Submitted Successfully!
To reward your contribution, here is a gift for you: A free trial for our video production service.
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1
Francisca Miranda
 -- 2033 2023-12-11 15:39:08 |
2 layout
Jessie Wu
 Meta information modification 2033 2023-12-12 03:55:46 | |
3 layout
Jessie Wu
 Meta information modification 2033 2023-12-12 03:55:58 | |
4 layout
Jessie Wu
 -136 word(s) 1897 2023-12-13 09:19:25 |

Video Upload Options

Do you have a full video?
Send video materials Upload full video

Confirm

Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Ribeiro, L.M.; Doroftei, A.; Miranda, F.; Themudo, C.; Dias, P.; Peixoto, R.; Oliveira, A.; Correia, M.; Aramburuzabala, P.; Rosário, P.; et al. Purpose in Life in Higher Education. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52587 (accessed on 20 July 2024).
Ribeiro LM, Doroftei A, Miranda F, Themudo C, Dias P, Peixoto R, et al. Purpose in Life in Higher Education. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52587. Accessed July 20, 2024.
Ribeiro, Luísa Mota, Alexandra Doroftei, Francisca Miranda, Carmo Themudo, Paulo Dias, Ricardo Peixoto, Ana Oliveira, Maria Correia, Pilar Aramburuzabala, Pedro Rosário, et al. "Purpose in Life in Higher Education" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52587 (accessed July 20, 2024).
Ribeiro, L.M., Doroftei, A., Miranda, F., Themudo, C., Dias, P., Peixoto, R., Oliveira, A., Correia, M., Aramburuzabala, P., Rosário, P., & Bringle, R.G. (2023, December 11). Purpose in Life in Higher Education. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52587
Ribeiro, Luísa Mota, et al. "Purpose in Life in Higher Education." Encyclopedia. Web. 11 December, 2023.
Purpose in Life in Higher Education
Edit
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/educsci13121170

Service-learning (SL) serves as an effective educational approach that enhances academic learning, civic engagement, and personal development. Extensive research has documented its positive outcomes, encompassing increased emotional growth, motivation, self-efficacy, and commitment to learning. 

service-learning higher education purpose in life university students students’ perceptions

1. Introduction

Service-learning (SL) also fosters a greater awareness of personal values and global issues, inspiring students to contribute to positive change [6]. Furthermore, it has been linked to improved reasoning skills, moral sensitivity, civic responsibility, and heightened social justice awareness [7]. Recent studies have highlighted its multifaceted impact, including the development of a sense of responsibility, a recognition of opportunities to help those in need, and a commitment to continued community engagement [4]. A study with university students from different countries (Slovakia, Croatia, and Romania) highlighted the intrinsic connection between course content and practical application, illustrating the academic and personal development opportunities that SL courses can offer [5].
The research analyzed university students’ purpose in life in the context of service-learning (SL) courses developed in a university in Portugal. Briefly, 112 graduation and master students, from different areas, involved in 15 SL courses (82 female; 73.2%; age ranging from 18 to 51; M = 23; SD = 6.51) participated in this research. Questionnaires included an open-ended question about students’ purpose in life. Four closed-ended questions were included to understand student’s perceptions of change in their purpose in life arising from the SL courses and other perceptions about their SL course. Qualitative data were analyzed via content analysis with NVivo. Results indicated that students’ purpose in life ranged from social-related goals, such as helping or caring for others, to personal-related goals, including personal growth and well-being. Most of the students (71.4%) reported that their purpose in life changed moderately or a lot after participating in a SL course. Findings are discussed in light of the literature, identifying implications for the development of SL courses in higher education, considering the contribution of this pedagogic methodology to the definition and reconfiguration of young people’s purpose in life.

2. Purpose in Life

The literature has shown the importance of understanding university students’ interior and subjective life, although less studied, namely in the context of higher education [8], and of finding ways of helping students to deal with questions about meaning and purpose in life [9][10].
Based on Astin and Astin (2010) [11], studying and reflecting on the impact of higher education on the development and education of students can be linked to their spiritual journeys. This can lead to exploring how their spiritual life impacts their academic life, personal development, and general well-being. Thus, understanding the concepts of spirituality and purpose in life is essential to deepen an understanding of and comprehension of holist student development in higher education. Several definitions of spirituality can be found in the literature. Researchers identified two dimensions of this concept: a horizontal dimension, which corresponds to the existential component and encompasses purpose in life, peace, and life satisfaction; and a vertical one, which refers to a religious dimension [12]. In this research, researchers adopted the horizontal perspective. In this way, spirituality can be seen as a multifaceted quality that concerns the interior of individuals and the subjective component of their lives. It includes the values that each individual prizes most, the beliefs related to the purpose that is foreseen in life, and the sense of connection with oneself, with others, and with the world [11]. This definition is also supported by Lindholm and Astin (2006) [10]. They stated that spirituality involves the internal process of seeking authenticity, genuineness, and integrity, and highlighting the search for a greater sense of connection with oneself and with one’s peers. Spirituality also encompasses the ability to be open to explore a relationship with a higher power that transcends existence and human knowledge [10]. Several authors have devoted themselves to the study of spirituality, denoting that spiritual well-being is positively correlated with perceived social support, satisfaction with life, mindfulness, and compassion for one-self [13][14].
Upon exploring the dimension of spirituality in higher education, researchers presumed that a considerable number of university students are committed to the process of exploring existential questions of purpose and meaning and have high expectations that academic experiences will promote their personal and inner growth [11]. Universities can have an influence on the spiritual development of students [11][15]. When higher education institutions actively encourage students to explore meaning and purpose issues, as well as to engage in discussions about religion and spirituality, students tend to show more growth in their spirituality [11]. Moreover, students’ spirituality tends to change over the first three years of college, which may result from the confrontation with new and diverse people, cultures, and ideas [9][11]. In the study of Astin and Astin (2010) [11], students reported that teachers generally did not respond to their spiritual quest and that they were unlikely to engage with them in exploring and discussing the “big questions”. Conversely, the results from Lindholm and Astin (2006) [10] claimed that some universities were actively committed to the issues of spirituality, as perceived by the teachers. The inclusion of the spiritual dimension plays a role in fostering a holistic understanding of students’ purpose in life.
A purpose integrates four dimensions, namely (a) personal meaningfulness (“this is important to me”); (b) intention (“I’m going to pursue this aim into the future”, connects the future with the present); (c) engagement (“I’m going to act on and not just dream about it”); and (d) beyond-the-self impact (“my actions aim to help others or society”) [15][16][17]. These dimensions do not necessarily develop at the same time and their development is not the same for all people [15]. Nevertheless, it is during adolescence and early adulthood that several of these dimensions begin to work together [18]. However, some people cannot discern what their purpose in life is, which may contribute to the development of difficulties in interpersonal relationships and depressive and psychosomatic symptoms, as well as to adopting disruptive practices and behaviors [19]. On the other hand, devising a purpose in life during youth can lead to prosocial behaviors and higher levels of self-esteem, personal achievement, and moral commitment, although the process of questing for a purpose can cause some anxiety [18][19]. In addition, people with a greater sense of purpose showed better physical health (e.g., greater satisfaction with their health status in general; a decreased risk of illness); healthier behaviors (e.g., more physical activity; healthier sleep); and better psychosocial health (e.g., greater satisfaction with life; more frequent contact with friends) [20].
A case study [21] analyzed the life goals of 151 Finnish university students attending a social work program. These students completed the youth purpose around the world survey and the life goals questionnaire. Most of them expressed self-focused goals, as well as goals of happiness and self-actualization. In addition to goals focused on the self, this sample of social work students presented life goals focused on family and others close to them, with some emphasis on the goal of helping others. Hedonistic and health (physical and mental) goals also obtained high scores. On the other hand, economic goals were considered moderately important. These students were not particularly interested in wealth, but in achieving a stable and reasonable quality of life. Political goals did not seem to have a major role for these students either.

