Abstract:

The study evaluated the relationship between sense of meaning and throughput rate with a sample of alumnae of a university. Participants were a stratified sample of two groups, 20 students who scored high on the Purpose in life (PIL) test, and 20, who scored low on the PIL test, selected from a random sample of 101 alumnae from the Faculty of Management Sciences, of a university of technology, in South Africa (age range = 27 to 30 years, females = 73%, majority ethnicity = 70% Sotho speaking). The research is a follow up of a study conducted with the same participants in their first-year of study to investigate the relationship between students’ sense of meaning and the extent to which it influences adjustment, at university (N=101). Data were gathered using the Purpose in Life Test (PIL), Biographical Questionnaire, and Student Records. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare persistence level for High Meaning Group and Low Meaning Group. There was a significant difference in the scores for High Meaning Group (M=3.150, SD=1.785) and Low Meaning Group (M=0.500, SD=1.573) conditions; t (38) = 4.267, p = 0.000. These results suggest that a high sense of meaning does have an effect on persistence levels of university students. Specifically, the results suggest that when students have a high sense of meaning in their first-year of study, they are able to persevere and complete their studies.

Keywords:

Sense of meaning, persistence, higher education, throughput rate.