Discovering the experience of failing university entrance exam among applicants: A grounded theory study

Nowadays, a large part of the countrychr('39')s youth is critical of success in the University Entrance Exam (UEE). Thus, that failure in it is associated with the problematic condition psycho-educational for them. Holding the university entrance is a phenomenon; despite numerous studies, it has not yet been studied on the factors associated with it.

The present study aimed to explore the experiences of the UEE applicants from the back entrance.

This study was carried out with a qualitative method and grounded theory approach. The statistical population of the study consisted of all applicants of the year 1399 from the different academic majors of Khodabandeh city. The study sample included 12 applicants who had the experience of one or two years chr('39') experience in a UEE and were selected by purposeful sampling method. A semi-structured in-depth interview was employed to collect data. Data were analyzed based on Strauss and Corbin approach (2008).

By deep analyzing of applicants’ experience, 160 primary concepts, 107 alternative themes and 9 main themes were obtained. Main factors of failure including social atmosphere, instructional environment, friends, and family as background factors; mental function, academic performance, and reaction to inadvertent events as process factors; mental and academic consequences as consequential factors were categorized. “Motivation for success in UEE” was extracted central class that encompasses all background, process, and consequential factors, it was the final response to the main research question, that is effective factors on failure in UEE. Thus, when failing the test is an option to gain desirable result, it will be selected, otherwise it is abandoned.

The results of this study can be helpful for instruction administrators, academic consultants, and parents to understand applicants’ mental world.