Abstract

Research suggests that students are becoming increasingly interested in exploring their meaning and purpose (HERI, 2005). How college students understand these terms and how they are prompted to reflect on such existential questions, however, deserves further attention. In this article, the authors share narratives from a qualitative inquiry with undergraduates who discussed their perceptions of the ambiguous, but significant terms meaning and purpose, the role and salience of meaning and purpose in their lives, experiences during college that encouraged students to think about these concepts, and implications for practice in higher education.