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THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS WITH OVERSEAS

FILIPINO WORKERS PARENTS: THE CASE OF MAKILING

INTEGRATED SCHOOL

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

By:

DIEGO, PERFECTO

CAGUIOA, CRIS JUN MARK

MAGSILANG, VON CARLO

MARCH 2020

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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Migration is the result to the person who does not have

better job and income, in order to attain their necessity. They need

to go and live to different countries. These circumstances are typical

in any Filipino people who experiencing poverty and hardships in

life. So that means poverty is the cause to force anyone either the

father, mother, or both parents to migrate for the sake of their

children’s betterment in future and sustainability of their needs.

Because of the overseas migration, numerous children are growing

up devoid of their parents’ love, time, and attention.

However, the overseas migration of one or both of

the- parents is not new phenomenon, in the reason of, it is a

prevalent case in accordance with the statistics of The Commission

on the Filipino Overseas recorded that as of, (2006), citing that

there were 8.23 million Filipinos abroad, of whom 3.6 million were

permanent migrants. But in the year of (2013). it was prospectively

to increase, and this resulted in 10.4 million Filipinos living in foreign

countries.

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Among the Filipino workers, 96.2% are overseas contractual

worker (OCWs) The remaining 3.8% are regular and self-employed

workers, most of the OCWs came from the Luzon island,

the largest group of OCWs is in the CALABARZON province

comprising 18.4%; those that come from central Luzon provinces, is

13.9%: and from the National Capital Region, 12.8%. Therefore,

45.1% of all OCWs come from Luzon provinces the rest come from

the Visayas islands and Mindanao. It should be- Remember that

Eastern Visayas (consist with Leyte and Samar) provide 9.4% of all

OCWs and Western Visayas (Panay and Negros) has 6.5%, according

to the Philippine Statistical Authority recorded as of, 2016. Multiple

of these OCWs have their own families. The children who were

secluded by their parents because of work abroad may feel

emotional and psychological distress maybe the reason is the

deficiency of affection and parental interaction to each other.

Smeekens, (2010) stated that the parents must leave

their children at home in order to work abroad to be able to

financially support them. The convention on the rights of the child

emphasized that the personality and traits of the child is fully and

chronologically developed in the family under an atmosphere of

happiness, love, and care. When the parents understand this right

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of children and the concept of the family that lives together, they-

need - to restore the concept of a family to be able to take care of

its welfare. Thus, parents must leave their children to work

overseas. So that means parent’s influence and presence is

significant for the Child development. Thus, the phenomenological

study is suitable for our approach on the subjects that we selected

to study, dedicated to them.

Statement of The Problem

This research seeks to determine these following questions

related about in the main problem.

Central Question

1. How do the students describe their lived experiences of

having a OFW parent?

Corollary Questions

1. What are the pros & cons of having a OFW parent?

2. How are the students manage their problems/struggles

without their OFW parents’ assistance?

3. What are the benefits that the student attains in having an

OFW parent?

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Theoretical ⁄Conceptual Framework

This study is concentrated in three theories: namely,

family systems theory, attachment theory, and structural family

theory. The family systems theory suggests that an individual is a

part of the family is a complex, dynamic, and integrated whole and

there is interaction and influence between and among all the-

members (Minuchin & O’Brien, as cited in Taylor, 2008), Thus, it is

presupposed that left-behind children often suffer psychological and

emotional challenges because they terribly miss their parents.

Attachment theory (Bowlby, as cited in Taylor, 2008) is concerned

with personal relationships between human beings. This theory

presupposes that children need to develop a relationship with at

least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to

occur normally. This theory assumes that students whose parents

are working abroad are deficient with the parental care and

attention necessary for their social and emotional development

(Taylor, 2008). Minuchin’s structural family theory, (Minuchin, as

cited in Taylor, 2008) describes a family structure that is reinforced

by the expectations established by roles. There is hierarchical

structure with clear boundaries in which the parents- possess the

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leadership role (Taylor, 2008). Each member of the family holds

several roles like a mother serves as a wife and also helps her

husband manage the family (Goldenburg & Goldenburg, as cited in

Taylor, 2008). This theory presupposes that when parents are

working abroad, the immediate role that they play in the family

structure as mother or a father is lost. This phenomenological study

inquired and described lived experiences of the students whose

mother, father, or both parents are working overseas. The

discoveries of the study may add to the structure information of

concerning the experiences of children longing for personal time

and attention from the parents. The results may be likewise be

utilized for advisory and guidance purposes.

Graphical presentation of the three theories implication.

