correlations among personality traits, coping skills, and competitiveness in online learning environments: a path analysis

Background: with the expansion of online classes, student competitiveness has emerged as a key factor in academic success. this study explored the correlations among personality traits, coping skills, and competitiveness in online learning environments, aiming to provide insights for improving online educational programs.methods: this study used a correlational research design incorporating path analysis to assess the correlations between independent variables (personality traits and coping skills) and the dependent variable (competitiveness). the study involved 427 second-year high school students from tehran, iran, who participated in online classes from november 2022 to february 2023, chosen through cluster sampling. data were collected using three established instruments: the hexaco personality inventory, lazarus coping styles questionnaire, and a competitiveness scale. data analysis was conducted using lisrel software version 8.80.results: the findings indicate that several personality traits and coping strategies are significantly correlated with competitiveness. specifically, extraversion (β=0.20, r=0.22, p=0.0004), conscientiousness (β=0.13, r=0.16, p=0.0008), seeking social support (β = 0.13, r= 0.26, p=0.040), problem-solving coping (β=0.17, r=0.28, p=0.020), and positive reappraisal (β=0.19, r=0.30, p=0.008) were positively and significantly correlated with competitiveness. conversely, escape-avoidance coping (β = –0.24, r = –0.14, p=0.0001) showed a significant negative correlation. other traits and strategies, including openness to experience (β= –0.10, r=0.03, p=0.070), agreeableness (β= –0.07, r=0.07, p=0.210), honesty-humility (β=0.06, r=0.05, p=0.320), emotionality (β= –0.01, r=0.13, p=0.800), confrontive coping (β= –0.07,  r= 0.04, p=0.270), distancing coping (β = –0.04, r=0.08, p=0.510), self-control (β= 0.06, r= 0.17, p=0.390), and responsibility (β= –0.11, r=0.15, p=0.130), did not demonstrate statistically significant correlations. the model fit indices confirmed the adequacy of the path analysis model (χ²/df=1.01, rmsea=0.02, gfi=0.95).conclusion: the findings indicate significant correlations among specific personality traits and coping skills and student competitiveness in online classes. these insights may inform strategies to enhance online educational experiences. it is important to note that, given the correlational nature of the study, the analysis focuses solely on associations rather than causal effects.