Lived Experiences Of A Tertiary Volleyball Student-Athletes In Cebu City

Abstract

The study investigates how volleyball varsity student-athletes at Cebu Institute of Technology University experience living in dormitories, highlighting how they navigate academic pressures, athletic demands, environmental and privacy challenges, and homesickness while residing away from their families. It situates these experiences within the broader context of student-athlete life, where training schedules, competition demands, and academic requirements intersect with the realities of shared spaces, limited privacy, and varying facility conditions. Using a descriptive qualitative, phenomenological approach with semi-structured interviews and Colaizzi’s seven-step analysis, the research uncovers five core themes: environmental and privacy strains; academic–athletic balancing through disciplined time management; communal belonging grounded in family-like dorm relationships; transformative personal development marked by growing independence, resilience, and self-discipline; and calls for stronger institutional support to address facilities, mental health, and academic flexibility. Overall, dormitory life emerges as a “transformative crucible” where student-athletes, despite facility issues, psychosocial stressors, and the emotional weight of homesickness, develop coping mechanisms and meaningful social bonds that sustain both their athletic performance and academic persistence, while simultaneously revealing clear areas for institutional improvement to ensure their holistic well-being and success.