Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the Big 5 personality factors(Extraversion, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Intellect) and a variety of performance criteria(class examination, shooting, exercise, and so on) in the police academy. The Big-Five personality test that was composed of 119 items was administered to 750 students in the police academy and the personality test scores were obtained. Also, life experiences of each student were collected by a questionnaire. Then several performance criteria regarding their training proficiency were also obtained. Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between the five personality factors and training performance criteria. Results indicated that Extraversion, Emotional Stability, Intellect, and Conscientiousness showed statistically significant relations with a variety of the performance criteria. Among the five factors, Extraversion was related to so many performance criteria. Generally, the more extrovert student showed worse training performance in the police academy. Life experiences were also related to the training performance criteria. Overall, a previous school information about the graduate point average was strongly related to so many training performance, especially a written exam score. Based on these results, the usability of the Big-Five personality test and life experiences information for the purpose of predicting job performance in the police setting, the limitations of this study, and the future tasks in this area were discussed.