Manifestations of purpose in life among Finnish student teachers

Abstract

This study investigates how purpose manifests itself among purposeful Finnish student teachers (N = 12) using Schwartz’s framework of personal values and Westheimer and Kahne’s model of citizenship to further the understanding of what purposeful student teachers’ sources of purpose are, how they contribute to the world beyond the self, and what actions they take to realize these contributions. Purpose is defined as personally meaningful long-term engagement to a goal with consequences for the world beyond the self. The interviews showed that although teachers’ work was deemed important, purpose contents associated with the value of benevolence, such as family and friends, were student teachers’ main content of purpose and their beyond-the-self motivations mostly manifested as actions intended to contribute within the familial circle. To increase student teachers’ future willingness to act on participatory and justice-oriented levels, more effort needs to be invested in the development of purpose and civic engagement-oriented higher education.