{"id":64686,"date":"2022-09-07T00:44:29","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T04:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=64686"},"modified":"2022-09-07T00:44:29","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T04:44:29","slug":"purpose-and-gratitude-boost-academic-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/purpose-and-gratitude-boost-academic-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Purpose and gratitude boost academic engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

When it comes to academic success for college students, having a sense of purpose and gratitude makes a significant difference. That\u2019s what I found in a\u00a0peer-reviewed study<\/a>\u00a0published in June 2022 in the Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice.<\/p>\n

For the study, I analyzed answers provided by 295 undergraduates to questions about whether they did better academically if they had a sense of purpose and gratitude during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

I wondered if students were more likely to be academically engaged \u2013 and less likely to suffer academic burnout \u2013 if they had a strong sense of purpose. I specifically asked about three types of purpose: self-growth, others-growth and career-focused purpose orientations. I also wanted to know if being grateful for positive experiences made a difference.<\/p>\n

I defined academic engagement as a motivational mindset that is characterized by students\u2019 enthusiasm for school-related activities. I also looked at three types of academic burnout: devaluation of schoolwork, reduced sense of accomplishment and mental exhaustion.<\/p>\n

I found that only one type of purpose was directly relevant to engagement and burnout – career-focused purpose. When undergraduate students connect their life purpose with career aspirations, they tend to be engaged in their academic studies. They are also less likely to devalue their schoolwork or feel unaccomplished in their studies.<\/p>\n

I also found that gratitude was just as important. These findings suggest that the more grateful undergraduate students feel, the more they are engaged in their academic work and the more they feel accomplished and value schoolwork.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This study adds to a\u00a0growing body<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0that suggests having a\u00a0deep sense<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0life purpose<\/a>\u00a0is important for people\u2019s\u00a0well-being<\/a>,\u00a0success<\/a>\u00a0and ability to cope with challenging life situations.<\/p>\n

My study suggests that university advisers and faculty should recognize the role that sense of purpose plays for student success. They should also engage in practices that foster students\u2019 sense of life purpose. For example, faculty members can use assignments to encourage students to reflect on their life purpose and connect it with their future career aspirations.<\/p>\n

Fostering gratitude is also important. This is because gratitude is also associated with greater academic engagement and less burnout among undergraduate students. My study also suggests that it benefits students if they are given opportunities to reflect on things in life for which they are grateful. Such opportunities can be incorporated into first-year experience courses or incoming student orientations.<\/p>\n

What still isn\u2019t known<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Since this study was conducted when participants had few, if any, opportunities to help others due to COVID19 restrictions, I wonder if others-growth and self-growth types of purpose will be more relevant to academic success once these restrictions are eased.<\/p>\n

I also wonder whether classroom activities aimed at connecting life purpose with students\u2019 future careers will lead to higher graduation rates.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As part of\u00a0Graduation Initiative 2025<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 an initiative is meant to increase graduation rates and close gaps in the rates of graduation between different groups \u2013 my colleague\u00a0Gitima Sharma<\/a>\u00a0and I created an undergraduate course, titled \u201cFostering Sense of Purpose.\u201d Our preliminary data showed that students who took this course in spring of 2022 reported a strengthened sense of life purpose. We plan to continue to examine how effective the course is at fostering sense of purpose in life. We also plan to look at whether the course leads to lasting positive effects for students\u2019 academic and career success, such as higher graduation rates.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Mariya Yukhymenko is Associate Professor of Research and Statistics at California State University, Fresno<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to academic success for college students, having a sense of purpose and gratitude makes a significant difference. That\u2019s what I found in a\u00a0peer-reviewed study\u00a0published in June 2022 in the Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. For the study, I analyzed answers provided by 295 undergraduates to questions about whether […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[430362],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-64686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-sense-of-purpose"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPurpose and gratitude boost academic engagement - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/purpose-and-gratitude-boost-academic-engagement\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Purpose and gratitude boost academic engagement - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it comes to academic success for college students, having a sense of purpose and gratitude makes a significant difference. 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