Abstract—As we all know that the current generation is quite
sensitive to issues regarding their physical appearance.
Concepts such as ones’ body weight have been of serious
concern. On the other hand, school administrators are worried
that students might neglect their health; hence, an inquiry into
the common eating habits is accomplished. Employing the case
study paradigm; this quantitative study is focus on
understanding the factors influencing the students’ eating
habits. A total of 207 students of a technical vocational
university in Taiwan participated in the study. Survey includes
common eating habits; more specifically on the types and
frequency of the food the students’ eat. The Big Five Personality
Scale is also administered to further understand the factors
affecting the students’ eating habits. Results show that the
students’ eating habits are affected by their various background
demographics, such as gender, year level, study session, and
personality. More importantly, results also show that the
Applied Foreign Language students scored highest on the
personality trait openness. Further additional implications on
the Big Five Personality are also given. In sum, the current
study provides the opportunity of opening up discussions
explaining; perhaps not in whole, but in part why students act
the way they are today.
Index Terms—Eating habits, college students, personality,
case study.
T.-H. Wen is with the Center of Faculty Development, Taipei Medical
University, Taipei City 110, Taiwan (e-mail: kksunnccu@gmail.com).
W.-L. Tchong and G. S. Ching are with the Graduate School of
Educational Leadership and Development, Fu Jen Catholic University, New
Taipei City 24205, Taiwan (e-mail: 061573@mail.fju.edu.tw,
gregory_ching@yahoo.com).
Cite: Tzu-Hsing Wen, Wei-Ling Tchong, and Gregory S. Ching, "A Study on the Relationship between College Students’ Personality and Their Eating Habits," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 146-149, 2015.