Predictors of Students’ Personality Development among Secondary Schools in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

This study aims to identify the effects of the role of school principals (leadership skills, commitment and motivation), peer influence (as a social model, enhance positive attitudes and motivation) and internet influences (contents influence, student’s education and social life) toward the development of student’s personality.  Two hundred and ninety-seven form four students from six schools in Kuala Lumpur were randomly selected to participate in this study. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis using AMOS indicates that the role of the school principals was a significant predictor toward the understanding of personality traits among students (β = .392, p < .05) and was a significant predictor to their personality trait practices (β = .130, p < .05). Peer influence was also a significant predictor toward understanding (β = .228, p < .05) and practices (β = .110, p < .05) of personality traits among students. However, the result of SEM reveals that the internet was not a significant predictor. Therefore, there was no direct effect of the role of the internet towards the understanding and practices of students’ personality traits. Unexpectedly, new finding emerged that SEM analysis suggests that understanding of the students’ personality traits was a significant factor of practices of the students’ personality traits, and the effect size was large (β = .644, p < .05).