Meaning in life and life stressors as predictors of first-years students' academic performance

English: South African statistics indicate that students are dropping out of institutions of higher learning at an alarming rate. As a result, it is important that factors that ensure better throughput rates should be identified and investigated further. Several factors contribute towards academic performance at university. These factors include cognitive and non-cognitive factors as well as contextual factors. Meaning in life is an example of a non-cognitive factor that helps students to tolerate life stressors more effectively, thus improving adjustment to the life demands, including academic demands. The current research study aims to demonstrate the role that can be played by a sense of meaning in enhancing the academic performance of students. Its overarching objective is to determine whether the life stressors and resources students experience, their meaning in life, and Grade 12 marks can be used to predict the academic performance of first-year students. The research comprises both quantitative and qualitative components. In the quantitative component a random sample of 101 first-year students in the Faculty of Management Sciences studies was selected to participate in this study. A biographical questionnaire, the Purpose in Life Test (PIL) of Crumbaugh and Maholic (1969), and the Life Stressors and Social Resources Inventory-Youth Form (Moos & Moos, 1994), were used to gather data. In the qualitative component a stratified sample of two groups, 10 students with high PIL-scores and 10 students with low PIL-scores, was selected from the 101 participants in the quantitative study. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to analyse the influence of stressors, resources, purpose in life, and matric performance on the academic performance of first-year students. A computer software package (NUD*IST) was used to analyse the interviews. Results from this study indicate that the measuring instruments provided good, internally consistent measures. A relatively high level of meaning was found amongst participants in the present study. The findings suggest that there were three variables that significantly correlated with academic performance; they are purpose in life, Grade 12 marks, and parents as a resource. It is mainly the variable purpose in life that showed a significant contribution to academic performance. Interestingly, parents as resource is not only significantly linked to academic performance, but it also is significantly linked to purpose in life. Explanation for the significant relationship between meaning in life and academic performance could be found in the fact that the results of the current study also revealed that participants with higher Purpose in life (PIL) scores employed more effective coping strategies in dealing with their stressors than those who achieved low PIL scores. What is distinctive about participants with higher Purpose in Life Test (PIL) scores is that they harbour positive attitudes, seem to be well adjusted, see meaning in the service they will provide, are intrinsically motivated and that they persevere despite being exposed to stressors. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of intervention programs aimed at improving the sense of meaning (the creative, experiential and especially the attitudinal values) of young people.