Notre Dame of Midsayap College

Senior High School

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Teenage pregnancy is a global public health problem and has been a concern to all

health workers, community developers, industrialists, educationists, and parents since the

early 1990’s (Smith-Battle, 2000). The global residence of pregnancies among female less

than 18 years of age remains recipient in most countries such as the Philippines according

to the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS, 2013). Teenage pregnancy in the

Philippines rise 70% over 10 years, (Ugochi, Daniels 2012). The United Nations Fund for

Population Activities (UNFPA) has expound that the number of teenage pregnancies in the

country is an area of concern that the agency is giving serious attention.

Teenage pregnancy can change a student’s life in one snap; she may experience

difficulties in her studies because of the different changes while having a child inside her

womb. Moreoever, adolescents is a stage where teenagers adjust with the physical and

emotional changes in life (Learner & Steinberg, 2004). Teenagers prefer to go with their

peers rather than with their parents due to strong peer pressure. Early adolescence also

represents the period of sexual maturation (Montgomery, 2003).

In that view among adolescents, there are cases that some students in Notre Dame

of Midsayap College experienced pregnancy at an early stage like in the Senior High

School, and as the time goes by, early pregnancy has been rapidly increasing. Furthermore,
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the school takes necessary adjustments and consideration of these pregnant students. It is

in these reasons that the researchers are interested to delve into the lived experiences of

these students. The lived experiences of pregnant students is a big challenge because it is

not just about the situation about coping with their studies, but it is also about the gossips

coming from their peers which may lead to loss of confidence especially with their physical

appearance and losing verbal and non-verbal communication to everybody or to their peers.

The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the lived experiences of

pregnant students in terms of how they handle their studies, how they deal with their

problems, to know their feelings toward judgments and critics, and to know how they

budget their financial resources despite of their needs. Using the lens of Adaption Theory

(Roy, 1980), the focus was on the pregnant students’ significant experiences, coping

mechanisms, and motivations to continue studying. Methods of inquiry included

phenomenological analysis and reflection on data elicited by existential investigation on

pregnant students’ experiences, and investigation of their situations.

Statement of the Problem

Generally, this study aimed to explore on the lived experiences of pregnant

students in Notre Dame of Midsayap College. Specifically, it tries to answer the

following questions:

1. What are the significant experiences pregnant students encounter while being a

student at the same time?

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2. What are the coping mechanism/s of pregnant student in dealing with different

challenges and struggles of their situation?

3. What are the motivation/s of pregnant students to continue their studies despite of

being pregnant?

Significance of the study

The result of the study would be beneficial to the following persons and institutions:

Pregnant students. This study would benefit them to gain insights about their situation

and be aware of their responsibilities being both parent and a student.

Students. They could gain deeper understanding about the reality of a pregnant student

and most importantly for them to learn about the experiences that are encountered by

pregnant students. This will give them information about the possible effects and

consequences of teenage pregnancy to their study.

Parents. This study would give knowledge to parents to realize their great responsibility

in educating their children, keeping and averting them from engaging in premarital sex.

Researchers. The study would widen their knowledge and could gather data about the

experiences of a pregnant student.

Teacher. This study provides teachers knowledge about the life difficulties of pregnant

students in connection with the possible considerations they could give to their students

who have the same situation. At the same time, they could gain insights from the study to

guide their students.

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Guidance Counsellors. The results and observation would bring them relevant data that

can be applied in their counselling intervention.

Scope and Limitation

This study focused on the lived experiences of pregnant students through the use of

direct interview and personal question. This study provided a set of question that are

appropriate and not too aggressive so that they can freely share their experiences about

teenage pregnancy. Moreover, the study determined the difficulties and condition of Senior

High School students for being pregnant at an early age.

This study focused on the lived experiences of pregnant students and their personal

lives. The study was conducted at Notre Dame of Midsayap College, second semester of

the academic-year 2018-2019.

The participants of the study composed of three (3) teenage mothers aged 18-19

years old who are currently residing in the Midsayap, Philippines. The selection of the

participants was obtained through purposive sampling.

The inclusion criteria for this study include: informed consent signed by both

participants and at least one of the biological/legal foster parents; age bracket of 17 to 18

years old; has willingness to share their lived experiences; and their commitment to attend-

follow up dialogues.

Consequently, semi-structured in-depth interviews were facilitated as the main

research instrumentation in gathering the data. However, participants were given the option
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of they wish to be withdrawn anytime to preserve the principle of autonomy and

confidentiality. Observations, use of field notes personal, transcript and analytical, audio-

visual recording, and qualitative documents were also used to supplement the data

collection process.

Theoretical Lens

This phenomenological study was anchored on Adaptation Theory (Roy, 1980).

The theory defines adaption as the process by which an individual or group makes

conscious choices to cope with his or her situation. Adaptive responses increase people

ability cope and to achieve their goals including survival, growth, mastery of their lives,

and personal and environmental transformation’. However, Roy’s Adaptions Theory stated

four distinctive modes: (1) physiologic basic needs including food, sleep, air, water, and

the necessities of protecting body; (2) self-concept, beliefs, and feelings about self-role

identify/function; (3) personal perspective to the social world, and (3) interdependence or

personal relationship towards the whole organization.

Therefore, a person is an open adoptive system who uses coping skills to deal with

stressors.

In line with the study, the person represents the teenage mothers. Roy sees the

environment as all conditions, circumstances, and influences the surround and effect the

development and behaviour of the personal (Andrews and Roy, 1991). Environment

includes the challenges of the participants in facing life while being pregnant.
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However, Roy’s goal for nursing is “the promotion of adaptation in each of the

form modes, thereby contributing to the person’s health, quality of life, and dying with

dignity” (Roy 1980).

