10.32598/jpcp.7.1.1.
  16. Liu A, Yu Y, Sun S. How is the Big Five related to college students' anxiety: The role of rumination and resilience. Pers Individ Dif. 2023;200:111901. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111901.
  17. Zarifsanaiey N, Farrokhi MR, Karimian Z, Hoseini S, Chahartangi F, Shahraki HR. Lesson learned from assessing teachers' and students' perspectives regarding the quality of e-learning in medical education during the pandemic: a mixed-methods study. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):171. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05160-4. PubMed PMID: 38388898; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10885478.
  18. Leguizamo F, Núñez A, Gervilla E, Olmedilla A, Garcia-Mas A. Exploring attributional and coping strategies in competitive injured athletes: a qualitative approach. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1287951. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1287951. PubMed PMID: 37965668; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10641461.
  19. Leis O, Sharpe BT, Pelikan V, Fritsch J, Nicholls AR, Poulus D. Stressors and coping strategies in esports: a systematic review. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol. 2024;1-31. doi: 10.1080/1750984X.2024.2386528.
  20. Nuetzel B. Coping strategies for handling stress and providing mental health in elite athletes: a systematic review. Front Sports Act Living. 2023;5:1265783. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1265783. PubMed PMID: 38033656; PubMed Central PMCID: MCPMC10687549.
  21. Radochonski M, Cynarski W, Perenc L, Siorek-Maślanka L. Competitive Anxiety and Coping Strategies in Young Martial Arts and Track and Field Athletes. J Hum Kinet. 2011;27. doi: 10.2478/v10078-011-0014-0.
  22. Omar-fauzee MS, Parnabas V, Nazarudin M, Abd.-Latif R, Nazarudin M, Jeok SK, Sutresna N. Overcoming The Competition Stress Through Coping Strategy. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR). 2016;2(7).
  23. De R, Castillo R, Alencar M, Balbinotti A, Zanetti M, Wiethaeuper D, Nazareth VL. Coping strategies in a competitive situation: A comparative study, using an elite wheelchair fencing group. Revista Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano. 2014;2(2):7-23.
  24. Charoenpornsook V, Thumvichit A. Unveiling engineering students’ challenges and coping strategies in English-medium instruction: a Q methodology study. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education. 2025;10(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s40862-024-00307-8.
  25. Piepiora P, Kaźmierczak E, Witkowski K. Personality of male and female practicing competitive football. Archives of Budo Science of Martial Arts and Extreme Sports. 2020;16:127-35.
  26. Sanjari S, Soleimani MM. Validation of the Persian Version of the Engagement in E-Learning Scale in Students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Iran. Middle East J Rehabil Health Stud. 2023;10(3):e134881. doi: 10.5812/mejrh-134881.
  27. Opoku OG, Adamu A, Daniel O. Relation between students' personality traits and their preferred teaching methods: Students at the university of Ghana and the Huzhou Normal University. Heliyon. 2023;9(1):e13011. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13011. PubMed PMID: 36820185; PubMed Central PMCID: MCPMC9938481.
  28. Karimian Z, Farokhi M. Eight Steps in the Development of Virtual Education in Educational Innovation Plan in Medical Sciences Universities, A review of an experience. Journal of Medicine and Cultivation. 2018;27(2):101-12. Available from: http://www.tebvatazkiye.ir/article_69001_en.html. [Persian]
  29. Salvador A. Coping with competitive situations in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2005;29(1):195-205. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2004.07.004. PubMed PMID: 15652266.
  30. S.Nsajadi, KhanMohamadi S, Eskandari S, Heidary A, Darbani H. The Relationship Between Coping Strategies, Goal Setting and Competitive Anxiety With Athletic Performance of The Students in Single and Group Teams. Procedia Soc Behav Sci. 2011;15:384-5. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.03.107.
  31. Schoeman R, Kotzee WF. Relationship between personality traits and academic performance on a Master of Business Administration programme. 2022;53(1):1-9. doi: 10.4102/sajbm.v53i1.2745.
  32. Park S. Does the relationship between competitiveness and student achievement vary based on the culture of competitiveness? Evidence from PISA 2018. International Journal of Educational Research. 2024;127:102438. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102438.
  33. Wang H, Liu Y, Wang Z, Wang T. The influences of the Big Five personality traits on academic achievements: Chain mediating effect based on major identity and self-efficacy. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1065554. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1065554. PubMed PMID: 36777199; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9911834.
  34. Kemarat S, Theanthong A, Yeemin W, Suwankan S. Personality characteristics and competitive anxiety in individual and team athletes. PLoS One. 2022;17(1):e0262486. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262486. PubMed PMID: 35030214; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8759674.
  35. Hejazi Moughari E. The Relationships Between Personality Traits and Students’ Academic Achievement. Procedia Soc Behav Sci. 2011;29:836-45. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.312.
  36. Piepiora PA, Čaplová P, Zimoń P, Gumienna R. On research into the relationship between personality traits and the sporting level of competitive, professional and elite athletes. Front Psychol. 2024;15:1428107. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1428107. PubMed PMID: 39323578; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11422211.
  37. Aliakbari Borovati F, Mohammadi Ahmadabadi N, Sanjari S, Keikha A, Bameri A, Panahi G, Mohamadi Soliemani M. Development and Validation of the Academic Self-Handicapping Scale for Nursing and Midwifery Students: A Study of Reliability and Agreement. Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. 2025;16(1):8-23. doi: 10.30476/ijvlms.2025.105011.1324.
  38. Mokhtari LB, Tavan A, Sanjari S, Soliemani MRM, Salajegheh A. The Impact of Peer Relationships, Moral Development, and Family Relationships on Collective Violence with the Mediating Role of Psychological Security. Middle East J Rehab Health Stud. 2025;12(1):e151732. doi:10.5812/mejrh-151732.
