Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
College of Applied Human Sciences
Department
Not Listed
Committee Chair
Nathan Sorber
Committee Co-Chair
John Campbell
Committee Member
Erin McHenry-Sorber
Committee Member
Rodney Hughes
Committee Member
Miriam Leary
Abstract
Higher education practitioners and researchers in the STEM field continue seeking ways to effectively identify and understand student challenges as part of an effort to support student success, retention, and persistence. These efforts have led researchers to explore non-cognitive personality factors such as perfectionism as a way of understanding students’ thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and outcomes. This research explores two fundamental research questions regarding the ability of perfectionism to predict end-of-term GPA. First, does perfectionism predict end-of-term GPA using the 2x2 model of dispositional perfectionism? The hypotheses associated with the 2x2 model were used to address this question, and the results of this research found support for hypotheses 1a and 3, whereas no support was found for hypotheses 2 and 4. Secondly, do the perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns subdimensions represented in the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Hewitt Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, and the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised uniquely predict end-of-term GPA? The results of this inquiry suggest that none of the subdimensions uniquely predict end-of-term GPA. Further exploration suggests that a combined measure of perfectionistic strivings using the subdimensions associated with the previously indicated perfectionism scales positively predicts end-of-term GPA, whereas perfectionistic concerns do not. Overall, the results of this investigation suggest that perfectionism is a relatively weak independent predictor of academic achievement, and future research should focus on the mechanism by which perfectionism relates to long-term outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Tylka, Alexander Joseph, "Exploring the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Academic Achievement in College STEM Students" (2024). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 12337.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12337