Definition of Terms

Teenage Pregnancy – is defined as a teenage girl specifically 17-18 years old within

Senior High school Department, becoming pregnant. This teenage girl barely or have not

reached legal adulthood and the only way to stop these phenomena is the absolute sexual

abstinence of young adults towards their partners or peers.

Sex maturity – is used to distinguish the capability to reproduce like in puberty stage.

Participants – pertains to the students who take part to our study. P1- stands for the

participants number 1, the same goes to the participant number 2 (P2) and 3 (P3). It refers

to the conversational partner who willingly participate in our study and one of the teenage

pregnant students in Notre Dame of Midsayap College. (NDMC)

Lived Experience – pertains to the representation of experience and events that happened

in pregnant students. Which in this study refers the adjustments, coping mechanism and

motivation their lives, this will serve as knowledge to the readers and for them to be able

to share their feelings regarding their current situation.

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Pseudonyms – define as the fictitious name used by the participant instead of her real

name.
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REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The literature reviewed in this study provided various perspectives that shed light

to the topic taken from various literary sources.

Related Literature

Teenage pregnancy and parenthood is a complex contemporary issue. Although

current statistical evidence collected within the European Union (EU) and the USA

suggests that absolute numbers of teenage mothers are falling, the number of infants born

to young mothers is still large and the number of recorded conceptions even larger.

Moreover, the available statistics, while reflecting a decline in teenage pregnancies, clearly

indicate that the rate at which the reduction in numbers is occurring is variable across

Europe, with the United Kingdom still showing the highest number of births relative to its

population. Generally construed as a ‘problem’ not only for the young mother and the child

but also for society at large, numerous writers have attempted to explore and identify the

possible reasons why an adolescent becomes pregnant (Holgate H.S. et al., 2006).

Teenage mothers are likely to be able to provide the warm and nurturing

environment that they themselves may have been denied. Numerous past studies (e.g.

Epstein 1980; Roosa 1983) cited by (Holgate H.S. et al., 2006) have reported that,

compared with older women, teenagers know less about effective child rearing during their

first successful pregnancy and show a preference for a more physical style of infant

stimulation and a less verbal style of interaction. In addition, discipline declines and child
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rearing generally becomes harder as infancy leads into toddlerhood (McAnarney 1985)

cited by (Holgate H.S. et al., 2006). Teen parents are regarded as disproportionately ‘at

risk’ for multiple social problems, even if they get married, and their offspring are ‘at risk’

for immature development, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and neglect. Whilst

there is an acceptance that the birth of a child to a young mother is not inevitably a high-

risk situation, the outcomes depend substantially on the level of support available to the

child and his or her parents (Holgate H.S. et al., 2006).

Teenage parenting continues to be a significant social problem despite dramatic

declines in the rates of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing in the United States since

the early 1990s. More than 750,000 teens become pregnant each year, with more than 50%

resulting in live births. Of these births, approximately 90% of the mothers choose to assume

the responsibilities of parenting themselves, rather than placing their children for adoption.

Considerable research suggests that many teen mothers and/or their children are at risk for

a variety of developmental problems. Moreover, this is describes the fate of a

representative sample of teen mothers and their children — in the late 1980s and early

1990s — across the first 8 years of their lives. On other hand, the existing literature suggests

that the life trajectories of adolescent mothers are highly variable, with perhaps only 33%

doing reasonably well as young adults (Furstenberg et al., 1987) cited by (Whitman T.L.

et al., 2001). It is likely that more than 50% of children with teen mothers will experience

academic difficulties in their early school years; problems perhaps due to delays in

intelligence, language, cognition, socio-emotional adjustment, and social competence

(Whitman T.L. et al., 2001)

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Teenage pregnancy and parenthood are by no means new occurrences in the United

States. However, in the past 30 years the social and economic contexts in which unmarried

young people become sexually active, conceive, make decisions about pregnancy

resolution, and become parents have changed dramatically. Such changes lead us today to

regard these behaviours and their consequences among adolescents as serious social

problems requiring intensive and formal public intervention. More attention and resources

than ever are being directed toward preventing pregnancy among teenagers, apparently

with some positive effect. The most current information available about teenage pregnancy

and childbearing shows a steady decrease in the

Proportion of teens who become pregnant and give birth: Since 1991, the rates of

both pregnancy and childbearing among American teenagers have fallen significantly and

continue to decline (Martin et al., 2001) cited by (Farber N., 2003). Among all women 15–

19 years old, the estimated pregnancy rate has fallen 15% since 1991 (National Vital

Statistics Reports, 2000). The birth rate for teens ages 15-17 reached a record low in 1998,

falling 18% (Ventura et al., 2000; Ventura, Curtin, & Mathews, 2001) cited by (Farber N.,

2003).
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Related Studies

Stroble C.M. (2013) conducted about the “essence” of what teen mothers

experienced in graduating from high school and attending is that they experienced a feeling

of accomplishment, faced struggles, challenges and dilemmas, but received a lot of support

and ultimately overcame their struggles because of support from family, community and

school. Educators interested in reducing the dropout rate among teen mothers can learn

from these findings. Schools must provide greater support to teen mothers. A starting place

is to provide (1) teen parenting programs/classes that provide childcare assistance and that

extend through college, and (2) supportive teachers. According to Critical Black Feminist

theory, these Black teen mothers faced several forms of oppression from the hegemonic

forces at play in society and schools; however, because of the matrices of structural support

that surrounded them (teen parenting programs and supportive teachers especially), and

their own sense of agency.