3. Purpose in Life and Service-Learning

Given the benefits of devising a purpose in life, identifying how to create the necessary conditions for its development is important to the development of programs and courses in higher education. SL can be considered one of the few educational experiences that can address all dimensions of purpose in life identified by Damon (2008) [16] because it presupposes an involvement with and beyond the impact on the self, can stimulate the attribution of emotional meaning, and is based on the premise of making the world a better place [22]. As stated in Moran (2018) [22], using interactive practices to promote the development of purpose can facilitate emotional development around purpose, in addition to promoting cognitive development. SL can be considered an example of an interactive practice, and the relationship between community service and purpose development can be bidirectional [15].
A study conducted by Moran and Garcia (2019) [17], in which 780 students from two different universities and 74 SL courses participated, showed that a sense of purpose, searching for purpose, intrinsic motivation and helping identity were positively correlated with expected positive emotions before the service was performed. This research also found a significantly positive correlation between having a previous experience of volunteering and/or SL and expected positive emotions. In addition, students who already had the experience of SL demonstrated higher levels of intrinsic motivation to enter a course with a SL structure. Conversely, sense of purpose and intrinsic motivation were negatively associated with expected negative emotions.
A study conducted by Opazo et al. (2018) [6] analyzed whether or not and how SL changed the purpose in life of 299 university students, who were studying to be teachers, at a school in Madrid. Of the 299 participating students, 53 reported that their purpose in life had changed in some way, having, in most cases, become clearer, stronger, and more important. Some students reported that the domain of their purpose in life changed and that the purpose of helping others has become stronger.

4. Lerner and Lerner Five Cs Model of Positive Youth Development

The research was framed using Lerner and Lerner’s theory of the Five Cs Model of Positive Youth Development. Understanding the development of purpose is crucial within the context of positive youth development [16][23]. The Five Cs Model encompasses five key attributes that are associated with the holistic growth of young individuals: character, competence, confidence, connection, and caring [24][25]. Character development involves fostering a sense of ethics, integrity, and values in young people. It is through character development that individuals begin to define their personal principles and sense of responsibility, laying the foundation for a meaningful purpose in life. Competence refers to the acquisition of skills, knowledge, and capabilities that empower young individuals to excel in various aspects of their lives. A well-defined purpose often requires the competence to pursue and achieve specific goals. Confidence is closely related to the development of a purposeful life. As young people build self-assurance, they are more likely to set ambitious goals, take risks, and believe in their capacity to make a positive impact on the world. The attribute of connection emphasizes the importance of fostering meaningful relationships with others. Building connections with family, mentors, peers, and the broader community can provide young individuals with the support and inspiration needed to explore and define their purpose in life. Caring entails a genuine concern for the well-being of others and a commitment to making a positive difference in the world. Developing a sense of purpose often involves caring about specific causes, communities, or issues and taking action to contribute positively. When a young person develops all these attributes, they tend to demonstrate active and positive engagement with the social world which, in turn, manifests in a contribution to family, school/university, and community settings [24][25].
Furthermore, it is noteworthy that well-designed service-learning experiences have the potential to yield expected outcomes in terms of purpose of life among students, as they inherently integrate all three aspects emphasized by the ‘Big Three’ model, as described by Lerner and Lerner. The incorporation of (a) positive and sustained relationships, (b) activities promoting relevant life skills development, and (c) platforms for practical application of these skills within family, school, and community contexts, within the design of service-learning programs, can effectively contribute to the students’ holistic growth and purpose development [23][24][26][27].

