Measuring the Big Five personality factors in South African adolescents: Psychometric properties of the Basic Traits Inventory

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Basic Traits Inventory (BTI): a Big Five personality questionnaire that was developed for adults, amongst South African adolescents. The research focussed on (1) whether the factor structure of the inventory manifested similarly for younger and older adolescents and whether this structure matched that found for adults and (2) whether the scales of the BTI yield scores with similar reliabilities for adolescents of different ages and whether these reliabilities match those found for adults. Results demonstrate the replicability of the theoretical five-factor structure of the BTI amongst younger and older adolescents and evidence that the scales yield scores with high reliability. Overall, the results show that the BTI holds promise as a measure of the personality traits of the Big Five model amongst adolescents in the South African context.