International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

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).

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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.