During the transition from school to university, students are faced with many challenges to their well-being. This is especially true in resource constrained societies like South Africa. While there is extensive research linking well-being with gratitude, less is known qualitatively about what individuals are grateful for. A sample of 933 undergraduate students submitted gratitude lists, resulting in over 9,000 unique “gratitude items.” Thematic analysis revealed several prominent themes, such as gratitude for relationships, material resources, being at university, life and health, and, finally, religious gratitude. These themes are discussed in the context of the importance of family relationships in the lives of emerging adults, the core role played by the educational context, the importance of socioeconomic resources and the association between religion, gratitude, and well-being. Strengthening these resources and cultivating gratitude for these prominent targets of appreciation may support students in their developmental trajectory.

在从学校到大学的过渡过程中，学生的生活面临许多挑战。在像南非这样的资源匮乏的社会中尤其如此。尽管有广泛的研究将幸福与感激联系在一起，但人们对人们所感恩的定性认识却很少。933名大学生的样本提交了感谢清单，产生了9,000多个独特的“感谢项目”。主题分析揭示了几个突出的主题，例如对人际关系的感谢，物质资源，上大学，生活和健康，最后是对宗教的感谢。这些主题是在家庭关系在新兴成年人的生活中的重要性，教育环境所发挥的核心作用，社会经济资源的重要性以及宗教，感恩和福祉之间的联系。增强这些资源并培养对这些突出欣赏目标的感激之情可能会支持学生的发展轨迹。