{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T22:03:47Z","timestamp":1767909827077,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,22]],"date-time":"2023-11-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1700611200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Porticus","award":["FEP_CApS, Porticus\u2013GR-068937"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FEP_CApS, Porticus\u2013GR-068937"]}]},{"name":"Porticus","award":["UIDB\/04872\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04872\/2020"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia (FCT)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FEP_CApS, Porticus\u2013GR-068937"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FEP_CApS, Porticus\u2013GR-068937"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia (FCT)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/04872\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04872\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Education Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The current study analyzed university students\u2019 purpose in life in the context of service-learning (SL) courses developed in a university in Portugal. Briefly, 112 graduation and master students, from different areas, involved in 15 SL courses (82 female; 73.2%; age ranging from 18 to 51; M = 23; SD = 6.51) participated in this study. Questionnaires included an open-ended question about students\u2019 purpose in life. Four closed-ended questions were included to understand student\u2019s perceptions of change in their purpose in life arising from the SL courses and other perceptions about their SL course. Qualitative data were analyzed via content analysis with NVivo. Results indicated that students\u2019 purpose in life ranged from social-related goals, such as helping or caring for others, to personal-related goals, including personal growth and well-being. Most of the students (71.4%) reported that their purpose in life changed moderately or a lot after participating in a SL course. Findings are discussed in light of the literature, identifying implications for the development of SL courses in higher education, considering the contribution of this pedagogic methodology to the definition and reconfiguration of young people\u2019s purpose in life.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci13121170","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,22]],"date-time":"2023-11-22T08:47:43Z","timestamp":1700642863000},"page":"1170","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Purpose in Life in Higher Education: Is There a Role for Service-Learning?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9056-7737","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu\u00edsa Mota","family":"Ribeiro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Centre for Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1623-4357","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandra","family":"Doroftei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4118-7217","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisca","family":"Miranda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Centre for Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Carmo","family":"Themudo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for the Integral Development of the Person, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6876-3723","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paulo","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies, Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4710-363 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0469-0040","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo","family":"Peixoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies, Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4710-363 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cat\u00f3lica Research Centre for Psychological, Family and Social Wellbeing, Faculty of Human Sciences, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6141-9089","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Correia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 3504-505 Viseu, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5781-7853","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pilar","family":"Aramburuzabala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Pedagog\u00eda, Facultad de Formaci\u00f3n de Profesorado y Educaci\u00f3n, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3221-1916","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro","family":"Ros\u00e1rio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Psicologia, Escola de Psicologia, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Robert G.","family":"Bringle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, School of Science, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5146, USA"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hern\u00e1ndez-Barco, M., S\u00e1nchez-Martin, J., Blanco-Salas, J., and Ruiz-T\u00e9llez, T. 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