Volume_4_Issue_4_Digest

TPC D igest 65 Profiling the Personality Traits of University Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students at a Research University in Malaysia – DIGEST See Ching Mey Melissa Ng Lee Yen Abdullah Chuah Joe Yin See Ching Mey is Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Industry and Community Network at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Melissa Ng Lee Yen Abdullah is a senior lecturer in the School of Educational Studies at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Chuah Joe Yin is the assistant registrar in the Division of Industry and Community Network at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Correspondence can be addressed to See Ching Mey, Division of Industry and Community Network, 6th Floor, Chancellory Building, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia, cmsee@usm.my . R esearch universities in Malaysia are striving to transform into world-class institutions. Institutional transformation at research universities may cause stress, anxiety and uncertainty for the students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There is a need to monitor the psychological well-being of these students during the transformation process so that proactive intervention can be proposed to help them cope with the higher standards and demands in learning as well as research performance. Psychologists and counselors at the university can help the students to develop positive coping strategies during this transitional period. This study aims to profile and monitor the personality profile of the university students during this transformation, and to propose proactive intervention to help the student community cope with this change. The researchers used a quantitative research method over three phases to gather data relating to personality traits and psychosocial behaviors of the postgraduate and undergraduate students in the selected research university. The personality traits were profiled using an online assessment: the Behavioral Management Information System (BeMIS). The results revealed a promising personality profile among the undergraduate and postgraduate students at the selected research university. In fact, personality traits such as optimism, endurance, dominance, order, exhibition, self-confidence and creativity were