Seeking meaning and purpose in the university-to-work transition: the experience of mainland Chinese master's students in Hong Kong.
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| Title: | Seeking meaning and purpose in the university-to-work transition: the experience of mainland Chinese master's students in Hong Kong. |
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| Authors: | Li, Xiaoshi (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Studies in Higher Education. Feb2026, Vol. 51 Issue 2, p357-370. 14p. |
| Subjects: | School-to-work transition, Employability, Work values, Narrative inquiry (Research method), Qualitative research, Employee motivation, Chinese-speaking students, Self-actualization (Psychology) |
| Geographic Terms: | Hong Kong (China) |
| Abstract: | The article explores how students perceive the meaning of work and how they seek purpose in work during the challenging transition from university to work. Two rounds of interviews were conducted to observe the evolving nature of students' work transitions. Twenty-six mainland Chinese students from various master's programmes in Hong Kong participated in the first round of interviews; one year later, 12 of them participated in the second round of interviews. Based on the qualitative content analysis, I first identified four types to illustrate how the students perceived the meaning of work: survive, thrive, (dis)connect, and contribute. In addition, using the analytical framework of self-formation and narrative analysis, I expounded two pathways to purposeful work: inward self-formation by cultivating capabilities and outward self-formation by cultivating moral qualities. The findings also revealed the tensions between individual agency and environmental forces in students' early search for meaning and purpose at work. The article contributes to current discussions on graduate employability and university-to-work transition, with a particular focus on the ongoing construction of meaning and purpose at work. Theoretical and practical implications for a wide range of stakeholders involved in graduate employment were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | The article explores how students perceive the meaning of work and how they seek purpose in work during the challenging transition from university to work. Two rounds of interviews were conducted to observe the evolving nature of students' work transitions. Twenty-six mainland Chinese students from various master's programmes in Hong Kong participated in the first round of interviews; one year later, 12 of them participated in the second round of interviews. Based on the qualitative content analysis, I first identified four types to illustrate how the students perceived the meaning of work: survive, thrive, (dis)connect, and contribute. In addition, using the analytical framework of self-formation and narrative analysis, I expounded two pathways to purposeful work: inward self-formation by cultivating capabilities and outward self-formation by cultivating moral qualities. The findings also revealed the tensions between individual agency and environmental forces in students' early search for meaning and purpose at work. The article contributes to current discussions on graduate employability and university-to-work transition, with a particular focus on the ongoing construction of meaning and purpose at work. Theoretical and practical implications for a wide range of stakeholders involved in graduate employment were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 03075079 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/03075079.2025.2468311 |
