Meaning in life and life stressors as predictors of first-years students' academic performance
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van den Berg, H. S. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Makola, Solomon | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-11-23T06:58:15Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-11-23T06:58:15Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2007-03 | |
| dc.description.abstract | 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. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse statistiek dui aan dat studente by tersiêre instellings teen ‘n ontstellende koers druip. Dit is daarom belangrik dat faktore wat ‘n beter deurvloei verseker, geïdentifiseer en verder ondersoek word. Verskeie faktore dra tot akademiese prestasie aan universiteite by. Hierdie faktore sluit kognitiewe en nie-kognitiewe asook kontekstuele faktore in. Sinvolheid van die lewe is ‘n voorbeeld van ‘n niekognitiewe faktor wat studente help om lewensstressors effektiewer te hanteer en sodoende aanpassing by eise van die lewe, insluitende akademiese eise, te verbeter. Die huidige navorsingstudie is daarop gemik om aan te toon watter rol ‘n gevoel van sinvolheid kan speel om die akademiese prestasie van studente te verbeter. Die oorkoepelende doelwit is om te bepaal of lewensstressors en aanvoeling vir sin in die lewe, sosiale hulpbronne asook Graad 12-punte gebruik kan word om die akademiese prestasie van eerstejaarstudente te voorspel. Die navorsing behels beide kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe komponente. In die kwantitatiewe komponent is ‘n steekproef van 101 eerstejaarstudente in die Fakulteit Bestuurstudies gebruik om aan die studie deel te neem. Die studente is lukraak gekies. ‘n Biografiese vraelys, die Sin in die Lewe-toets (SLT) van Crumbaugh en Maholic (1969) en die Lewensstressors en Sosiale Hulpbronne Inventaris-Jeugvorm (Moos & Moos, 1994), is gebruik om die data in te win. In die kwalitatiewe komponent is ‘n gestratifiseerde steekproef van twee groepe, tien studente met hoë SLT-punte en tien studente met laer SLT-punte, gekies. Semigestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om inligting in te win. ‘n Hiërargiese regressie-analise is uitgevoer om die invloed van stressors, hulpbronne, sinvolheidsbelewing en matrieksprestasie op die akademiese prestasie van eerstejaarstudente te ontleed. ‘n Rekenaarsagtewarepakket (NUD*IST) is gebruik om die onderhoude te analiseer. Resultate van hierdie studie dui aan dat die meetinstrumente goeie, intern-konsekwente meting gelewer het. ‘n Relatief hoë vlak van sinvolheid is tydens die studie by deelnemers gevind. Die bevindings dui aan dat daar drie veranderlikes was wat betekenisvol met akademeiese prestasie gekorreleer het: dit is doel in die lewe, Graad 12-punte en ouers as ‘n hulpbron. Dit is veral die veranderlike van sinvolheidsbelewing wat ‘n betekenisvolle bydrae tot akademiese prestasie getoon het. Interessant genoeg is ouers as hulpbron ook betekenisvol aan doel in die lewe gekoppel. ‘n Verklaring vir die betekenisvolle verhouding tussen sinvolheid van die lewe en akademiese prestasie mag moontlik in die feit gevind word dat die uitslag van die studie ook aan die lig gebring het dat deelnemers met hoër Sin in die Lewe- (SLT)-punte doeltreffender strategieë inspan om stressors te bemeester as diegene wat lae SLT-punte behaal het. Wat deelemers met hoë SLT-punte onderskei, is dat hulle houdings positief is, dat dit voorkom of hulle goed aangepas is, dat hulle sin sien in die diens wat hulle gaan bied, dat hulle instrinsiek gemotiveer is en dat hulle volhou ondanks die feit dat hulle aan stressors blootgestel word. In die huidige studie is gevind dat sin in die lewe ‘n betekenisvolle verhouding tot akademiese prestasie het, met die gevolg dat die bevindings van hierdie studies sal bydra tot die ontwikkeling van intervensieprogramme wat daarop gemik is om die gevoel van sinvolheid (die kreatiewe, ervarings- en veral die houdingswaardes) van jong mense te verbeter. | af |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/4753 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2007 | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Logotherapy | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Higher education | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Psychological well-being | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Exposure to stressors | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Access to resources | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Academic performance | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Parental support | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Students | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Matric scores | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Grade 12 results | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Meaning in life and life stressors as predictors of first-years students' academic performance | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |