Achievement emotions in primary and middle school: The role of sex, age, personality, and emotion regulation

Achievement emotions are influenced by a series of antecedents, but the role of some of them – such as personality traits and emotion regulation (ER) strategies –, particularly in primary and middle school students, remains underexplored. Guided by the Control-Value Theory, this study examined the additive contribution of demographic variables (sex and age), personality traits, and ER strategies to 10 school-related achievement emotions. A sample of 330 fourth, sixth, and seventh-grade students completed measures of Big Five personality traits, two behavioral (Actively Approaching and Withdrawal) and two cognitive (Positive Refocusing and Catastrophizing) ER strategies, and five positive (enjoyment, pride, hope, relief, and relaxation) and five negative (anxiety, anger, shame, hopelessness, and boredom) school-related emotions. Linear mixed models were estimated, with variables entered hierarchically, to assess the additive contribution of each group of factors. Results showed that females reported higher anxiety and lower boredom, while older students reported lower positive and higher negative emotions. Personality traits and ER strategies displayed consistent patterns of associations across emotions: Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Openness, Actively Approaching, and Positive Refocusing were associated with higher positive emotions and lower negative emotions, and vice versa for Neuroticism, Withdrawal, and Catastrophizing. Despite the cross-sectional design, which limits causal interpretations, these findings highlight the role of both stable individual characteristics (sex, age, and personality) and more malleable factors (ER strategies) in students’ emotional experiences at school. The results may inform future research and interventions aimed at promoting adaptive ER in educational settings.