According to United Nations cited by Swartz (2002), for South Africa as a whole,

fertility was high and stable between 1950 and 1970. It was estimated at an average of6 to

7children per woman. It dropped to an average of4 to 5 children per woman in the period

1980 to 1995. SADHS cited by Swartz (2002) adds that the current total fertility rate (TFR)

of South Africa stands at 2,9. Chimere-Dan also cited by Swart (2002) states that Whites

experienced a long and sustained fertility decline from the end of the 19th century until

attaining below-replacement fertility by 1989, with a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1,9.Asian

fertility also declined steadily, from a total fertility rate (TFR) of about 6 in the 1950s to

2,7 in the late 1980s. Coloured fertility declined remarkably rapidly from 6,5 in the late
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1960s to about 3 by the late 1980s. African fertility is estimated to have decreased from a

high of 6,8 to a low of about 3,9 between the rnid-1950s and the early 1990s. Although it

continues declining, African fertility is still substantially higher than that of the other racial

groups.

In the research study conducted by Ankomah A. (2013), Adolescent mothers face

numerous challenges that put demands not only on the young mother’s stage of adolescent

development but also on their ability to adapt to the obligations of parenthood. Adolescent

mothers go through a variety of experiences in pregnancy, including financial hardship.

One key finding is evidence of how often teenage pregnancies are eventually accepted by

both the young women and their families, despite early displeasure at receiving the news.

Also observed was a rarity of willingness to resort to induced abortion.

This study identified several challenges faced by teenage mothers. Solutions to the

holistic problems of the adolescent mother cannot be found in the activities of a single

individual or service. The solutions can only be found through the coordinated effort of a

multidisciplinary and intersect oral team. The role of school health nurses should be

expanded to providing information on pregnancy and its risks, contraceptive use, abortion

and its complications, and early childbirth and its consequences. There is also a need for

health educators to focus on local high-risk groups and high-risk behaviour. In addition,

teenagers should be taught assertive interpersonal skills development, such as negotiating

and refusal skills in programs that allow young people to practice these skills. Special

programs should be initiated by government and the various responsible departments to

address ignorance concerning sexual matters, and the challenges and risks associated with
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pregnancy and parenting by adolescents. Parenting techniques should be taught in sex

education programs.

In the Philippines, the study of Pogoy A.M, (2014) determine the lived experiences

of early pregnancy among high and low performing students in terms of the causes, effects,

challenges and their coping mechanisms. The naturalistic paradigm was used in the study

with the purposively chosen informants with varied tools to cross-check their responses.

Results show that curiosity, lack of sexual knowledge, financial and family problems and

uncontrolled emotions cause pregnancy among teenagers. Teenage mothers face a lot of

challenges after pregnancy like providing proper care and needs of their child. High

performing teenage mothers are college levels and work for a living to support the needs

of their child. Low performing teenage mothers ended up as housewives. Teenage mothers

have less possibility to finish their studies after engaging in early pregnancy. Taking care

of the baby and providing financial assistance are challenges they encountered and tried to

cope up with. The academic performance, the financial status and support of the family of

teenage mothers determine if they can pursue their studies and achieve their dreams in life.

Sex and sexuality education should not just be a concept but should be developed further

as a complete discipline and much more research should be conducted to that regard.
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Chapter II

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The research approach undertaken in this study was qualitative research approach.

Qualitative research approach was chosen because the study sought to explore and

understand the meaning individuals or groups ascribed to a social or human problem

(Creswell, 2014) which in this study the lived experiences of pregnant students in Senior

High School were explored.

The study follows a phenomenological research design since the design of inquiry

of the research described the lived experiences of individuals about the teenage pregnancy.

This description culminates in the essence of the experiences for several individuals who

have experiences the phenomenon (Giorgi, 2009; Moustakas, 1994).

The phenomenological approach study design was used in gathering data through

series of complete phenomenological interviews in the field, where the behaviour of the

conversational partners naturally came. It is a phenomenological study type that analyses

and reports the status of the purposively chosen informants. The “what” and “how” are the

concerns of this phenomenological study, and the researchers captured the subjective

experiences of the conversational partners. The researchers conducted the interview to the

pregnant students and students who have experience teenage pregnancy.

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Omery (1982) and Oiler (1982) have both described phenomenology as a

philosophical movement and research method which examines and describes phenomena

as they consciously observed. The researcher build a trusting relationship with the

participants, by being open in communication and in expressing an interest and

understanding of participants’ experiences while eliminating moral judgment and treating

the participant as co-researcher.

Data Collection

The lived experiences, coping mechanism/s, motivations of pregnant students in

Senior High School were the focus of the study. Hence, the researchers concentrated on

the actions of the chosen participant and on how they showed their experiences about the

phenomenon of teenage pregnancy.

In phenomenology qualitative researches, the sample size would typically range

from three to ten (Cresweel, 2014). In this study, three conversational partners were chosen

purposefully by the researchers.

In this study, data were collected through audio recording and face to face

interview. The participants were invited to participate in a face to face interviews. Each

interview was 30 minutes long. The first interview was on January 17, 2019, the second

interview was on January 25, of 2019, and the last interview was on February 07, of 2019.

Furthermore, the goal of the interview was to obtain thick, rich description of the

lived experience of the participants. The first interview was held in the school library, the
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second interview was held in their own residence, and the last participant we interviewed

was held inside the Junior High School library.

The researchers also took notes and recorded their answers through smart phone

and a sheet of paper. The interview were formal but in a way that the participants would

not feel intimidated.

