Dare to Dream: Personal Values, Life Goals, and International Students in New Zealand

This study addressed this lack of research by focusing on the life goals and personal values among international students in three tertiary institutes in New Zealand. B ased on the literature review, the hypothesis of this study is that international students’ intrinsic life goals are positively correlated with their spiritual values. In contrast, extrinsic goals did not have similar effects.The Aspirations Index, which was used to assess life goals, and theSchwartz ’ value survey, which measured the students ’ personal values, were both distributed to the participants. Follow-up interviews with 24 of the participants were also conducted. Findings revealed that spiritual values were positively correlated with intrinsic goals and that extrinsic goals did not have similar effects. As the research finding s showed that spiritual values were positively correlated with intrinsic goals, helping international students to find meaning and purpose in life may promote their well-being, and the learning and growth of international students can be improved by incorporating spiritual values and cultural aspect s in college education. The authors also argue that a holistic approach to college education for international students is needed.
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research