Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical,

emotional, social and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the activity of raising a child aside from the biological relationship involve to it. After parental separation, a consistent relationship between both child and parents must still be intact. A parent entering and leaving a child's life can be disruptive for the child and for the life of the other parent. Though some people may feel that upon being absent for a period of time, the absent parent should not be allowed back into the child's life. In some situations, the active parent had remarried and a new partner has formed a meaningful and significant attachment to the child. The re-introduction of the absent parent therefore threatens not only t to cause emotional turmoil to the child, but may be perceived as a threat to the relationship. Needless to say, there can be a tangle of intense feelings. Generally speaking, the social science literature supports the notion that children fare better in the long run with secure attachments to both parents. This is true even in the face of many parental difficulties. It is important for a child to have a parent by his side growing up. They are considered as the first teachers responsible for teaching them things they must learn in life, from a simple ABC until molding their attitudes and behavior. As a child, parents help them in being responsible for their actions and studies and make them realize what they need to do. As they reach adolescence, things that they learn from their parents are being used as their guidelines on what they must expect in their new life exploring their own selves. Nowadays, many students are experiencing the absence of both or either one of their parents. It may be because, the mothers or fathers are working in other countries, a result of broken or single parent families. With this, the researcher would like to know the effect on the academic achievement of secondary students who are experiencing absence of one or both parents. Background of the Study

The main thrust of this study is to determine if there is a significant relationship between parental absence and the academic performance of the respondents. In the United States alone, nearly 41% of births in 2012 occurred outside of marriage (Ablow, 2012). This is a marked 17% statistical increase within the last three decades. It is even safe to say that singleparenting has become a trend in the current generation. Most recent statistics on the Philippines estimates 14-15% of the 94 million Filipinos are single parents (Cruz, 2012). This premise is even the source of a piece of legislation currently under scrutiny for amendment by Philippine lawmakers, the so-called Solo Parent Act of 2002. However, a single parent home or even a home where a parent is completely absent is a situation that even the Philippine government commends. Of the current population, 10% of Filipinos are either living or working abroad. Such parents are given the epithet OFW, or shortened for Overseas Filipino Workers. Otherwise known as, "Bagong Bayani" (New Hero). Parents who opt to leave their families to work abroad often cite higher salaries, better job conditions and more career opportunities as reasons for their choice. Many people go to great lengths and risks to secure job positions in other countries. Others even resort to illegal means as a way to get into the foreign job market. But as they do so, the children are often left behind under the care of a spouse, a relative, or even family friends. These children, while reaping dubious monetary and advantageous rewards from their parent's hard work, often exhibit unfavorable social and academic behavior. As such, children in this type of situation are not strictly classified as living in single-parent homes. They are, however, in a situation which is deemed "temporarily parentless". A temporarily parentless child, while cognizant of a parent's (or parents') good intentions to provide and improve his standard of living and academic juncture, has the natural desire to have both parents together. They often struggle because of lack of relationship with parents. The greater the absence of contact, the greater the fear and anxiety (Luper, 2011).

It is at this stage that people in authority, such as teachers become in loco parentis. Many OFW parents express sentiments such as: "Kayo na po ang bahala" (It's up to you) or "You are the only one he/she will listen to." With the the advent of easy and affordable wireless communication, many OFW parents have resorted to "Global Parenting" (Reyes, 2005). And yet, while it appears to help, the essential conundrum remains. It has sparked the interest of the researcher to do this research study to determine the effects of parental absence to the academic performance of adolescent children of Batangas Christian School.

Research Locale The study was conducted at Batangas Christian School located in De Joya Compound, Alangilan, Batangas City bounded in the north by Alangilan Central Elementary School, in the south by Kumintang Elementary School, in the east by Mega Heights Subdivision, and in the west by the National Road.

Statement of the Problem This study aims to determine the Effects of Parental Absence on the Academic Performance of Secondary Students in Batangas Christian School - Batangas City. The research seeks to answer the following specific questions: 1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: 1.1 Age 1.2 Gender 1.3 Year, level and section 1.4 Order in the family 2. What are the different aspects of parental absence that affect the academic achievement of the students in terms of: 2.1 Local/foreign employment 2.2 Duration of separation

2.3 Manner of employment 3. What are the effects of parental absence to academic achievement of students in terms of: 3.1 Cognitive development 3.2 Emotional development 3.3 Social development 3.4 Moral and spiritual development 4. Is there a significant relationship between parental absence and academic achievement?