Data Source

The primary source of the data were the recorded responses of the conversational

partners which is from the question asked by the researchers based on the formulated

interview guide or guide questionnaire. The conversational partners were the ones who

decided as to when and where would be the place and time for the interview based on their

comfortability. Some conversational partners preferred to be in a place where no one is

around. They can expressed freely their feelings and emotions about their lived experience

of as pregnant student there.

Ethical Consideration

To ensure the ethical research, the researchers prepared consent agreement dealing

with the following considerations:

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PRIOR TO CONDUCTING THE STUDY

1. Secure letter of permission from the assistant principal of the Senior High School

Department of Notre Dame of Midsayap College to pursue the study.

2. Select sites that will not raise power issues with the researchers.

3. Give credit for work done on the project; decide on author order in future

publication.

BEGINNING THE STUDY

4. Conduct a needs assessment of informal conversations with participants about their

needs.

5. Contact participants, and inform them of the general purpose of the study.

6. Tell participants they do not have to sign the form.

7. Find out about cultural, religious, gender, and other differences that need to be

respected.

8. Obtain appropriate consent (e.g. parents as well as children)

COLLECTING THE DATA

9. The conversational partners’ identity will be kept anonymous by using

pseudonyms.

10. Build trust, and convey extent of anticipated disruption in gaining access.

11. Discuss purpose of the study and how data will be used.
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12. Avoid leading questions. Withhold sharing personal impressions. Avoid disclosing

sensitive information. Involve participants as collaborators.

13. Conversational partners may reject to answer some question.

14. Conversational partners may ask to stop the interview.

15. The researcher must ask for permission first to the conversational partners to audio-

record the interview.

16. The conversational partners may ask for a break during the interview.

17. The conversational partner will be informed or may ask for a copy for the result of

the study.

18. The conversational partners will allow themselves to meet the researcher at least

three (3) times:

 Signing of the informed consent and a very short meeting.

 Interview Proper

 During the validations of interpretations/analysis

19. The conversational partners will not receive any money, they will receive foods

during breaktime of the interview.

ANALYZING DATA

20. Report multiple perspectives.

21. Report contrary findings.

22. Assign fictitious names or aliases; develop composite profiles of participants.

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To ensure that the conversational partners were comfortable during the whole

interview, the researchers represented two (2) women researchers during the interview. At

the beginning of the interview, the informed consent was explained briefly by the

researchers to the chosen conversational partner. The conversational partners agreed and

signed the informed consent. After that, they discussed about where and when they will

meet. They were approached courteously with assurance that their identity will be

concealed. The interview was conducted in a private place while ensuring that they will

not be skipping any of their classes. The researchers considered the conversational

partners’ schedule and it was agreed the interview will take place during their break time.

There was no desire to invade the privacy of the conversational partners.

Role of the Researcher

The researchers conducted an in-depth interview and did the transcription of the

data. This is to study the live experiences of pregnant senior high school students and to

provide a thick description about their lived experiences.

Validity of Data

Trustworthiness in qualitative research is the claim that is made about the meaning

of dependable evidence and the methods used to assemble such evidence (Schwandt,

2007). In order to ensure trustworthiness various procedures were undertaken by the

researchers such as: member checking; rich, thick description to convey findings;
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presenting negative and discrepant information that runs counter to the themes; peer

debriefing; and the use of an external auditor. Creswell (2007) noted that using one or more

of the following procedures helps to ensure trustworthiness.

Member Checking

The researchers determine the accuracy of the qualitative findings through taking the final

report or specific descriptions or themes back to participants and determining whether these

participants feel they are accurate.

Rich, Thick Description

With the help of the raw transcripts from the interviews, the researchers provided

detailed descriptions of the setting and offer many perspectives about a theme. This way

the data and results would become more realistic and richer. This procedure can add

validity of the findings (Creswell, 2014).

Presenting Negative and Discrepant Information that Run Counter Themes

The researchers presented information that contradicts the general perspective of

the themes. By presenting these contradictory evidence, the account becomes more realistic

and valid.
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External Auditor

The researchers sought for an external auditor who can provide an objective

assessment of the project throughout the process of research or at the conclusion of the

study.

Data Analysis

Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted using a prepared

interview guide. Participants were encouraged to talk freely and to tell the stories using

their own word. To avoid confusion, the interviews were transcribe and the text were being

read after each interview. The transcription of the lived experience of the students involved

with teenage pregnancy was analyzed using Collaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological steps

(cited in Sanders, 2003; Speziale & Carpeter, 2007).

(1) All taped interviews were transcribed verbatim by the researchers. Each

transcript was be read and re-read in order to obtain a general sense about the whole

content. (2) For each transcript, Significant Statements (SS) that pertain to the phenomenon

under study were extracted. The statements were recorded on a separate sheet (Microsoft

Word), while placing numbers in ascending order at the left side of the transcript to note

the pages and line of the participant’s transcript of conversation.

(3) Formulated Meanings (FM) were formulated from the SS. (4) The Formulated

Meanings were then clustered based on the themes or ideas that emerged. FM were

expressed in short phrases in such way that it encapsulated the idea generated by each

cluster of SS.
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(5) To generate a common theme from the FM, the FMs were again clustered in

such a way that for each cluster they will point out a Theme. Then based on the themes that

emerged, they were clustered again to encapsulate a mother theme. The mother theme

became the main Theme of the findings, while the previous themes that were clustered

became the Subtheme of the main Theme.

