The lived experience of conditional medical students from academic failure: A phenomenological study

Empowering students and preventing academic failure is one of the prominent issues for medical students. Causes and factors during students' studies reduce the quality of students' learning process and leads to academic and conditional dropout of some students. This study sought to investigate these factors from the view of Isfahan medical students.

This qualitative study was conducted with a phenomenological approach and a review of the lived experiences of probationary students in the academic years 2018-2019 at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using semi-structured interview individually in writing and by voluntary sampling method and based on content analysis strategy were analyzed manually.

A total of 31 probationary students were interviewed until the theoretical saturation of the data was reached. As to the analysis of the interviews, a total of 131 open codes, 30 pivotal codes and 5 selective codes were obtained. The highest number of factors of academic failure from the views of students were placed in the selection code of individual factors. Other factors of academic failure were in 4 selection codes of educational environment, psychological factors, factors related to family and community, factors related to professors. The common codes cited by students are as follows: lack of motivation, distraction, financial difficulties, teacher rigor, depressed mood, frustration with future careers, parental incompetence, and low self-esteem.

Considering the causes and different areas that are effective in creating academic failure, it is necessary to have an integrated and comprehensive view of education authorities and families in dealing with the issue of academic failure.