The importance of cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal attributes to student success: An exploration of University students’ and staff views

This study explored the importance of cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal attributes to student success among a large sample of university students and staff. This study also explored student and staff views of the role of the University in developing such skills. A list of 38 attributes was developed by the authors, with 30 items derived from the self-authorship model. Delivered via an online survey, including demographics and student characteristics, a total of 3065 students and staff participated. Results indicated that both students and staff viewed almost all of the attributes as important to student success, and only three attributes elicited a meaningful diversity of opinion. Differences in views were found to be associated with different student characteristics. The University was considered to be the most responsible for the development of cognitive skills (Students = 80%, Academics = 96%, Professionals = 91%), with less responsibility for intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. Overall, this study endorses student success as a multidimensional concept and provides support for the University’s role in developing such skills and attributes.