Digital coaching significantly increased trait conscientiousness, with effects stable one year after the intervention ended¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r3 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 In a randomized-controlled trial included in the review (Stieger et al. 2021), digital coaching significantly increased conscientiousness for participants who desired to improve it, on both self-reports (d = 0.58) and observer-reports (d = 0.22). → Melanie Turner 2025 q3 i? Coaching-produced increases in conscientiousness remained stable one year after the intervention ended. → Melanie Turner 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Melanie Turner 2025¶

Melanie Turner, Flaviu A. Hodis. (2025). Strengthening Conscientiousness by Means of Interventions: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10016-4

q3 · i2 · review · r3

A systematic review of conscientiousness interventions. This entry rests on one study it summarises, Stieger et al. (2021): an RCT with wait-list control of 1,523 Swiss German-speaking adults, 10-week online digital coaching guided by the General (Common) Change Factors framework. The review reports that study's self-report d = 0.58 and observer-report d = 0.22; the figures are Stieger et al.'s, not a pooled estimate of the review.

"Coaching significantly increased the conscientiousness of participants who desired to improve their conscientiousness. This effect was found for both self-reports (d = 0.58) and observer-reports of consci- entiousness (d = 0.22)"

Melanie Turner 2025 (2)¶

Melanie Turner, Flaviu A. Hodis. (2025). Strengthening Conscientiousness by Means of Interventions: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10016-4

q3 · i? · review · r3

One-year follow-up RCT of 157 participants from the original coaching trial. The review reports "significant increases in conscientiousness that remained stable one year after the intervention ended"; no effect size is printed for the follow-up.

"Coaching produced significant increases in conscientiousness that remained stable one year after the intervention ended"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Personality Traits — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Behavior activation interventions show a dose-response pattern — completing more conscientiousness challenges produced larger increases — but one behavior activation trial found no significant change — related
• Digital coaching increased the organization and productiveness facets of conscientiousness but not responsibility, with no observer-reported facet changes — related
• Most recent interventions to strengthen conscientiousness significantly increased it at the trait, facet, or state level, with small-to-moderate effect sizes — a broader claim this one bears on
• One in-person coaching intervention produced a small significant reduction in conscientiousness while the control group showed no change — related
• Intervention gains in conscientiousness were generally maintained at follow-up, but mediation was never tested and only one intervention examined moderation — a broader claim this one bears on
• Digital VPC interventions produce goal-consistent personality changes, with self-reported effects in the large range and smaller observer-reported effects — a broader claim this one bears on