Home Environment on Personality and Academic Performance Among Undergraduate Students in Cambodia

Abstract

The home environment plays a significant role in shaping students’ personality development and academic performance. The fundamental objectives of this study were to identify the levels of personality, academic performance, and family relations among undergraduate students, and to investigate whether there is a significant correlation between the home environment and students’ personality. In addition, the study aimed to explore the relationship between the home environment and students’ academic performance among undergraduate students at a target university in Cambodia.

A total of 100 undergraduate students from various faculties and schools at a private university in Phnom Penh participated in the study. Participants were selected using Yamane’s formula and a non-probabilistic snowball sampling technique. The research instrument was a survey questionnaire comprising four self-report measures: Demographic Characteristics (Parveen, 2007), Family Relations (Hudsen, 1982), Personality (Goldberg, 1999), and Academic Performance (Kyoshaba, 2009). The null hypotheses were tested, and the collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics through a computer program.

Several important findings emerged from the study. Overall, undergraduate students' personalities were at a moderate level, their academic performance was at a fair level, and their family relations were at a high level. Aspects of the home environment—such as father's education (r = 0.281, p = 0.005) and occupation (r = 0.321, p = 0.001), mother’s occupation (r = 0.216, p = 0.031), family relations (r = 0.362, p = 0.000), and family type (r = 0.242, p = 0.015)—were significantly correlated with students’ personality. Moreover, father’s education (r = 0.341, p = 0.001) and occupation (r = 0.294, p = 0.003), mother’s education (r = 0.270, p = 0.007) and occupation (r = 0.283, p = 0.004), family’s monthly income (r = 0.302, p = 0.002), family relations (r = 0.378, p = 0.000), size of family (r = 0.200, p = 0.046), and family type (r = 0.310, p = 0.002) were found to have significant correlations with students’ academic performance. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to theory, pedagogy, institutional policy, and practical application.