  39. Stanisławski K. The Coping Circumplex Model: An Integrative Model of the Structure of Coping With Stress. Front Psychol. 2019;10:694. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00694. PubMed PMID: 31040802; PubMed Central PMCID: MCPMC6476932.
  40. Monazah HS, Mohammadi Soleimani MR, Jahan F. Development of a coping skills educational package and its effectiveness on awareness, attitude, and behavior regarding group conflicts among male adolescents. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health. 2024;26(6). doi: 10.22038/jfmh.2024.79244.3122.
  41. Sanjari S, Fakhraei AA, Soleimani MRM, Alidousti K. Validation of the Slade Fear of Childbirth Scale for Pregnancy in a Sample of Iranian Women: A Cross-sectional Study. Crescent Journal of Medical & Biological Sciences. 2022;9(3). doi: 10.34172/cjmb.2022.24.
  42. Lee K, Ashton MC, Novitsky C. Academic Majors and HEXACO Personality. J Career Assess. 2022;30(2):345-66. doi: 10.1177/10690727211044765.
  43. Palaahng H, Neshatdoost H, Moolavi H. Standardization of Revised HEXACO Personality Inventory (HEXACO-PI-R) in Iranian Students. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches. 2010;4(16):49-62. [In Persian]
  44. Baghcheghi N, Koohestani Hr. Designing and psychometric properties of coping strategies scale for family caregivers of hemodialysis patients. Acta Facultatis Medicae Naissensis. 2021;38:257-69. doi: 10.5937/afmnai38-29501.
  45. Heydari R, Taghvaei D, Ahmadi A, Jahangiri M. Psychometric Validation of the Psychological Competitiveness Scale: A Study on Iranian University Students in Online Education. Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. 2024;15(3):273-88. doi: 10.30476/ijvlms.2024.101591.1288.
  46. Sanjari S, Soleimani MRM, Keramat A. Development and Validation of an Electronic Scale for Sexual Violence Experiences in Iranian Women. Crescent Journal of Medical & Biological Sciences. 2023;10(1). doi:10.34172/cjmb.2023.05.
  47. Sanjari S, Kamali A, Amirfakhraei A, Mohammadi Soleimani MR, Afshar EK. Construction and validation of a self-report violence scale in Iranian women. Journal of fundamentals of mental health. 2021;23(3).
  48. Monazah HS, Soliemani MRM, Jahan F. Investigating the Factor Structure and Validation of the Multidimensional Scale of Acceptance of Collective Violence Among Teenagers: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. IJ Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. 2024;18(2). doi: 10.5812/ijpbs-137999.
  49. Torabi B, Amirfakhrae A, Rezaei Gazaki P, Mohammadi Soleimani MR. Investigation of factor structure and validation of Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale in working children in the corona crisis: A descriptive study. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. 2022;21(2):149-64. doi: 10.52547/jrums.21.2.149.
  50. Barani H, Mohammadi Soleimani MR, Amirfakhraei A, Wahab Samavi SA. Transcultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the online learning self-efficacy scale among high school seniors in Bandar Abbas City. Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. 2024;15(1):62-75. doi: 10.30476/ijvlms.2023.100230.1258.
  51. Vostal F. Acceleration in the Academic Life-World. Acceleration in the Academic Life-World. Czech: The Czech Academy of Sciences; 2016. p. 115-41.
  52. Yeganeh H, Parvaresh H, Dehghani M, Soltani M. Construction and Standardization of Performance Evaluation test of Health, Safety and Environment Management Systems of Industrial Sector Contractors. Journal of Healthcare Management. 2021;12(3):73-86. Available from: https://www.sid.ir/paper/1013184/en. [In Persian]
  53. Jami Pour M, Taheri F. Personality traits and knowledge sharing behavior in social media: mediating role of trust and subjective well-being. On the Horizon. 2019;27:98-117. doi: 10.1108/OTH-03-2019-0012.
  54. Sanjari S, Mohammadi Soleimani M, Khanjani N, Mohseni M, Ahmadi Tabatabaei S. The relationship between demographic factors, healthy family and social health with exclusive breastfeeding in women referred to Kashani hospital of Jiroft in 2014. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. 2016;15(2):165-78.
  55. Reniers RL, Corcoran R, Drake R, Shryane NM, Völlm BA. The QCAE: a Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy. J Pers Assess. 2011;93(1):84-95. doi: 10.1080/00223891.2010.528484. PubMed PMID: 21184334.
  56. Mohamadi Soliemani MR, Sanjari S, Dortaj F, Delavar A, Shokry H. A Model for Ranking the Quality of Educational Services in Medical Sciences Universities. Iranian Journal of Medical Education. 2017;17:132-44. [In Persian]
  57. Ali HN, Shahrzad S, Reza MSM, Katayoun A. Assessing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women with Menstrual Disorders Caused by COVID-19 Vaccines. J Med Public Health. 2023;4(1):1058.
  58. Sadraei FS, Ebrahimi Z, Xodabande I. Perfectionism, emotion regulation, and teacher retention: An Examination of Iranian Early Career Language Teachers' Well-being. Heliyon. 2024;10(16):e36444. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36444.
  59. Padyab M, Ghazinour M, Richter J. Factor Structure of the Farsi Version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2012;42. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00928.x.
  60. Liao C-H, Wu J-Y. Learning analytics on video-viewing engagement in a flipped statistics course: Relating external video-viewing patterns to internal motivational dynamics and performance. Comput Educ. 2023;197:104754. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104754.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 09 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 19 June 2025
  • Accept Date: 19 June 2025
  • Publish Date: 01 June 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics