A Phenomenological Exploration… 1

1.0 Introduction

In the Philippines, colonial mentality is the main reason why people prefer foreign ways and
imported things especially the youth nowadays. Colonial mentality is a term use widely by ethnic studies
scholars and by the Filipino American community to refer to a form of internalized oppression among
Filipinos and Filipino Americans (Okazaki, 2006). It is one of the problems faced by the Philippines. It is
the feeling of inferiority within the society that has been subjected to colonialism of foreign power. The
concept of colonial mentality is the acceptance, by the colonized, of the culture of the colonizer as more as
superior. Throughout history, the Filipinos have been continuously colonized by other stronger countries
(Garcia, 2008).

The Colonial Mentality can lead to slow self esteem and lower life satisfaction because colonized
people are taught that everything about them is less-than. This dissatisfaction could also lead to other health
issues like alcoholism, substance use, and suicide ideation. (David, 2013).When a foreign colonial power
is too strong for the natives to be resisted, the colonized country has no option but to accept the rule of the
foreigners. As time goes by, the colonized natives would perceive the differences between the foreigners,
who colonized them, and themselves, between the foreigners’ ways and the native ways. Oftentimes, this
leads the natives to copy and follow the foreigners in power as they begin to associate power and success
with the foreigners’ ways. This is eventually leads to the foreigners’ way being regarded as the better way.
A different scene happens when the technologies and westernized way of living influenced the Filipinos
where courting takes place through social media like chatting, video calls, or texting which cause Filipinos
have colonial mentality (Smith, 2012).

The purpose of this study is to understand better the positive and negative outcomes of colonial
mentality today. This study is to wake the minds of the Filipinos about the thinking they adapted from the
history of time since they were colonized by the Americans, Spaniards and Japanese. Colonial mentality
will make them be more aware in their surroundings, to stop following the flow of other people doing awful
things just to make themselves look more dignified or to be not humiliated by others. The outcomes would
be bayanihan will be brought back to life again from Filipinos instead of pulling each others down while
reaching the top of success.

The significance of the study is to help Filipino people to be aware of the worsening condition of
colonial mentality in the Philippines. This research will also help to realize the effects that will take place
in the Philippine’s people habits and wants like the way they dress, the way they interact with one another,
the way they perceive things and the way they think that foreign products is much more better than locally
made products and to let the young Filipinos, realize that Filipinos have their own tradition and belief that

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should be applied in their daily lives. As well as to continue develop the Philippines economy if they will
persist to satisfy and carry out their beliefs and own products. By means of carrying out their own beliefs
and products, it also helps them to reach their goals through mind set to achieve something they truly
desire.With this, researchers want to encourage everyone to support the locally made products of the
Philippines. Another way is to make the country own products more appealing to the eyes of the Filipinos.
The researchers want to encourage the Filipino people to embrace their own Identity in doing edged
products and also the researchers want to show to everyone the outcome of having a colonial mentality
even there’s a positive and negative effect to the country. Thus, it benefits them by unknowingly working
hard to reach further than their set of goals of desires.

2.0 Methodology

2.1 Research Design

This study used qualitative phenomenological design which emphasizes the inherent complexities
of humans and their ability to shape and create their own experiences (Hungler and Polit O’ Hara,
1999).There is a great emphasis on the human experiences as it is actually lived, on the careful collection
and analysis of data. Qualitative research is an attempt to understand the world as lived. It compasses studies
about how an individual consider a particular experience and how they reflect on it. Qualitative studies
aims to explore human phenomena, which may involve people experiencing the same situation. The re-
searcher will use phenomenological which is systematically study of the lived experiences of individuals.
It can use by the researchers because it attempts to set aside biases and preconceived assumptions about
human experiences, feelings and respond to a particular situation.