(6) The findings of the study (Themes) were be integrated into an exhaustive

description of the phenomenon under study. The fundamental structure of the phenomenon

were described. (7) Finally, the researchers validated the findings sought from the research

participants to compare the researcher’s descriptive results with their experiences.

Figure 1 illustrates the process of descriptive phenomenological data analysis

created by Colaizzi (1978).

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Figure 1. Summary of Collaizi’s strategy for phenomenological

data analysis.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

This qualitative research aims determine the lived experiences, the different coping

mechanisms, and motivations of Senior High School pregnant students of Notre Dame of
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Midsayap College in the school year 2017-2018. They expressed their willingness to

participate.

Exclusion Criteria

One of the weaknesses of the study was the small number of informants. Another

weakness was that the participants were only gathered from Senior High School

Department who continued studying in Notre Dame of Midsayap College. Students who

got pregnant and decided to stop schooling were not included.

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Chapter III

RESULTS

This chapter details the result of the qualitative analysis to answer to the following

questions: (1) What are the significant experiences pregnant students encounter while being

a student at the same time?; (2) What are the coping mechanism/s of pregnant students in

dealing with different challenges and struggles of their situation?; and (3) What are the

motivation/s of pregnant students to continue their studies despite being pregnant?

Considering that not all the pregnant students of Senior High School of Notre Dame

of Midsayap College can be captured and described, the present study relied on the use of

narrative inquiry through using interview. This method provides a useful avenue for

understanding how this phenomenon occurs (Heck, 1998) and how it is shaped and

illuminated by personal experiences. The phenomenological description contained in this

study involved the pregnant students in the Senior High School Department who continued

studying at Notre Dame of Midsayap College.

To capture the essence of pregnant students’ lived experiences, coping mechanisms

and motivations, in-depth interview was used as the data gathering technique (Van

Maanen, 1992). Specifically, the following key questions were asked during the interview.

(1) How can you manage your time as a student while you are pregnant? (2) What are the

difficulties/personal aversion you encountered while you were pregnant? (3) What are your

experiences as a pregnant student? (4) How did you manage your academic demands? (5)

What are your motivations to pursue your ambitions in life? (6) How do you feel right now
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being pregnant? (7) How is your relationship with your loved ones? (8) Are you contented

with your situation? (9) What are your plans in the future?

The interview was conducted in the NDMC, their school, because it was the chosen

and place of the participants. Also, they were the ones who determined the time of their

interview. The two participants felt convenient to be interviewed at the Junior High School

Library at NDMC, while the other participant opted to be interviewed in their home.

Interview proceedings were transcribed. In writing the phenomenological

description of the subject’s experiences, the implementation of Colaizzi’s (1978) was

employed. This procedure used to provide assistance in extracting, organizing and

analysing such narrative dataset.

Categorization of Emergent Themes

As soon as in-depth interviews were accomplished, the audio recordings were

transcribed, translated and analyzed. The display of information in which we settled on

presenting the information is shown in Table 1. The presentation of information in matrix

form was patterned and conformed to Colaizzi’s (1978) format for phenomenological

qualitative research design and it made use of four classifications: challenges, acceptance,

decision making and ambitions.

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Table 1. Formulated Meanings, Theme Clusters, and Emergent Themes Derived from the
Thematic Analysis of the Data

Formulated Meanings Theme Clusters Emergent Themes

SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES

 Physical demands Physical Changes Challenges

 Change in physiological aspects

 Financial Difficulties Difficulties

 Time management difficulties

 Regrets of situation Disappointments

 Disappointment of parents
 Fear of judgement
 Insecurities
 Depression

 Good relationship with partner Contentment Acceptance

 Emotionally Contented

COPING MECHANISMS

 Planning to stop to find a job Responsibilities Decision Making

 Planning to stop to take care the baby

 Saving money
 Parental support Assistance Ambition
 Peer support

 Ignore the judgement Optimism

MOTIVATIONS
 Acceptance of parents Acceptance
 Acceptance of situation
Determination

 Motivated by baby's future Inspiration

 Motivated by goals in life

To categorize the information, the themes were presented by research questions in

the column Formulated Meaning (FM). Alongside Formulated Meanings are the Theme

Clusters which were derived from the clustering of FM according to the congruency of
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ideas. Another column was included in the table showing the Emergent Theme (ET) based

on the frequency and congruency of the responses which became the basis for the

challenges, acceptance, decision making, and ambitions of the participants in their

situation. The conclusion drawn were verified in this point in the study during which,

according to Miles and Huberman (1994), are the preliminary ideas and patterns about the

findings are developed.

Findings

In this study, Table 1 showed five interesting themes that emerged from the

experiences of the interviewees. The themes are as follows: (A) Significant Experiences

- (1) Challenge; (B) Coping Mechanisms – (1) Decision-Making and (2) Ambitions; and

(C) Motivations - (1) Determination.

Further, the Themes presented above composed of Subthemes (ST) derived from

the clustering based on the congruency and frequency of ideas. Table 2 illustrates Themes

and Subthemes derived from the data.

Table 2. Themes and Subthemes derived from the analysis of the data

THEME/S SUBTHEME/S

Significant Experiences Challenges Physical Changes

Difficulties
Disappointments

Acceptance Contentment
Continued…
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Continuation… Table 2

Coping Mechanisms Decision-Making Responsibilities

Ambition Assistance
Optimism

Motivation Determination Acceptance

Inspiration

Finally, a final thematic map is shown on Table 3 below constructed from different

clusters of Themes and Formulated Meanings.

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Table 3. Final Thematic Map Constructed from the Different Clusters of Themes
and Formulated Meanings.
First Theme: Second Theme
Challenges Acceptance

Physical Changes Contentment

 Physical demands  Good relationship with partner

 Change in physiological set-up  Emotionally Contented

Difficulties

 Financial Difficulties
 Time management difficulties

Disappointment

 Regrets of situation
 Disappointment of parents
 Fear of judgement
 Insecurities
 Depression

Third Theme Fourth Theme

Decision Making Ambition

Responsibilities Acceptance

 Planning to stop to find a job  Acceptance of parents

 Planning to stop to take care the baby  Acceptance of situation

Assistance Inspiration

 Saving money  Motivated by baby's future

 Parental support  Motivated by goals in life
 Peer support

Optimism

 Ignore the judgement

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Chapter IV

DISCUSSION

Presented in this chapter are the discussions, conclusions, implications for practice

and implications for future research, which were based from the developed themes during

the data analysis stage.

At the onset of the study, the main goal was clearly manifested, it explored and

discovered the lived experiences of pregnant Senior High School students. Its purpose is

to extract the experiences of pregnant students and disclosed the emotions and ideas they

have had and discover how they have survived and lived in the state of being pregnant

while being a student at the same tie.

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In this situation, taking the idea of Kulkarni (2013), it can be noted to bear in mind

that the goal of qualitative phenomenological research is to describe a lived experience of

a phenomenon. As this qualitative analysis of narrative data, methods to analyse is data

must be quite different from more traditional or quantitative methods of research. The

participants have described their lived phenomenal experience serving as the primary data

in the present study. The participants of the study were three participants who are the

pregnant Students of Notre Dame of Midsayap College. Their lived experiences, which are

narrated and discussed, were categorized into themes based on the core ideas they have

expressed in response to the questions asked. The themes were presented and discussed

below.

Physiological and Physical Changes

A pregnant student undergoes many physical changes i during the nine months of

pregnancy. Some of these physical changes are visible, such as an expanding belly and

weight gain. They also experienced changes in their biological set-up and physical

demands. One of the formulated theme is: Physical Change can affect the pregnant

students’ everyday life. P2’s and P3’s answered that they wanted to join some activities at

school but they cannot join because of the physical limitations since they were pregnant

and changes in their biological set-up occurred. In addition P1 and P3 have experienced

being conscious about their own selves and become envious towards other people’s

physical appearance. The answer of the participants are as follows:

Stress na kaayo kay kanang… syempre 7 months na diba lisdan jud

kaayo ma-tulog ana so…gina hilot-hilot pako sa ko sang akuang uyab bago ko
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maka tulog. As in lisud jud kaayo mao nang naga itom akuang mata. Lisdan murag
malisdan gud ko mag ano kay syempre ginaantok ko murag gusto nako rest pero
ga laban gud nga ay "di pud mag skwela ayawg tulog dira kay naa pud mo'y klase"
ingana ba. (P1)

Sa akua kis-a kanang ma-miss nako mag tan-aw ko sa Facebook, ma-miss

nako makita nako akuang mga pictures nga naka suot ug mga sexy kayo, ma-miss
gud nako pero ano man kanang akuang gina-isip lng gud na "ayy dili man ko
habang buhay buntis" (P1)

Naga itom akuang mata kaayo tapos sa school karon ma lisdan murag
malisdan gud ko mag ano kay syempre ginaantok ko murag gusto nako rest.(P1)

Syempre, lisod siya kay labaw na nang magsaka ka sa hagdanan unya

buntis ka. labaw na sa Lab mo sa 3rd floor, sakit man pero kaya lang man siya,
nakaya man. (P2)
Lisud siya pero ma-overcome man sad nako… mga nahitabo ma-overcome
man sad gyapun. Halimbawa, kanang gusto kayo nako…mag-apil pero dili ko nila
ipaapil kay concern sila sa akua, kaya mag-adjust nalang pud ko, kay para man
sad to sa akua. (P3)

Lisud siya kay hindi nako ma cope up kay naay times na limatanun na kaayo
ko... kay ing-ana jud daw ang buntis tapos katulugun pajud ka. (P3)

Oo usahay ma conscious ko sa akuang nawung, sa akuang ginasuot kay dili

na parehas sa una. Pero karun okay naman na m- adjust man pud ko.(P3)

Maapektuhan eh, syempre kita baya ka na ga basketball pako dako na ako

tiyan. (P2)
Mag away man mi siguro tungod sa maglagot ko saiyaha kay syempre
lalaki siya (P1)

Pregnant students is viewed by all the single participants as a big responsibility and

the prospect of shouldering the responsibility of being a mother. Although, the participants

may have different situations, most of them had encountered the same problems and
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challenges in their lives. The participants have problems in their physiological changes

such as changes in their sleep patterns. They also experienced changes in their biological

set-up and causing physical demands.

Physical changes means experiencing different changes in their physical health and

physical appearance. According to the participants, as a pregnant student, they have

difficulties in sleeping because of their physical health. They also felt tired especially in

school activities. One of the participants discussed about the school structure because they

have difficulties in going up on stairs; they also indicate that they felt stressed because of

the great chages in thir bodies. One participant discussed that she felt stressed whenever

she would look on her previous photos in Facebook. Although that’s the situation, she also

felt consoled by saying “they will not remain pregnant”, in other words, it will come to

pass.

These findings confirmed on the study of Ministry of Health and Social Services

(MOHSS) (Justus, 2017) that despite these bad experiences, some adolescent mothers

responded quite happily about these changes during pregnancy and express their wellness

during the gestational that pregnancy affects all systems in the female body, including the

nervous system which has to do with the mind; which is being triggered by many factors.