Objectives Main Objective: To determine the effects of Parental Absence on the Academic Performance of Secondary Students in Batangas Christian School - Batangas City. Specific Objectives: 1. To identify the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: 1.1. Age 1.2. Gender 1.3. Year level and section 1.4. Order in the family 2. To enumerate the different aspects of parental absence that affect the academic achievement of the students in terms of: 2.1. foreign employment 2.2. duration of separation 2.3. manner of employment 3. To identify the effects of parental absence to academic achievement of students in terms of: 3.1. Cognitive development 3.2. Emotional development

3.3. Social development 3.4. Moral and spiritual development 4. To determine if there is a significant relationship between parental absence and academic achievement.

Hypothesis There is a significant relationship between parental absence and academic achievement among secondary students in Batangas Christian School - Batangas City.

Significance of the Study The research will be significant to the following: parents - The study will help the parents realize and understand the effects of absentee parenting on the academic achievements of their children Students - It will serve as a reference material for other students who will undertake the same study in the future. Readers - The study will provide the readers knowledge and information about the effects of absentee parenting on the academic achievements of children. Secondary level children - It will help them understand absentee parenting as an indicator to their academic achievement. Future researchers - This study will serve as a basis for future referee and further in-depth study related to this topic.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The coverage of the study is to determine the Effects of Parental Absence on the Academic Performance of Secondary Students in Batangas Christian School. It also aims to determine if the there is a significant relationship between parental absence and academic performance of ours respondents. The study is limited to 100 respondents. Non - probability sampling, specifically purposive/judgmental sampling was utilized wherein subjects are chosen according to the needed criteria.

Definitions of Terms Academic - related to school, college or university Achievement - something carried out successfully Batangas Christian School - Christian institution of learning providing pre-elementary, elementary and secondary level of education located in Alangilan, Batangas City. Cognitive - faculty of knowing; refers to intellect, learning, reasoning Effects - results produced by cause. Emotional development - development related to feelings Fluctuating - changing constantly; showing irregular variation Habitual - repetition as an act again & again; behavior pattern that has a degree of automation Insecurity - state of being insecure; liable to collapse or give away Infraction - a violation of law, policy or regulation Isolation- state of being apart or alone Malevolent - having put showing a desire to do harm Moral - concerned with right and wrong and the distinctions between them Parental absence - parent being away; failure of parent to be present Social development - development of am individual relating to human society; interaction of an individual to other people

Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Synthesis The National Statistics Office in 2010 noted that the total population in the Philippines was 92.34 million. At the time, over 60% was aged 29 and under. Over half of the entire population are under 25. This makes the Philippines a country of young people. The most recent unofficial surveys mark the population at 94 million where 14-15% of school-age children are bring brought up in single-parent homes. According to Dr. Keith Ablow, a popular psychiatrist and expert commentator for Fox News, many young people being brought up in incomplete homes have many unresolved, unaddressed concerns. In truth, he also mentions that there is very little published work on the psychological effects of incomplete families to the youth. It has become apparent in many instances that there is depression and behavioral disturbance. The unclear family architecture produces unspoken, unconscious fear for the well-being of the absent parent. He goes on to say that children need: a) to feel safe; b) to know that caretakers are also safe. Children often express the sentiment "Kahit walang makain, basta sama-sama ang pamilya, masaya!" ("Even when there is no food on the table, as long as the family's together, everybody's happy!") This is a view that many Filipino parents do not agree with. As a society, Filipinos are very family-oriented, with very clear traditional mores: parents provide for their children and children obey and make their parents proud. Although other traditions have seen marked changes in the recent decades, such as Mothers as breadwinners and Fathers as primary caretakers, economic demands have often necessitated two incomes in one family. A common aspiration for many Filipino parents is to be able to support their children from preschool to tertiary level in prestigious, private schools, with the belief that good education will equip their children for better,

brighter futures. One solution that Filipino parents take advantage of is working abroad where foreign currencies offer bigger converted salaries, and more opportunities to save and make money. The migration abroad toward overseas work has produced a remarkable decrease in manpower within the country, especially for professions in medical care, allied health, education and other skilled labor. In 2007, a documented 12 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) occupied job positions all over the world (Banico). Five million of these were in the Middle East alone. Such though was the influx of foreign currency in the Philippines that the government has dubbed the OFWs the "Bagong Bayani" (Modern Hero). A study conducted by Kanlungan Center in 2011 estimates that 11 million OFWs have three dependents: parents, spouse and children. While the economic advantage to the country in general is undeniable, there are implied risks to the situation, primarily the creation of a temporarily parentless home and a temporarily parentless child. Albert Banico from the Philippine Association for the Sociology of Religion argues in his paper titled, Caring while at Risk published in 2007, posits that overseas migration breaks the family. He cites several reasons. Physical separation produces emotional separation as well resulting in family gaps. This causes a breakdown in communication between generations. A parent or both leaving for abroad may cause dispersal of children to family members. Children are foisted on grandparents, aunts our uncles, live-in partners, our even family friends when all avenues have been exhausted. Separation from parents due to employment causes the decision-making body in the family to be crippled. No one in the family is able to lead effectively. A respected journalist and sociologist, Randy David once wrote in his article, Overseas Employment and Its Effects in 2009: "How young children adjust to the reality of absentee parents or what spouses do to keep martial bonds strong despite prolonged separation are long-term effects that no nation that has been

