Fitch-Martin, Arissa R., authorDik, Bryan, advisorSteger, Michael, advisorHenry, Kimberly, committee memberYoungblade, Lise, committee member2007-01-032007-01-032013http://hdl.handle.net/10217/80238Attempts to understand what drives some youth to continue their education after high school have mostly been unsuccessful. Persisting education past high school requires sustained commitment and planning, which are theoretically important functions of the psychological construct of meaning in life. Research often has ignored the role that meaning in life plays in educational attainment and thus may be missing an important variable. Youth who report having meaning in their lives have higher well-being, are more resilient, and are more likely to report long-term achievement oriented goals. The current study investigated the relationship between meaning, school connectedness and substance use in order to create a model to better explain college aspirations 12th graders. Participants were seniors in high school and took part in the nationally representative Monitoring the Future project. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the hypothesized model. Results demonstrated that school connectedness and parental education are significant indicators of intentions for postsecondary education. Although not directly related to academic intentions, meaning in life had strong ties to school connectedness and parental education. The current study provides evidence that meaning in life may be an important factor in academic success and persistence. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.academic aspirationsschool connectednessmeaning in lifeadolescentsText