Kenna Abarientos (1), Inero Ancho (2), Ferlynn B. Recto (3), Sue Liza Saguiguit (4), Daisy Pelegrina (5)
This study investigates the phenomenon of culture shock among freshmen students at a Philippine state university, where education is highly valued as both a familial legacy and a personal investment. Using a phenomenological approach, the study explores the lived experiences of ten high-achieving freshmen living independently at a state university in Laguna, Philippines. Thematic analysis reveals profound academic and social challenges impacting students’ academic performance, acculturation, and overall well-being. These challenges include: (1) Navigating a new academic environment and rigor, (2) Mastering time management and navigating lifestyle adjustments, (3) Managing finances and maintaining scholarships, (4) Adapting socially and culturally, (5) Managing expectations and pressure, and (6) Challenges to psychological and emotional well-being. Furthermore, the study identifies key coping strategies employed by these students, including seeking support networks – family, friends, peers, organizations, and scholarships – and developing personal adaptive mechanisms, primarily relying on self-help. These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of culture shock and offer valuable insights for university policies aimed at supporting incoming students’ cultural and academic adjustment.
Department of Human and Family Development Studies, College if Human Ecology, University of the Philippines Los Banos
Alkaabi, A. , & Altae, M. (2024). Electronic test and its relationship with test’s anxiety and academic achievement: Experiment at Qatar University. Psychology, Evaluation, and Technology in Educational Research, 6(2), 151–167.
Anjalin, U., Mazumdar, A., & Whiteside, E. (2017). Asian students’ experience of culture shock and coping strategies. Journal of Education and Social Development, 1(1), 7–13.
Asis, R., Naval, P., & Felipe, E. A. (2018). Social mobility in the Philippines: Trends and determinants. Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
Austria-Cruz, M. C. A. (2019). Academic stress and coping strategies of Filipino college students in private and public universities in Central Luzon. International Journal of Advanced Engineering, Management and Science, 5(11), 603–607.
Baltar, C. C. (2018). Assessing the economic benefits of higher education. JPAIR Institutional Research Journal, 11(1), 151–160.
Conde, C. T. , & Flores, G. A. Y. (2020). Gratitude among Filipino College Students [Doctoral dissertation]. Gakushuin University.
De Gayardon, A. (2019). There is no such thing as free higher education: A global perspective on the (many) realities of free systems. Higher Education Policy, 32(3), 485–505.
De Leon, A. (2014). The quality of life of the Filipino elderly in selected cities and provinces. In Presentation for First Multipartite Regional Meeting on the Financial Security of Older Women in East & Southeast Asia.
Dudley, A. (2022). Students’ reflection of cross-cultural experiences: A study abroad narrative [Master’s Thesis]. Eastern Illinois University.
Hanemann, U. (2015). Lifelong literacy: Some trends and issues in conceptualising and operationalising literacy from a lifelong learning perspective. International Review of Education, 61(3), 295–326.
Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2020). Research Methods in Psychology. Pearson.
Iorga, M., Soponaru, C., Muraru, I. D., Socolov, S., & Petrariu, F. D. (2020). Factors associated with acculturative stress among international medical students. BioMed Research International, 200–2020.
Kenney, S. R., Lac, A., Hummer, J. F., Grimaldi, E. M., & LaBrie, J. W. (2015). Pathways of parenting style on adolescents’ college adjustment, academic achievement, and alcohol risk. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 17(2), 186–203.
Kyndt, E., Berghmans, I., Dochy, F., & Bulckens, L. (2014). ‘Time is not enough.’ workload in higher education: a student perspective. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(4), 684–698.
Lam, L. Y. V. (2017). ). Life being an international student in the United States: Acculturation, culture shock, and identity transformation [Master’s Thesis]. University of San Francisco.
Lau, E., Sun, L., & Yang, Q. (2019). Modelling, prediction and classification of student academic performance using artificial neural network. SN Applied Sciences, 1(9), 982.
