A qualitative research on the reasons for making a minus net

This study aims to explore the reasons behind "minus scores" among 12th-grade students preparing for university entrance exams in Türkiye. The research is grounded in the assumption that low exam performance should not be solely attributed to individual effort. Employing a qualitative research design, participants were selected through purposive sampling, a common method in qualitative studies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 volunteer students enrolled in three different rural/semi-urban high schools in a province in Southeastern Anatolia. Data analysis yielded four main themes: family, peers influence, individual factors, and economic reasons. Within the family theme, lack of information and conflicting expectations emerged; the peer theme revealed a balance between competition and indifference; the individual factors theme included the perceived meaninglessness of university goals, lack of motivation, and inherited academic failure. Under the theme of economic reasons, early entry into the workforce due to income insufficiency and lack of time were identified as critical subthemes. The findings suggest that exam failure is not merely a "student problem" but rather a multilayered phenomenon shaped by the intersection of familial guidance gaps, social pressure, and economic burden. Accordingly, the study highlights the need for comprehensive interventions—encompassing financial, psychological, and academic support—particularly in school counseling services that foster self-regulation and the construction of career value. By framing the "negative net" phenomenon as an outcome of interacting psychosocial and structural factors, this research offers a holistic explanation and underscores the necessity of multi-stakeholder interventions in educational policy. Keywords: minus net, student, exam, university entrance exam