pushed in a big way into the global diaspora can possibly ignore." His sociological analysis is that massive deployment has injurious social outcomes, particularly to the emerging generation. Children of a certain age, despite being given exorbitant amounts of money (or material things) refuse to listen and acknowledge absentee parents as "real" parents (Nabiruma, 2011). Teachers often become substitute parents, an event that is acknowledged by both child and parent. It is not uncommon for parents to entrust their children's welfare to third parties. This is when the children learn to search for love elsewhere. Children that are temporarily parentless are love-hungry and susceptible top deception from older members of society. Dr. Scott Luper, author of Absentee Parent: Child Left Behind (2011) defines an absentee parent to be a parent who fails to make a positive, meaningful, constant impact on a child's life.An absent parent deeply wounds the emotional well-being of a child consciously or subconsciously. Children often worry about their parent's health. They "forget"what their parents look like (Clark, 2010). The physical separation causes a dissociation characterized by lack of connection, focus and a feeling of neglect. An absent parent also affects the spouse present as caregiver of the child. The balance of authority is often disrupted leading to the destruction of family framework. This often occurs when the normally absent parent returns bearing material things, taking everyone on extravagant excursions. A dissatisfaction on the part of the spouse left behind causes further neglect of the children. When this occurs, children are forced to take on responsibilities of parents or older siblings earlier, resulting in discontent, retarded or hastened development causing unresolved developmental issues. Furthermore, with the OFW being the primary breadwinner, this causes a shift in the authority in the family. Often no big decisions are made nor finalized, despite the urgency, without the approval of the absentee parent. Examples of these are often seen in decisions regarding the welfare and discipline of children, i.e. attendance in school affairs, calls from the adviser/principal's office, etc. Other fears that children often posses but never speak of include apprehensions about: living arrangements, economic needs and needs for nurturance. These children ar also crippled with the inability

to cope with tragedy, such as who should take care of them if the primary caretaker were to meet an unfortunate circumstance. A child has many needs that only a parent's presence can fulfill. Theoretical Framework Harry Stack Sullivan's Social Psychological Theory Human nature is plastic and malleable. Harry Sullivan, unlike many during his time, believed that a person's interpersonal interactions characterize a person's life. He believed that man is the product of social interactions and that the personality is an energy system. In a similar manner, Sullivan proposes that all men have needs. Needs may present themselves to be a general well-being of a person, or be more specific as in, physiological or they may be interpersonal like intimacy or intellectual as in academic success. From these needs arise 'tension' -- the motivation to act or to work. Tension may also be defined as the potentiality to action. Thus, man as an organism, needs to be satisfactorily productive. These are referred to as energy transformations which are the actions themselves. However, failure to meet these needs or to transform energy properly produces anxiety. It is this anxiety that gives way to inappropriate transformations of energy. Anxiety is disjunctive and has no consistency. An anxiety must be relieved and is often disruptive. One such anxiety that may be illustrated is when a child must first go school. The parent pushes the child away from himself and home and is put into anothers care. This form of rejection causes tension in a childs persona, such that his entire being is troubled, but is a cue for the start of a new chapter in his life. Sullivan outlines six stages of development prior to maturity: infancy, childhood, juvenile era, preadolescence, early adolescence, and late adolescence. It is in the early childhood years that a child establishes his self-system or pattern of behavior. It is here that the parents, or the primary caretakers begin to affect the development of a child.

