Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition
Individual differences are important predictors of academic success. A sense of purpose in life is gaining increasing attention as a key individual difference factor to foster in university students. The current study examined whether a sense of purpose in life, a dispositional tendency to pursue go...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Southern Queensland
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Student Success |
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| Online Access: | https://studentsuccessjournal.org/index.php/studentsuccess/article/view/3612 |
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| author | Jacob E Alderson Nathan A Lewis Patrick L Hill Nicholas A Turiano |
| author_facet | Jacob E Alderson Nathan A Lewis Patrick L Hill Nicholas A Turiano |
| author_sort | Jacob E Alderson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Individual differences are important predictors of academic success. A sense of purpose in life is gaining increasing attention as a key individual difference factor to foster in university students. The current study examined whether a sense of purpose in life, a dispositional tendency to pursue goals and activities in line with one’s overarching life direction, predicted better academic success across several years of university. Students (n = 769) at a large, U.S. public university were asked to complete a baseline survey in the summer prior to entering university, which included measures for a sense of purpose and background characteristics. Students were then followed throughout their first three years of university. Results demonstrated that higher levels of purpose were associated with a higher grade point average (GPA), more credits earned, less credits dropped, and an increased odds of persisting through the first three years of university. A sense of purpose also appeared to buffer the negative effect of low entrance scores on university GPA. These findings support cultivating a strong sense of purpose prior to entering university as an effective means of improving a variety of academic outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8cf2a0777d1f4f31b813f6578a646381 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2205-0795 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | University of Southern Queensland |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Student Success |
| spelling | doaj-art-8cf2a0777d1f4f31b813f6578a6463812025-08-20T02:46:25ZengUniversity of Southern QueenslandStudent Success2205-07952024-10-01161486010.5204/ssj.36123935Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and AttritionJacob E Alderson0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3288-1725Nathan A Lewis1Patrick L Hill2Nicholas A Turiano3West Virginia UniversityUniversity of VictoriaWashington UniversityWest Virginia UniversityIndividual differences are important predictors of academic success. A sense of purpose in life is gaining increasing attention as a key individual difference factor to foster in university students. The current study examined whether a sense of purpose in life, a dispositional tendency to pursue goals and activities in line with one’s overarching life direction, predicted better academic success across several years of university. Students (n = 769) at a large, U.S. public university were asked to complete a baseline survey in the summer prior to entering university, which included measures for a sense of purpose and background characteristics. Students were then followed throughout their first three years of university. Results demonstrated that higher levels of purpose were associated with a higher grade point average (GPA), more credits earned, less credits dropped, and an increased odds of persisting through the first three years of university. A sense of purpose also appeared to buffer the negative effect of low entrance scores on university GPA. These findings support cultivating a strong sense of purpose prior to entering university as an effective means of improving a variety of academic outcomes.https://studentsuccessjournal.org/index.php/studentsuccess/article/view/3612purposeacademicsretentiongrade point averagehigher education |
| spellingShingle | Jacob E Alderson Nathan A Lewis Patrick L Hill Nicholas A Turiano Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition Student Success purpose academics retention grade point average higher education |
| title | Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition |
| title_full | Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition |
| title_fullStr | Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition |
| title_short | Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition |
| title_sort | sense of purpose in life predicts university performance and attrition |
| topic | purpose academics retention grade point average higher education |
| url | https://studentsuccessjournal.org/index.php/studentsuccess/article/view/3612 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jacobealderson senseofpurposeinlifepredictsuniversityperformanceandattrition AT nathanalewis senseofpurposeinlifepredictsuniversityperformanceandattrition AT patricklhill senseofpurposeinlifepredictsuniversityperformanceandattrition AT nicholasaturiano senseofpurposeinlifepredictsuniversityperformanceandattrition |