Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology
Exploring success in higher education in Japan: Students’ perceptions of successful peers and the meaning of success
Gibran A. Garcia Mendoza 1 * , Roberto B. Figeroa Jr. 2, Teo Hui Thian 3
More Detail
1 Toyo University, Japan
2 University of the Philippines – Open University, Philippines
3 Independent Researcher, Malaysia
* Corresponding Author
Open Access Full Text (PDF)
ARTICLE INFO

Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, Online First, pp. 1-18
https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202535864

Article Type: Research Article

Published Online: 16 Oct 2025

Views: 2 | Downloads: 1

ABSTRACT
While many studies have investigated academic success, few have explored its psychological and social dimensions beyond straight forward numerical measures. Research seems to mostly focus on specific student groups within a Western context, often overlooking diverse perspectives, particularly those in STEM fields and in non-Western settings. This study explores how students in Japanese universities perceive success alongside the personality traits they associate with successful peers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Life Sciences students employing a qualitative approach incorporating both deductive and inductive thematic analysis. The findings support previous research on personality, highlighting Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience as being the key traits of successful peers. Additionally, they reveal participants prioritize self-discovery, personal growth, and fulfillment over traditional academic metrics such as GPA. Furthermore, the findings indicate significant differences in students’ perceptions of success compared to those in existing literature, suggesting that cultural context, life stages, and field of study, among other factors, shape these views. These insights support learner autonomy and academic advising through emphasizing the importance of culturally inclusive perspectives on success.
KEYWORDS
academic success personality traits semi-structured interviews STEM education university students
In-text citation: (Garcia Mendoza et al., 2025)
Reference: Garcia Mendoza, G. A., Figeroa Jr., R. B., & Hui Thian, T. (2025). Exploring success in higher education in Japan: Students’ perceptions of successful peers and the meaning of success. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202535864
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Garcia Mendoza GA, Figeroa Jr. RB, Hui Thian T. Exploring success in higher education in Japan: Students’ perceptions of successful peers and the meaning of success. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology. 2025. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202535864
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Garcia Mendoza GA, Figeroa Jr. RB, Hui Thian T. Exploring success in higher education in Japan: Students’ perceptions of successful peers and the meaning of success. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology. 2025. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202535864
In-text citation: (Garcia Mendoza et al., 2025)
Reference: Garcia Mendoza, Gibran A., Roberto B. Figeroa Jr., and Teo Hui Thian. "Exploring success in higher education in Japan: Students’ perceptions of successful peers and the meaning of success". Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology (2025). https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202535864
In-text citation: (Garcia Mendoza et al., 2025)
Reference: Garcia Mendoza, G. A., Figeroa Jr., R. B., and Hui Thian, T. (2025). Exploring success in higher education in Japan: Students’ perceptions of successful peers and the meaning of success. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202535864
In-text citation: (Garcia Mendoza et al., 2025)
Reference: Garcia Mendoza, Gibran A. et al. "Exploring success in higher education in Japan: Students’ perceptions of successful peers and the meaning of success". Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 2025. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202535864
REFERENCES
  • Acar, F. (2023). Underlying reasons behind the achievement of successful university students: A phenomenological inquiry. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 5(4), 68–81. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.202313417
  • Albert, M. A., & Highhouse, S. (2021). Perceived autonomy moderates the relation of proactive personality with job crafting. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 20(3), 146–149. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000272
  • Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1993). Autonomy as a moderator of the relationships between the big five personality dimensions and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(1), 111-118. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.78.1.111
  • Benson, P. (2013). Teaching and researching: Autonomy in language learning. Routledge.
  • Cachia, M., Lynam, S., & Stock, R. (2018). Academic success: Is it just about the grades? Higher Education Pedagogies, 3(1), 434–439. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2018.1462096
  • Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Furnham, A. (2003). Personality traits and academic examination performance. European Journal of Personality, 17(3), 237–250. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.473
  • Cheung, C.-K., & Tang, K.-L. (2010). Socialization factors conducive to social work students’ gain in competence: Experience in the Hong Kong SAR, China. Journal of Social Work, 10(1), 42–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017309349990
  • Conard, M. A. (2006). Aptitude is not enough: How personality and behavior predict academic performance. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(3), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2004.10.003
  • Costa Jr., P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). The five-factor model of personality and its relevance to personality disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 6(4), 343–359. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.1992.6.4.343
  • Danişman, Ş., Yıldırım, D., & Ünlüer, E. (2021). Success experiences of students: a phenomenological research. Journal of Uludag University Faculty of Education, 34(2), 436-478. https://doi.org/10.19171/uefad.882775
  • Farsides, T., & Woodfield, R. (2003). Individual differences and undergraduate academic success: The roles of personality, intelligence and application. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(7), 1225–1243. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00111-3
  • Furnham, A., & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2004). Personality and intelligence as predictors of statistics examination grades. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(5), 943–955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2003.10.016
  • Gray, J. A., & Watson, D. (2002). General and specific traits of personality and their relation to sleep and academic performance. Journal of Personality, 70(2), 177–206. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.05002
  • Hazrati-Viari, M., Rad, A. M., & Torabi, S. S. (2012). The effect of personality traits on academic performance: The mediating role of academic motivation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 32, 367–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.01.055
  • Klinkhammer, D., Rüther, J., & Schemmann, M. (2024). Exploring the association between adult education, personality traits, and civic participation: An analysis of national education panel study data. Adult Education Quarterly, 74(4), 283-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/07417136241255677
  • Komarraju, M., Karau, S. J., Schmeck, R. R., & Avdic, A. (2011). The big five personality traits, learning styles, and academic achievement. Personality and Individual Differences, 51, 472–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.04.019
  • Lourinho, I., Ferreira, M. A., & Severo, M. (2017). Personality and achievement along medical training: Evidence from a cross-lagged analysis. PLOS ONE, 12(10), e0185860. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185860
  • McKenzie, K., Gow, K., & Schweitzer, R. (2004). Exploring first-year academic achievement through structural equation modelling. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(1), 95–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436032000168513
  • Noftle, E. E., & Robins, R. W. (2007). Personality predictors of academic outcomes: Big five correlates of GPA and SAT scores. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(1), 116–130. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.1.116
  • O’Shea, S., & Delahunty, J. (2018). Getting through the day and still having a smile on my face! How do students define success in the university learning environment? Higher Education Research & Development, 37(5), 1062–1075. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1463973
  • Rowntree, M. R., Zufferey, C., & King, S. (2016). ‘I don’t just want to do it for myself’: Diverse perspectives on being successful at university by social work students who speak English as an additional language. Social Work Education, 35(4), 387–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2015.1079608
  • Wang, H., Liu, Y., Wang, Z., & Wang, T. (2023). The influences of the Big Five personality traits on academic achievements: Chain mediating effect based on major identity and self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1065554. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1065554
  • World Population Review. (2024). Education rankings by country 2025. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/education-rankings-by-country
  • World Top 20. (2024). Japan: Education data. https://worldtop20.org/japan-3
LICENSE
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.