Personality traits and motivation of Generation Z students in management study programs in higher education

This article examined Generation Z students’ personality traits and motivation as prerequisites for sustainable learning as well as the identification of relevant motivational factors in the educational process. The main goal of the research was to identify and analyze the dominant factors that affect the motivation and performance of Generation Z students in management study programs at a technical university. The identified factors were analyzed in relation to the personality traits and subsequently, the potential impact of the identified factors and personality traits on the learning outcomes of selected subjects was tested. The research sample was represented by Slovak university students while the research sample size was N = 132 respondents. The authors of the article used three standardized questionnaires. The first questionnaire was the Questionnaire NEO (Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness) five factor inventory version (with added factors (of agreeableness and conscientiousness), specifically two of the five factors: conscientiousness and neuroticism. The performance motivation questionnaires were also used to assess values, attitudes towards values and motivation. The statistical analysis of the collected data was processed in the statistics program SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The findings proved relationships between motivation to perform and conscientiousness, performance inhibition and neuroticism and differences between students in different years of study.