Arab Educational Information Network

The aim of this study is to try to determine the relationship between the cognitive dissonance, the Big-Five Factors (neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and the academic achievement. The study also aim to identify differences between female students with high cognitive dissonance and students with low cognitive dissonance in each of the big five factors and academic achievement for a sample of (253) female students from Umm Al-Qura University. The scales used in this study were the cognitive dissonance scale (Cassel, Chow & Reiger, 2001) and the Big-Five Factors scale (Abdullah Al-Roait'e, 2007), together with the academic achievement scores. The main results of the study were the existence of direct correlation between the cognitive dissonance and neuroticism and the overall score of the Big-five factors scale. There also found an inverse relationship between the overall cognitive dissonance and two of the dissonance dimensions (internal personal & external social) and two of the Big Five factors; dimensions (conscientiousness and extroversion). Also, the overall cognitive dissonance and its different dimensions and the academic achievement were correlated in a statistical function inverse relationship. (Contains 8 tables.) (ERIC: As Provided)