A Phenomenological Study of Academic Retention: The Lived Experiences of Adults Who Were Retained in K-12

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of young adults who were retained during their K-12 education and persisted to high school graduation from a southwestern Kansas school. The central research question guiding the study were: What are the lived experiences of young adults who were retained during their K-12 education and persisted to high school graduation from a southwestern Kansas school? Guiding questions were implemented to further understand the phenomenon of grade retention. The guiding questions were: How did the young adults believe their self-efficacy was influenced either positively or negatively by grade retention? How did the young adults explain their K-12 educational experiences and the adult’s future in connection with their personal grade retention? Bandura’s self-efficacy theory is the examination of one’s own belief on their own ability to achieve a self-determined level of success is based on their own life’s experiences and will serve as the theoretical framework. Bandura’s theory relates to the proposed study in the understanding of the life experiences of adults’ self-efficacy who were retained during their K-12 education. Study participants were selected through a participant recruitment survey. The study included 13 participants who were retained during their K-12 education. The data collection methods included interviews, journal entries, and a focus group of the young adults. The transcendental phenomenological reduction process was used for data analysis. This research disclosed both positive and negative outcomes to retention