Abstract

This study aimed to explore relations between seventyseven 7-8 year olds' temperamental characteristics, their academic performance and teachers' evaluation about it. Learning abilities were assessed both by means of teacher's questionnaires and objective tests administered by experimenters. Results show that some temperamental characteristics are related both to teachers' evaluation about children's academic performance and to objectively tested abilities. Nevertheless teachers' evaluation is affected more significantly by characteristics that are not strictly related to learning. These results bring one to conclude that temperamental characteristics affect academic performance directly and indirectly.