An Interpretive Phenomenological Psychology Research On The Experience Of Failing Postgraduate Entrance Examinations

The study is a research of hermeneutic-phenomenological psychology,in order to find the situation of those people who fail in the postgraduate entrance examination,explore the experience structure of failure in the postgraduate entrance examination,and point out the possible universal meaning behind the structure.Six participants were selected by purposeful random sampling,five participants(C,D,E,F,G)were interviewed for in-depth interviews about 1.5 hours,through the consent of the participants,the researcher use recording pen to record,finally,get four(C,E,F,G)valid interview information.One participant(B)write about the experience according to the order of experience unfolds,finally,get a valid text information.According to the method of hermeneutic-phenomenology which proposed by Li Weilun and Lai Yi-xian(2009)to analyze the information.The final results are gets four themes:Topic1,individual problem was exposed during the postgraduate entrance examination,and the persons who fail in the exam are break away from the examination time planning,from being an examinee to being a problem solver.Topic2,fail in the exam comes vertically,breaking life frame,the persons have to face the dilemma that familiar frame is broken then they lose them situation,and realize not solve their own problems can make serious consequences for the future.The theme is divided into three sub-themes: failure in the postgraduate entrance examination comes vertically as an “event”,and the life center returns to the postgraduate entrance examination;after the life frame is broken,the individuals face the future and the past turned upside down,and are trapped in this moment,they try their best to do some meaningless activity in order to resist falling into the negation of the past and the rupture of the future;the individuals are in conflict with the surrounding environment after the frame are broke.Topic3,the persons face the problem directly and adapt for their own life framework,the event unfold the creativity and generativity aspects,the persons find their place again.The theme is divided into two sub-themes: experienced the defeat,the people find an opportunity to face their problems directly and adjust its perspective——the creative side of events unfolds for people;new framework has been established,the persons deal with their problem and find place again,see their own closer,have a deeper understanding of life.Topic4,the persons hope farewell with failure through ceremony and continues to get the power of reconstructing the frame.From the research results,we can see that the two most noteworthy aspects of the experience of failure in the postgraduate entrance examination are as follows,on the one hand,the event put the persons who fail in the exam in a difficult position,it's show that both the past and the future are turned upside down and it is difficult to stay in the present;the persons face the space where they live in is not accept them anymore,they have conflicts with their surroundings,but on the other hand,the other side of the failure is opens that make people back to himself from the outside world and solve their own problems,integrate themselves again.Finally,the researcher propose that the topic require further attention is the event is unfinished and the possible ways to relieve the suffer of the persons who fail in the exam.