INSUFFIENCY IN NEEDS

MIGRATION AND DEPARTURE OF

PARENTS WORKERS PAUPERS

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PSYSCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND INSTABILITY

OF ACACEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THEIR CHILD

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Scope and Delimitations of the Study

For clarity of focus this research undertaking was guided

by the following scope and delimitations.

1. This study is concentrating on the lived experiences of

selected students of the Makiling Integrated School for the

analysis and description gathering toward in our study.

2. The researchers selected 7 students as a subject to be

personally asked and interviewed related to their lived

experiences having an overseas contractual worker parent

or any relatives. The subjects where be provided enough-

time to think what to testify, to express recommendation

and regulations.

Definitions of Terms

Anxiety- feeling or nervousness about what might happen.

Departure- the act or an instance of leaving.

Instability- the tendency to change your behavior very quickly or

to react to things in an extremely emotional way.

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Integrated- having different parts working together as unit.

Migration- the act, process, or an instance of migrating to the

different countries.

OCW- overseas contractual worker.

Pauper- a very poor person who has no money to pay to pay for

food, clothing, etc.

Phenomenology- The study of the development of human

consciousness and self-awareness as a preface to or apart of

philosophy.

Presuppose- to be based on the idea that something is true or will

happen.

Prospect- the possibility that something will happen in the future.

Psychoanalysis- a method of explaining and treating mental and

emotional problems by having the patient talk about dreams,

feelings, memories, etc.

Utilize- to use (something) for a particular purpose.

Worker - a person who does a job to earn money

Significance of the Study

The purpose of this research is beneficiary and useful, for

all the family because this study provides awareness for them in

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order to apply the learning to their lives and to avoid mistakes.

Furthermore, this study grants realization and guidance for the

students to understand the importance of family’s integration and

belongingness to their lives. The researchers desire their research is

meaningful and helpful for the prospectively becoming researchers

to the approaching future era. Shall the righteous purpose and

deeds will be prevailed.

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Chapter 2

A REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND

STUDIES

At this portion of research, the study expounds the semi-

structure of the main problem, its occurrence in situation and the

types of relevant studies which is having a source primary in books,

theories, the internet and different researches. This context

includes: 1) Migration and its Effects on Academic Performance of

Children 2) Migration and its Psychological Effects on the Children

Left Behind 3) The importance of Communication after Migration.

Migration and its Effects on Academic Performance of

Children

The United Nations International Children

Emergency Fund (as cited In Owusu, n.d.) proclaimed that

migration of parents is conforming to limited education and child

obligations. While financial support of the OCW parents enable their

children to acquire school needs and pay school accounts, they still

have the experience and situation of negative educational results,

but not totally the children excluded in all developing countries

suffer negative educational results. Parreńas (as cited in, 2008)

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reported that two boys who were recognized by a guidance

counselor as troublemakers were respectful and obedient and had

demonstrated higher cognitive skills compared to their classmates.

Harris and Godall (2008) also reported that parental assistance in

facilitating learning when their children are at home is a significant

factor for their children’s scholastic achievement.

Migration and its Psychological Effects on the Children Left

Behind

The children who has been left behind by their

parents, according to Dela Garza (2010), are expected to meet

psychological and emotional stresses until they reach adolescence.

Furthermore, Parreńas (as cited in Owusu, n.d.) stating that children

who have one Parent (the mother) left with them at home

experiences much care and attention. Parental absence creates

“disruptions and changes in living arrangement” (Reyes, 2008, p.

2). disturbance in feelings and emotions goes with overseas

migration of parents. The presence of the extended family to take

care of the children only partly relieves emotional disturbance

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because children always long for the tender loving care of their

parents (Reyes, 2008). For young children, according to Arellano

Caranding et al, and Anonuevo (as cited in Reyes, 2008), migration

means abandoning the children resulting in positive or negative

effect. The positive effect is that the children become happy

because of the material benefits. But the negative effect is that they

cannot hide and keep their emotion from being sad due to their

parents’ absence. These children do not recognize that their parents

care for them when they are given the material things (Reyes,

2008). This situation is parallel with results of Battistella and

Conaco’s study (as cited in Reyes, 2008), which revealed that

children consider parental absence as abandonment and source of

loneliness, For being lonely, these children whose parents are on

overseas employment are far behind in scholastic performance from

their classmates with parents living with them (Reyes, 2008) noted

that children whose parents are working abroad are less socially

adjusted. Other children with mothers on work migration have the

tendency to be angry, confused, apathetic, and more afraid than

other children. According to Atikha and Balikbayani (as cited in

Reyes, 2008), the parents’ long periods of absence is often the

reason why their children do not know their parents well, and their

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association is most often forged by monetary remittances, gifts, and

phone calls. Their absence at home makes the children feel that

they have been abandoned.

The importance of Communication after Migration

It could be distinguished from several studies that children were not

abandoned by their parents despite the distance through the advent

of technology. Parreńas (2005) found that mothers who were

working abroad did not abandon their children during migration.

Instead, they did intensive care by providing acts of love and care

via available means of communication, this simply shows that being

far from the family is not necessarily a hindrance to being

responsible in providing emotional restrain to the children.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The chapter depicts the method of this qualitative

research used, the participants of the study, the tools for

investigation and interrogation, the data gathering procedures

borrowed, and the ethical considerations that were utilized in this

research.

RESEARCH DESIGN

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This is a phenomenological study as this explored

the lived experiences of the students whose parents are working

abroad. A phenomenology is “a strategy of inquiry in which the

researcher identifies the essence of human experiences about a

phenomenon as described by participants” (Creswell, 2009)

Phenomenology describes the subjective reality of an event as

perceived by the study- population. It is concerned with the lived

experiences of a person (Litchman, as cited in Wa-Mbaleka, 2016).

Population and Sampling

The researchers had interviewed a number of 7

participants; 7 students. Consistent with the phenomenological

approaches, they were selected based on their willingness,

availability and ability to provide in-depth detailed, and relevant

information about their experiences.

For student participants:

a. High School students; and

b. Experiences with parents abroad.

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Following the given criteria, the participants where consisted of

4 male(students) and 3 females (students). The number of 7 was

selected through non-probability sampling techniques.

Co-Researches of Study

The researchers had interviewed several of 7 participants:

comprises of 4 male students and 3 female students, came from the

public school of Makiling National Highschool (MIS).

Data-Gathering Procedure

There will be a method to expenditure by the researchers to

gather data for the study, the procedure is the researchers will

manage preliminary survey for the selected participants, in order to

identify if the chosen participants were qualified in the study.

Thereafter, knowing specifically the qualified participants the

researchers will now formally and appropriately address the request

of the interview to the selected participants, if she accepts the

researchers would initiate the interview for them, in order to gather

usable data for the study.

Phase 1

At the first interview phase, the chosen participant was oriented

on the goal and structure of the study in which they were asked to

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participate. All of the selected participants that agreed to

interviewed and were provided with verbal informing statement for

participation in the interview which consists of the title of the study,

length of the interview, matters of confidentiality, and voluntary

participation. Moreover, the interview schedules were mutually

agreed upon based on the availability of the selected participants.

Phase 2

The researchers in the participants met on their agreed

schedule of interview. Before the interview started, the researcher

sustains the stated averment about the participation of the

interview. The researcher then explained why the interview was

being recorded in how it was going to be used. Several interviews

were conducted in a neutral, quiet, and distraction-free place that

was convenient for the participant. Before the interview started, the

researcher will inform the participant to the place or venue that the

researcher preferred for the interview. The chosen place has the

qualities of comfortable, and neutral surroundings.

Phase 3

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The researcher believes that the use of an in dept semi-

structured interview would help in exploring and understanding the

lived experiences of working students.

Instrumentation

The study utilized a researcher- made semi-structured

interview guide, which submitted for validation by the research

working group of a university. This interview guide written in English

was composed of open- ended question except on personal

information of the research participants. A test-run of the interview

guide was made with 2 students of non-OCW parent. This

ascertained whether the items in the interview guide was the data

generated from the interview were the needed data for the study.

Facial expression, reaction, then other important observations (WA-

Mbaleka, 2016), from the participants resulting from the interview

noted is an input for the discussion of the result.

Validation of the Instrument

The form of our interview for the research is created

and produced by the researchers. However, the form of the

interview is concentrated to the basis of corrections and

justifications in the credible sources that the researchers used to

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know that was useful, so that they created the provisions for the

interview structure in order to apply it for the instrumentation in

research to have betterments and improvements intended to it.

Ethical Consideration

Ethical standard was maintained throughout the

course of the study by giving careful attention for the procurement

of the necessary data. The research considered the free time of

each participant in order to avoid class interruption and made

assurance that their confidential data would be in good hands. In

case of incomplete data, the researcher used her gadget by

contacting them and asked at their most convenient time.

Treatment of the Qualitative Data

The purpose of the present study was to explore and

describe the lived experiences of students on the utilization of

differentiated instruction. Using existential phenomenology as the

guiding research methodology, the research sought to gain insight

into each participant’s experiences by “dialogic interviewing

procedures and thematic interpretations” (Thomas & Polio, 2011).

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After the interview were completed, the research analyzed

the

data by (a) listening to and transcribing each interview tape

verbatim,

(b) highlighting significant statement, (c) grouping the statements

into

themes, and (d) organizing the themes for inclusion in the final

narrative report.

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