Lombard, C. A. (2014). Coping with anxiety and rebuilding identity: A psychosynthesis approach to culture shock. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 27(2), 174–199.
Lövdén, M., Fratiglioni, L., Glymour, M. M., Lindenberger, U., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2020). Education and cognitive functioning across the life span. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 21(1), 6–41.
Luciana, O., Rahayu, W. A., Normansyah, N., Suyahman, S., Rusmawan, R., & Manahor, A. (2024). The effectiveness of flipped classroom based blended learning on students critical thinking skills. Psychology, Evaluation, and Technology in Educational Research, 6(2), 213–223.
Maguddayao, R. N. (2018). Social lived experiences and coping mechanisms of the foreign students in the Philippines: a phenomenological approach to intercultural communicative competence. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 6(4), 18–31.
McCoy, S., Smyth, E., Watson, D., & Darmody, M. (2014). Leaving school in Ireland: a longitudinal study of post-school transitions. ESRI Research Series, 36(1), 1–28.
Orta, D., Murguia, E., & Cruz, C. (2019). ). From struggle to success via Latina sororities: Culture shock, marginalization, embracing ethnicity, and educational persistence through academic capital. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 18(1), 41–58.
Ortiz, M. K. P., Melad, K. A. M., Araos, N. V. V., Orbeta, A. C., & Reyes, C. M. (2019). Process evaluation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931): Status and prospects for improved implementation.
Pacheco, E. M. (2020). Culture learning theory and globalization: Reconceptualizing culture shock for modern cross-cultural sojourners. New Ideas in Psychology, 58, 100801.
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). (2020). Employment and unemployment statistics.
Pirmohammadi, M. (2016). Exploring teachers’ perceptions of the effects of perfectionism on mental health and academic performance of Ontario secondary school students. [Master of Teaching Research Projects]. University of Toronto.
Presbitero, A. (2016). Culture shock and reverse culture shock: The moderating role of cultural intelligence in international students’ adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, , 53(3), 28–38.
Rakipi, S. (2015). Parenting styles: Their impact on adolescent separation and college adjustment [Doctoral dissertation]. Capella University.
Retuya, C. O., Ceniza, D. M. S., Lara, J. M., Tare, S. G. A., & Quinain, K. T. (2017). The priming effect of family obligation on Filipino students’ academic performance. . Philippine Journal of Psychology, 50(2), 159–173.
Rilveria, J. R. (2018). The development of the Filipino coping strategies scale. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 18(1), 111–1126.
Ruberman, L. (2014). Challenges in the transition to college: The perspective of the therapist back home, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 68(1), 103–115.
Scott, L. C. (2015). The futures of learning 2: What kind of learning for the 21st century?.
Syawaludin, M. S., Suprapto, B., & Sutanto, M. H. (2020). Self-management analysis of international university student in coping with culture shock in Indonesia. Medio, 2(1), 1–12.
Tan, J. S. T. (2022). Hiding behind the “perfect” mask: A phenomenological study of Filipino university students’ lived experiences of perfectionism. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 17(1), 2062819.
Tan-De Guia, G. L. (2016). Problems encountered by the freshmen students in selected colleges in the University of Eastern Philippines. . International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, 1(1), 75–78.
Tariga, J. A., & Cutamora, J. C. (2016). Assessment of the common predictors and their correlation in subjective wellbeing among elderly in Bohol, Philippines. . . The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 8(2), 19–38.
Waterman, E. A., Wesche, R., Leavitt, C. E., Jones, D. E., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2017). Long-distance dating relationships, relationship dissolution, and college adjustment. Emerging Adulthood, 5(4), 268–279.
Yan, L. (2020). Current situation and countermeasures of learning adaptability for College Filing Poor Students.
Zimmerman, B. J., & Kitsantas, A. (2014). Comparing students’ self-discipline and self-regulation measures and their prediction of academic achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology , 39(2), 145–155.