Sullivan stresses the importance of the early to late teenage years in the overall development of the child. It is here that the child branches out and forms interpersonal relationships and builds intimacy with other people. Security is a key factor in determining the sound development of a childs passing on to the next stage with adequate success. For many, academic achievement often takes a back seat versus forming intimate relationships; however, without security or a home anchor in the presence of parents dynamisms that run contrary to the child's needs arise, producing undue tension. This event causes great anxiety that limits the childs efficiency in transforming energy. Hence, the child becomes unsuccessful in his academic undertaking. Conceptual Framework

Parenting in the Philippines is a very hands-on approach to child-rearing and child-raising. For Filipinos, the word family has a greater, broader and nobler concept than in the West. For many, the presence of all members of the family in a household is a source of pride. Unlike our Western counterparts, for a parent, a sibling, or a child, whether of adult age or not, to leave the household for reasons such as work or education is viewed as anathema or the face of supreme sacrifice. Likewise, the dedication shown by an offspring towards his studies and academic work is vital. In this culture, in fact, it is often an indicator that a child has been raised properly by solicitous and attentive parents. A poor grade is perceived by many as a result of inattention of parents or guardians to a childs well-being. Many researchers have linked absentee parenting as a major reason for poor academic results, although results vary. The trend towards poor academic achievement and parental absence is undeniable. According to Sullivans Interpersonal Model, a person has naturally recurring needs that must be met in order to sufficiently produce adequate tension. Tension contains the potential to transform energy. Transformed energy is apparent in the self-system, or the pattern of behavior established as a child develops. When needs are met, positive indicators of well-adjusted behavior become apparent. A child is theoretically viewed as an energy system.

On the other hand, unfulfilled needs build unbearable tension and create anxiety. This anxiety causes a student to become inefficient in his energy transformations. In short, he is unable to do satisfying work because the need to relieve the anxiety reduces his energy resulting in lack of academic achievement. Often, energy is misspent, or work is substandard. The anxiety is revealed in the negative indicators of academic achievement. Parents are pivotal in the fulfillment of their childs needs. Their position of authority and primary caretaker give them not only access but opportunity to do so. Furthermore, as parent, it is their primary purpose to fulfill needs that should have been met earlier in the childs development. Failure to fulfill those needs, such as attachment and security, results in accumulated tension. Although parents often set up surrogates in their place, the natural order of need fulfillment is still present. Because surrogates are not permanent, children do perceive them as inappropriate replacements, thus, insufficiently carry out their purpose.

Research Paradigm

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY

Research Design The researcher made use of non-experimental research design to determine the effects of parental absence on the academic achievement of Secondary students in Batangas Christian School - Batangas City. Non-probability sampling, specifically purposive/judgmental sampling was utilized, where subjects were chosen according to their age, year level and section, and parents who are not living with them. Participants of the Study The participants of the study are the Secondary level students of Batangas Christian School Batangas City. The participants are limited to 100 students who are experiencing parental absence.

Research Instruments and Techniques The descriptive method was used on the study to determine the effects of parental absence on the academic achievement of secondary level students in Batangas Christian School - Batangas City. Structured questionnaire was utilized in data gathering, reinforced by interviews. To validate the instrument used, pre-testing was done by the researcher to 20 secondary level students to attain the necessary data as precise within the limits of ability. Data Gathering Procedure the respondents of the research study are the selected secondary level students of Batangas Christian School - Batangas City. Before the data-gathering procedure, a letter of permission was sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies, _______________, for approval.This letter was previously approved by _________. Then, the researcher made another letter of permission that was sent to Rev. Ephraim S. Camacho, the administrator of Batangas Christian School for his approval to conduct the study within the institution. Upon approval, the researcher used different resources such as books, literature and Internet. The researcher, afterwards, made a letter to the respondents asking for their time and cooperation for the research study, assuring them that all their information will not be used against them and that their responses and identities will be kept strictly confidential. The study was generated through the use of structured questionnaire strengthened by interviews. The respondents were requested to answer the questionnaire as precisely as possible. Retrieval of the questionnaire was done after. Pre-testing was also done to twenty secondary level students to validate the instrument. Treatment of Data Subsequent to data collection, the researcher organized, tabulated, analyzed and presented the data using chi-square for data analysis and data interpretation.

January 8, 2013

Dear Respondent, I am currently conducting a research study entitled, "The Effects of Parental Absence on the Academic Achievement of Secondary Students in Batangas Christian School - Batangas City." Upon conducting this study, I need your cooperation by honestly answering the questionnaire. Please do not leave any question blank. Rest assured that all information provided will be held strictly confidential. Your response will be highly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. God bless you.

JOELLE P. CAMACHO Researcher

January 4, 2013 Rev. Ephraim S. Camacho Administrator Batangas Christian School Batangas City

Dear Sir, In connection with my research study entitled, "The Effects of Parental Absence on the Academic Achievement of Secondary Students in Batangas Christian School - Batangas City." I respectfully ask your permission to allow me to conduct a survey among the secondary students in your institution. I will be using a questionnaire in conducting the survey. Rest assured all information and data collected will be held strictly confidential. I am looking forward to your favorable response regarding this request. Thank you and more power to you and your good office. God bless you.

Sincerely,

JOELLE P. CAMACHO Researcher