Evaluation of the Meaning of Life Program in Israel.

During the 2009–2010 academic year, 10 schools participated in the Meaning of Life educational program, an adaption of the popular U.S. Laws of Life program. The program sought to encourage each participant to develop a personal approach to finding meaning in life. To evaluate the success of the program, we conducted a study to compare measures of psychological health among participants in the program. We administered questionnaires to participants pre- and postintervention that dealt with the following topics: Meaning in Life, Perceived Hope, Self-Efficacy, Virtues and Values Enacted, and School Climate. We conducted an analysis on a sample of 256 Jewish children (91 boys, 165 girls) and 396 Arab children (155 boys, 241 girls) in 8 schools. Results yielded convergent and construct validity among the 5 measures. Differential results were found among the different schools in both Jewish and Arab samples. From this data we discuss implications for future research.