This factors, which affect the behaviors of a woman, are sometimes attributed to hormonal

alterations. This change marks the beginning of psychological tasks of pregnancy and the

sense of mothering.

Most participants in this study viewed pregnant students having experienced a lot

of difficulties, but they showed that they are happy and that they accept their situation. This

group includes teenagers who were currently studying at Notre Dame of Midsayap College.
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Difficulties

Pregnant teenagers experience many difficulties in their everyday lives. They were

asked to express their feeling as single individuals, specifically to the burdens and

difficulties that they had experienced while they were pregnant. There were many

adjustments that should be taken care of by these pregnant students including the

management of their time and income which affected in their lived experiences. The

subject was also one of the core themes of the findings. P1 and P2 states that due to being

pregnant at an early age they were not financially ready and they experienced difficulties

in budgeting their money. According to P3, they don’t have enough money to sustain the

needs of her baby because all their money goes to the hospital bill. Also, P2 states that she

was having difficulties in her own time because now she has a baby and as the same time

she is a student. The answer of the participant as follows:

Kabalo man jud ko na ready siya pero dili financially ready siya ug ako dili
pud ko ready emotionally ana pero ana sya nga magiging ready tayo ana sya dili
natun isipun nga ano..Ready siya pero dili financially ready siya ug ako dili pud ko
ready emotionally ana pero ana sya nga. (P1)
Nagtagal kami sa regional ng three days kasi nahirapan kami maghanap
ng pera… (P3).

Happy nako. pero di man pod nimo maingon na kontento kana kay
syempre wala pa gud kay income sarili nimo...(P2)
Ang kis-a ma-ano mi murag wala kanang dili jud mi kanang as in ma
zerohan jud sa kwarta pero naa jud time na murag gamay nalang jud kaayo nga
di jud ma budget… (P1)
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Maglisod jud ko sa akong time management syempre sayo pa sa buntag

prepare pa nako ang gamit ni Kylie para dal-on didto sa pikas kay si mamang mana
gabantay maglisod pud ko mao nang usahay kung naga numbed man akong didi
kay dili madidi ni kylie sa kailangan gid nako mag uli para magpa didi, mao tung
kunyari pagkaudto, dali-dali ko ug uli diri dili man pwede na dili ko. (P2)

With the difficulties pregnant students’ encounter, they are hoping that they can

manage all the difficulties or challenges that come into their lives and being able to help

themselves to lessen the problems they are experiencing. There are circumstances that they

have difficulties in handling money, they are not financially ready, and handling their time

management is of course a perplexing issue.

In this connection, the experiences of the pregnant students confirmed Molborn &

Morningstar’s (2009) research which revealed that high level of stress among pregnant

adolescent might not just be caused by childbearing since they already suffered from the

stress even before their pregnancy.

This emotional problem is taught to be associated with unwanted pregnancy,

unpreparedness to parenting, family disapproval, and disappointment, and belief that

pregnancy is their biggest mistake. Adolescents who are pregnant are considered to be

under a crisis, and having low resiliency in coping with this crisis is believe to be

responsible to this emotional problem. Majority of adolescents in Molborn and

Morningstar’s (2009) study admitted they have the ability to cope with their pregnancy,

yet they still had substantial emotional problem. Since many of the adolescents admitted

to received good level of support from their family, their emotional problem would not

simply be explained by the quantity of the support.

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Therefore, many pregnant students have difficulties with financial needs because

of not being ready. The participants expressed their feelings about their situation and share

on how hard being a pregnant while at the same time a student

Based from the result of this study the researchers concluded that student mothers

have difficulty in managing their time. More so, they are being judged by the people around

them, since early pregnancy in the Philippine culture is unusual scenario. Furthermore,

based from the narratives of the participants, their role as a parent was sometimes being

hampered because they need to fulfil their roles as student.

Disappointments

Disappointment was one of the consequences that pregnant students experienced.

Similarly, it is also one of the themes derived from this study. These disappointments were

attributed their parents, from their peers and friends, and from their own selves as well. It’s

natural to encounter disappointments by the people around you and disappointment

towards yourself about your situation because you didn’t expect some things that you could

do such a thing like P1, P2 and P3 all responded that their parents felt very disappointed,

but in the end they received acceptance. They experienced regret about their current

situation, towards the end and they considered their situation as a blessing as well.

Furthermore, P3 narrated that “when you make a decision, you should think wisely”.

Siguro kanang hadlok hadlok ko nga…mabal’an sa akuang parents tung wala pa

nila na bal'an... (P1)
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…grabe hilak ni mama that time. Ano gud ma feel nako na murag...sakit gid para
sa iya kay only daughter ko… (P1)

Tung nabal-an ni papa syempre suko kaayo siya sa akua gi pangsunog niya
akung gamit… (P1)

At first, nagsisi ko kay naga-eskwela ko pero natanggap man sad nako... (P1)

Maglisod pa jud ko labaw na may bata dili pa jud nimo ma-feel na happy... (P2)

Oo,syempre nagsisi ko una-una, unta wala nako ni gihimo kay nawala ang
barkada, pero sige nalang…dawat nalang ta... (P2)

Happy nako pero di man pod nimo maingon na kontento kana kay syempre wala
pa gud kay income sarili nimo...(P2)

Una-una naa ko pinagsisihan pero karun wala naman... (P2)

I regret because I can’t enjoy my teenage life… (P2)

About sa...papa ni Kylie (hmmp) ...kay syempre bulag mi unya buntis ko, unya
maong stress ko… sigeg hilak nalang ba.(P2)

…naisip ko man gid na …basig unsa nalang… si papa gani nag ingon na mag stop
nalang ko…(P2)

Karang...ano dili jud dapat mag dire-diretso ug isip nang dapat isipun kung unsa
himuon kaysa japun mag suffer. (P3)

Naay time nga depressed ko pero…..naka adjust pud dayun ko kay naay mga
nagatabang sa akua... (P3)

The participants narrated their personal experiences as to why they remain strong

keep on fighting for their rights despite of their wrong decision. P1 narrated that her father

is against and can’t accept her situation. P2, on the other hand, experienced being scolded

by her parents, but later on they accepted her situation and stated that the baby is a blessing.

