Lived experiences on underachievement among DLSU students

• Main Author: Uy, Luzviminda L.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2014
• Subjects: Underachievement > De La Salle University (Philippines); Academic achievement; College students—Psychology; Counseling Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/12628
• Institution: De La Salle University

This is a narrative study on the concept of underachievement as experienced by selected students in De La Salle University. Respondents were eight students who incurred at least nine units of academic failures. The descriptive phase of the study summarized the narratives of each respondents and arranged these by identifying three key features: the beginning, the middle, and the end. The interpretative phase of the study analyzed the narratives as a whole and classified these into three categories: Progressive narrative showed how the students' experience of underachievement provided them new opportunities for individual growth; Stable narrative indicated that the students' experience of underachievement is still on going and that the students are continually learning on how to deal with it effectively; Regressive narrative referred to students whose lives have not changed or negatively changed after they experienced underachievement. The results of the study revealed that the students perceived underachievement as a failure to obtain a goal that they have set for themselves in relation to academic, personal-social and career. For the students, underachievement has nothing to do with grades. Students with progressive narratives used the problem focused response and dealt with underachievement responsible. Students with stable narratives adapted temporary coping styles. Finally, students with regressive narratives did not do anything to cope, thus the experience of underachievement negatively affected them. Implications of the study and recommendations to various stakeholders were also presented.