CONSTRUCTING MEANING IN UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL SPACES: A LOGOTHERAPY-INFORMED CONCEPTUAL INQUIRY INTO EXISTENTIAL EXPERIENCE

Abstract

This study aims to analyse how meaning in life is constructed within university educational spaces through a logotherapy-based conceptual reading inspired by the narrative of Guru Aini. The study departs from the view that educational spaces do not merely function as physical learning environments, but as existential spaces that shape individuals’ experiences, values, and life orientations. This research employs a qualitative conceptual–interpretive approach through a critical synthesis of selected literature on educational space as a meaningful space, logotherapy in the context of higher education, and conceptual, narrative, and interdisciplinary approaches in educational studies. The narrative of Guru Aini is positioned as a non-textual interpretive framework to enrich conceptual reflection, without being analysed as a literary object.The analysis shows that university educational spaces can be understood as spaces for the search for meaning in life, spaces of struggle and academic resilience, relational spaces that shape social experience, and spaces for the formation of students’ values and life orientations. The analysis also reveals thematic parallels between experiences of educational space and narratives of educational struggle articulated in Guru Aini. This study affirms that educational space plays a strategic role in the construction of meaning in life and the holistic formation of human beings, extending beyond purely instructional functions and academic achievement. The main contribution of this study lies in integrating educational space studies and logotherapy, while enriching higher education discourse by positioning meaning in life as a fundamental dimension of learning experience.