A Cross-lagged Longitudinal Study of Bidirectional Associations between Meaning in Life and Academic Engagement: The Mediation of Hope

Previous research has established a positive correlation between meaning in life and academic achievement, yet several gaps remain unaddressed. Firstly, the directionality of their relationships is unclear, particularly the potential impact of academic engagement on life meaning. Secondly, most studies have not distinguished between the distinct dimensions of meaning in life—presence of meaning and search for meaning. Thirdly, the underlying mechanisms of these relationships are not well-understood. To address these gaps, this study conducted a six-month, two-wave longitudinal analysis involving 3,895 Chinese secondary school students. Utilizing a cross-lagged panel model, we examined the causal relationships between both dimensions of meaning in life and academic engagement, with a specific focus on the mediating role of hope. Results indicated a reciprocal relationship between presence of meaning and academic engagement, where hope acted as a positive mediator within their bidirectional causal pathways. Conversely, the relationship between the search for meaning and academic engagement was unidirectional, with academic engagement significantly and positively predicting the search for meaning via increased levels of hope, but not vice versa. The study concludes with a discussion of research implications and future research directions.