This study aims to explore how secondary students in Macau perceive the meaning of life and to understand from where they derive the meaning of life. All these have implications for the implementation of life education. 1141 students in six local secondary schools were researched; some of them were in junior secondary and others were in senior secondary forms. Questionnaires were adopted, focusing on “the Purpose in Life Test”and “Questionnaire for the Sources of Meaning in Life". After the questionnaires were completed and analyzed, eight students with high or low perception of the meaning of life were invited to interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed in terms of frequency distribution, Mean, Standard Deviation, One-way ANOVA and t-test. The qualitative data from the in-depth interviews were also analyzed. Conclusions drawn from the research are: 1. The perception of the meaning of life of secondary students in Macau is at mid low, and when compared with findings from the West, local students' awareness of the meaning of life is also low. 2.When variables such as ‘gender', ‘level of form’, ‘whole family' and ‘single-parent family’ were examined, it was found that there was no correlation between any of them and perception of the meaning of life. 3. There were discrepancies in perception of the meaning of life as there were differences in ‘religious faith’, ‘attainment results’, ‘interpersonal relationships’, ‘economic background of the family’, and ‘family climate’. 4.Boys and girls showed significant difference in ‘goal in life’ and ‘positive attitude towards life'. 5. Students at different form levels showed significant difference in ‘positive attitudes towards life’. 6. Students with different religious faiths showed significant difference in ‘enthusiasm for life’ and ‘goal in life’. 7. Students with different attainment results and interpersonal relationships showed significant differences in ‘enthusiasm for life’, ‘goal in life’, ‘independence’, ‘positive attitude towards life’, and ‘future expectation’. 8. Students from different economic backgrounds and family climate showed significant differences in ‘enthusiasm for life’, ‘goal in life’, ‘independence’, and ‘positive attitude towards life’. 9. Students from ‘whole family' or ‘single-parent family' showed no differences in the five dimensions of their sense... 10. The findings show the ranking of the source of meaning of life of Macau's secondary students is: relationships, health, leisure, growth, attainment, activities, what one acquires’, ‘knowledge seeking’,‘work’, ‘service’, ‘belief’, ‘the way one looks’, etc. and the ranking order differ according to differences in form level and gender. In light of the research findings, the following recommendations are made for further studies and, for student counseling by teachers or curriculum design of life education: 1. The exploration of the meaning of life should be integrated in the school curriculum. 2. Schools should put more emphasis on those courses related with interpersonal relationships. 3. Subjects related with religious education should be strengthened. 4. Students should be encouraged to read more books related to life education, and schools should provide such books for student at times. 5. Students should be encouraged to explore the meaning of life. 6.Home-school cooperation and communication should be increased. 7. Teachers should be encouraged to show more care and concern to disadvantaged students. 8. Life education, when implemented, should really cater for students' needs.

本研究主要目的是探討澳門中學生生命意義感現况及瞭解澳門中學生之生 命意義的來源、類別，對於生命教育的實施提供一些參考與啓示。本研究對象以澳門某六所中學之在學初中、高中共1141名學生爲研究對象;採用問卷調查法; 所使用的工具爲「生命意義量表」及「生命意義來源」，在問卷初步分析施測後，再從中選取高、低生命意義感之學生，共計8名學生進行訪談。在量化資料方面，以次數分配、不均數、標準差、單因子變異數分析及t考驗等方法進行分析，質化資料則以深入訪談加以分析，本研究所得結論爲: 一·整體而言，澳門中學生所感受到的生命意義感屬中等偏低，且與西方國家研 究結果相比，澳門中學生生命意義認知也較低。 二・「性別」「年級」「完整家庭」及「單親家庭」四個變項與中學生生命意義感並無顯著差異· 三·澳門中學生的生命意義感隨著「宗教信仰」「學業成績」「人際關係」「家 庭經濟」及「家庭氣氛」的不同而有顯著差異。 四·不同性別的中學生在「生活目標」及「積極面對生命」向度上達顯著差異· 五·不同年級的中學生在「積極面對生命」向度上達顯著差異· 六·不同宗教信仰的中學生在「生命熱誠」及「生活目標」向度上達顯著差異。 七·不同學業成績及不同人際關係的中學生在「生命熱誠」、「生活目標」、「自主感」、「積極面對生命」及「未來期待」五向度上達顯著差異。 八·不同家庭經濟及不同家庭氣氛的中學生在「生命熱誠」、「生活目標」、「自主感」及「積極面對生命」向度上達顯著差異。 九·「完整家庭」及「單親家庭」的中學生在生命意義感之五個向度上並無顯著 差異。 十·調查結果顯示，澳門中學生之生命意義來源及類別依序爲:關係、健康、逸 樂、成長、學業、活動、獲取、求知、工作、服務、信念、外表、其他。這一順序因學校性別、年級之不同而有所差異。 最後，本研究根據上述結果提出如下主要建議，以供未來研究及作爲教師輔 導學生或設計生命教育課程之參考。 一·生命意義的探尋應納入學校課程 二·學校宜加强「人際關係」之相關課程 三·學校宜强化宗教信仰科目 四·鼓勵學生多閱讀並增購生命教育相關書籍 五·鼓勵學生探索生命的意義 六·加强家校合作與溝通 七·鼓勵教師多關心處於弱勢群體學生 八·實施生命教育時要注意針對性