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Prevalence, influence, and development of purpose among adolescents in Singapore
Author
Lim, May Li
Supervisor
Chong, Wan Har
Abstract
Fostering a beyond-the-self purpose among youths may augment Singapore’s ongoing efforts at providing a holistic education and being an uplifting force. However, the links between this conception of purpose and adolescent developmental outcomes have not been dealt with in-depth and its relationship with some of these outcomes in the context of risks is not well-understood. The role of risks on its development is also an under-explored area. The aims of the current thesis were therefore to address these gaps in order to generate findings that could inform purpose intervention programme design and implementation in Singapore.
To these ends, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research comprising three studies was carried out. Study 1 and Study 2 formed the quantitative arm of the research and involved 456 adolescent participants recruited from five Secondary schools in Singapore. Study 1 investigated the prevalence of the beyond-the-self purpose and the impact of environmental risks on this. Study 2 examined the relationship between this conception of purpose and adolescent outcomes in the mental health, academic and social behaviour domains and its impact on these outcomes in the context of risks. Study 3 formed the qualitative arm of the research and involved 26 adolescent participants purposefully sampled from the whole sample. This study explored the factors and processes relating to the development of beyond-the-self purpose and the differences in the developmental pathways between adolescents with different risk profiles.
The findings showed that: 1) risk had a detrimental impact on the development of beyond-the-self purpose such that adolescents who experienced a greater number of environmental risk factors faced higher odds of demonstrating non-purpose as opposed to beyond-the-self purpose; 2) beyond-the-self purpose was positively related to adolescents’ life satisfaction and academic engagement and mitigated the adverse impact of risks on these outcomes, although the magnitude of these links were small and the effects were not found for those at higher risk or for the outcomes of mental ill-being and antisocial behaviour; 3) beyond-the-self purpose development was supported by a number of social contextual factors, and adolescents with different risk profiles attributed the influences for their purpose formation and support for their purpose development to different sources. While not without its limitations, this research work has generated some insights that would be useful for policy makers and practitioners.
To these ends, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research comprising three studies was carried out. Study 1 and Study 2 formed the quantitative arm of the research and involved 456 adolescent participants recruited from five Secondary schools in Singapore. Study 1 investigated the prevalence of the beyond-the-self purpose and the impact of environmental risks on this. Study 2 examined the relationship between this conception of purpose and adolescent outcomes in the mental health, academic and social behaviour domains and its impact on these outcomes in the context of risks. Study 3 formed the qualitative arm of the research and involved 26 adolescent participants purposefully sampled from the whole sample. This study explored the factors and processes relating to the development of beyond-the-self purpose and the differences in the developmental pathways between adolescents with different risk profiles.
The findings showed that: 1) risk had a detrimental impact on the development of beyond-the-self purpose such that adolescents who experienced a greater number of environmental risk factors faced higher odds of demonstrating non-purpose as opposed to beyond-the-self purpose; 2) beyond-the-self purpose was positively related to adolescents’ life satisfaction and academic engagement and mitigated the adverse impact of risks on these outcomes, although the magnitude of these links were small and the effects were not found for those at higher risk or for the outcomes of mental ill-being and antisocial behaviour; 3) beyond-the-self purpose development was supported by a number of social contextual factors, and adolescents with different risk profiles attributed the influences for their purpose formation and support for their purpose development to different sources. While not without its limitations, this research work has generated some insights that would be useful for policy makers and practitioners.
Date Issued
2022
Call Number
BF724.3.S25 Lim
Date Submitted
2022