2.2 Research Locale

The participants informants of this study came from NCR specifically in Valenzuela People’s Park.
The researchers chose this site because of the accessibility and known as the center of attraction. The avail-
ability of the respondents, age, gender, religion, and ideological thinking would affect the mindset and

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social behaviour of one individual. This offered an opportunity for the researchers to look for more possible
cases and participants that passed the criteria needed in the study.

2.3 Population and Sampling

The participants will be selectively purposively. A method of purposive and sampling is non- prob-
ability sampling that is selected based on characteristics of a population, this study is also known as judge-
ment selective. A total of 10 participants will be included in the study, to be included in the criteria (1)
he/she is a resident of Valenzuela city, (2) 14-40 years old, (3) can go with trends, (4) use branded things,
(5) use different language in their daily life. Those who qualify would be age from 14-18 years old. Emo-
tional and social development, teens emotional and social growth is about finding their place in the world,
(Health wise staff, 2017). The pervasive vestiges of western colonial influences, from the widespread use
of English and regard of it as the language of the educated or upper class, to the abundance of western
restaurants and shops that make Manila seem more Americanized (David, 2017)

2.4 Research Instrument

Interview is a conversation where questions are asked and answers are given. In common parlance
the word interview refers to one on one conversation. The researchers would be interview the participants
one-on-one, the interview guide is the only instrument in the study. The interview guide is semi-structured
in nature consisting of open ended questions. This allowed the participants to give their preferred response.
This questions were flexible and allowed the interviewer or the researcher to probe and to seek clarification.
The supplied a frame of reference for the answers of the participants.

2.5 Data Collection

This study used primary collection procedure. Primary data were collected through a series of in-
terview with the five ( 5) chosen participants. The researchers’ conducted an intake interview about the
participant’s profile Then a semi-strauctured interview follows wherein there are sets of questions raised

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by the researchers. The researchers asked follow-up questions to probe as needed for additional information.
The interview that has conducted was recorded and transcribed for analysis.Baac (2008) asserts that this
process of observing turns out considerable discrepancies between what participants do and what they say
they do.

2.6 Research Ethics

The researchers will give a permission letter to participants to show that they are not forced by the
researchers. The researchers will highly secure the identity of participants. They also promised that they
will give a 100% assurance not to share the gathered data from them to strangers nor the people known to
the participants unless the participants give the researchers explicit permission to do so.

The researcher’s foremost concern in recruiting and using subjects is treating them ethically and
responsibly (Hansen & Myers, 2006a, 2012b). The guidelines in conducting a research was guided by legal
and ethical principle and centres the welfare of all participants in the approved research study. The permis-
sion to the pursuance of the study is hereby sought out for prevention of encountering any obstacles during
the entire process. Research that is harmful to participants is undesirable even though it may increase wis-
dom (Hansen & Myers, 2006)

An informed consent is required to be given to the co-researchers in this study indicating the agree-
ment that should clarify the obligation and responsibilities of all involved in the process. Furtherance to
this, produce, risk, and benefits and the voluntarily nature of research. The co-researchers are to be treated
with utmost confidentially. All the information entrusted to the researchers is strictly observe was only use
for the studies purpose only.

Also, the proper citation of authors and other references based on American Psychological Associ-
ation (APA) were cited and acknowledge. The researcher does not plagiarized any content of the research
study.

2.7 Data Analysis

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Thematic analysis is one of the most common forms of analysis in qualitative research. It
emphasizes pinpointing, examining and recording patterns within data. It is also a best thought of as an
umbrella terms for a variety of different approaches, rather than a singular method. (Greg, 2012)

The researchers used cool and warm analysis by extracting the significant statement in cool analysis
while by groupings, sorting and assigning the themes in warm analysis.Arranging patterns of information
for the data to be more clear and understandable and for the readers to refer to this analysis because here
you can get all the valuable information more compressed and detailed.

It will start off by gathering the data, information, bracketing on the data, listing or arranging,
patterning the ideas collect. The major themes were reflected upon the insights of psychological data
gathered were expressed in the table. The themes and descriptions are reflected in the lived experiences of
the participants.

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