References

  1. Bringle, R.G.; Clayton, P. Civic learning: A sine qua non of service learning. Front. Educ. 2021, 6, 606443.
  2. Aláez, M.; Diaz-Iso, A.; Eizaguirre, A.; Garcia-Feijoo, G. Bridging generation gaps through service-learning in higher education: A systematic review. Front. Educ. 2022, 7, 841482.
  3. Bringle, R.G.; Hatcher, J.A. Institutionalization of service learning in higher education. J. High. Educ. 2000, 71, 273–290.
  4. Gregorová, A.B.; Heinzová, Z. Specifics of measuring social and personal responsibility of university students after completion of a service-learning course in Slovak conditions. J. High. Educ. Outreach Engagem. 2019, 23, 104–123.
  5. Ilic’, B.C.; Gregorová, A.B.; Rusu, A.S. Service-learning as a novelty experience at central and eastern European universities: Students’ narratives of satisfaction and premises of change. Front. Educ. 2021, 6, 606356.
  6. Opazo, H.; Aramburuzabala, P.; Ramírez, C. Emotions related to Spanish student-teachers’ changes in life purposes following service-learning participation. J. Moral. Educ. 2018, 47, 217–230.
  7. Saltmarsh, J. Ethics, reflection, purpose, and compassion: Community service learning. New Dir. Stud. Serv. 1997, 1997, 81–93.
  8. Astin, A.W. Why spirituality deserves a central place in liberal education. Lib. Educ. 2004, 90, 34–41.
  9. Astin, H.; Astin, A. Does spirituality have a place in higher education?: A response. Relig. Educ. 2009, 36, 124–129.
  10. Lindholm, J.A.; Astin, H.S. Understanding the “interior” life of faculty: How important is spirituality? Relig. Educ. 2006, 33, 64–90.
  11. Astin, A.; Astin, H. Exploring and nurturing the spiritual life of college students. J. Coll. Charact. 2010, 11.
  12. Moberg, D.O. Assessing and measuring spirituality: Confronting dilemmas of universal and particular evaluative criteria. J. Adult Dev. 2002, 9, 47–60.
  13. Alorani, O.; Alradaydeh, M. Spiritual well-being perceived social support, and life satisfaction among university students. Int. J. Adolesc. Youth 2018, 23, 291–298.
  14. Mathad, M.; Rajesh, S.; Pradhan, B. Spiritual well-being and its relationship with mindfulness, self-compassion and satisfaction with life in baccalaureate nursing students: A correlation study. J. Relig. Health 2019, 58, 554–565.
  15. Moran, S. Educating the youth to develop life purpose: An eco-systemic approach. Rev. Investig. Educ. 2023, 41, 15–31.
  16. Damon, W. The Path to Purpose; Free Press: New York, NY, USA, 2008.
  17. Moran, S.; Garcia, R. How does US college students’ sense of life purpose relate to their emotional expectations of being a volunteer in the community as part of a service-learning course? Bordón Rev. Pedagog. 2019, 71, 45–62.
  18. Moran, S. Youth purpose worldwide: A tapestry of possibilities. J. Moral. Educ. 2017, 46, 231–244.
  19. Damon, W.; Menon, J.; Bronk, K.C. The development of purpose during adolescence. Appl. Dev. Sci. 2003, 7, 119–128.
  20. Kim, E.S.; Chen, Y.; Nakamura, J.S.; Ryff, C.D.; VanderWeele, T.J. Sense of purpose in life and subsequent physical behavioral, and psychosocial health: An outcome-wide approach. Am. J. Health Promot. 2022, 36, 137–147.
  21. Manninen, N.; Kuusisto, E.; Tirri, K. Life goals of Finnish social services students. J. Moral. Educ. 2018, 47, 175–185.
  22. Moran, S. Purpose-in-action education: Introduction and implications. J. Moral. Educ. 2018, 47, 145–158.
  23. Lerner, R.M.; Lerner, J.V.; Murry, V.M.; Smith, E.P.; Bowers, E.P.; Geldhof, G.J.; Buckingham, M.H. Positive youth development in 2020: Theory, research, programs, and the promotion of social justice. J. Res. Adolesc. 2021, 31, 1114–1134.
  24. Lerner, R.M. Character development among youth: Linking lives in time and place. Int. J. Behav. Dev. 2017, 42, 267–277.
  25. Lerner, R.M.; Lerner, J.V.; Bowers, E.; Geldhof, G.J. Positive Youth Development and Relational Developmental Systems. In Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, 7th ed.; Overton, W.F., Molenaar, P.C., Lerner, R.M., Eds.; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2015; Volume 1, pp. 607–651.
  26. Lerner, R.M. Liberty: Thriving and Civic Engagement among America’s Youth; The SAGE Program on Applied Developmental Science; SAGE Publications, Inc.: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2004.
  27. Tirrell, J.M.; Hay, S.W.; Gansert, P.K.; Le, T.U.; O’Neil, B.C.; Vaughn, J.M.; Bishara, L.; Tan, E.; Lerner, J.V.; King, P.E.; et al. Exploring the role of the “big three” features of effective youth development programs in El Salvador: The sample case of programs of compassion international. Int. J. Behav. Dev. 2021, 45, 524–532.
More
© Text is available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Subjects: Education & Educational Research
Contributors MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register :
Luísa Mota Ribeiro
,
Alexandra Doroftei
,
Francisca Miranda
,
Carmo Themudo
,
Paulo Dias
,
Ricardo Peixoto
,
Ana Oliveira
,
Maria Correia
,
Pilar Aramburuzabala
,
Pedro Rosário
,
Robert G. Bringle
View Times: 405
Revisions: 4 times (View History)
Update Date: 13 Dec 2023
Table of Contents
    1000/1000
    Hot Most Recent
    Video Production Service
    Feedback