P3 stated that she also experienced being scolded but her parents have do not have any

choice, so, they just accepted her situation.

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The participants indicated that they have been a disappoint to their parents, they

regret about on their situation, they felt happy but not that contented just like their life

before when they were not pregnant, and there is also time that they felt depressed, but they

are also thankful because there were persons who helped them.

Common among the three participants the feeling of guilt. From the perspective of

the participants’ parents, this fact is characterized as an unexpected event and, at first, leads

to reactions of surprise and discontent; this involves feelings that lead to denial, anger and

worry. However, after the impact of the news these feelings gave way to reception and joy.

In this context, it is the mother who, most often, more openly accepts her daughter’s

pregnancy. The relationship between mother and the pregnant daughter occurs in the world

of life also called social world. This is a scenario in which human coexist and lived

together, understanding and being understood through inter subjective relations that are

establish.

Contentment

The pregnant students were asked to express their feelings as single individuals,

particularly in the area of being happy and contented, their self-fulfilment, and the burdens

and difficulties they have experienced that affected them emotionally. Immediate family

members can also provide love and happiness, which most pregnant participant’s enjoy.

Also, they feel contented because they have good relationship with their partner and they

already accepted their situation.

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Contentment displays as one of the themes derived from the answer of pregnant

students. Pregnant students shared their feelings to justify their status and reason out that

they have made the right decision in their situations. However, regardless of their reasons,

they have all the rights to live the kind of life they have chosen and enjoy it. P1 and P2

mentioned that they were already contented and that they are happy together with their

partners.

On the other hand, P1 shows her contentment and happy about her situation:

Happy at the same time kay… sa…relationship sa akuang partner ana.. Happy mi
ana..(P1)

Wala koy regret saakuang life kay happy kaayo ko saakuang life karon ug
Contented…Oo happy ko... (P1)

Meanwhile, P3 also shared:

Siya, akuang uyab… happy pud siya kay ing-ani buntis ko tapos giingun
niya…alalayan niya ko ug di niya pud ko biyaan . (P3)

Responsibilities

The participants narrated their personal lived experience sas to why being a

pregnant woman comes with a great responsibility, especially that they were still young

P1 narrated that she wanted to stop after she will graduate in Senior High School

because she wanted to take care of her baby. P2 and P3 states that they wanted to stop after

they graduated in Senior High School because they wanted to save money, for them to not

become a burden anymore to their parents and also for them to support their financial needs
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and wants. All this were confirmed by P1, P2 and P3, whose answer were classified as

congruent with each other.

Siguro naga plan ko na mag stop biskan one year ra kay biskan mag stop
ko, akoang mama supportahan dyapon ko inig balik ug skwela. Ing-ana sya
saakua na...dapat ano kanang dili mi mag anodili mi sige gasto... (P1)

…kay para may maipon pag skwela kay kapoy na kung magsalig ila mama
oy..naa pay bata ug mao jud na akong plano siguro,magtrabaho sa ko. Syempre
may plano man ko na mag stop sa ko one year. Si ko mag college sa kay mag
trabaho sa ko. (P2)

Karon mag college mag stop ko… So, magtrabaho ko sa amoa lang sad
japon. Sa tindahan then mag online selling… Kung unsa pa mahimo. Ana nga
para may mapangastos sa balay... (P3)

Participants would devote their lives to please their immediate families particularly

their parents and their babies. They felt that it is part of their responsibility to provide for

their parents and baby.

Teenage mothers have less possibility to finish their studies after engaging in early

pregnancy. Taking care of the baby and providing financial assistance are challenges they

encountered. The academic performance, the financial status, and support of the family of

teenage mothers determine if they can pursue their studies and achieve their dreams in life.

On the other hand, pregnant participants took the role of taking the responsibility

in taking care of their baby and also putting a small business to sustain their financial needs.

They managed their failure by putting things right in taking the great responsibility of

rearing their child. All of the participants’ plans to stop their study aims to prioritize things

especially for them as parents already. As parent, they have a big responsibility to face like

providing proper care and needs of a child. Rearing a child was a great challenge especially

for a teenage mother because they were not yet prepared but they faced it with courage.
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Even they knew that they might be at risk, they were willing to give their sacrifices for the

benefit of their child.

Assistance

Teenage pregnancy can change a student’s lifestyle in terms of their financial needs

and wants that lead them to find ways to find money in order to fulfil their financial needs.

Also, they do it, to cope up also with their academic demands and to continue and survive

in the Senior High School. Hence, they badly needed financial support from their parents

and peers because they still don’t have work

Thus, taking a role of being pregnant, they find ways to gain income. This was

shown from the statements P1, P2 and P3. P1 and P2 said that they were still dependent

with their parents’ financial support. On the other hand, P3 stated that she will built her

own small business in order to sustain their basic needs. In addition, P2 narrated that she

can cope up with her academic demand with the help of her classmates. Moreover, P3

stated that her friends and classmates assisted her in terms of academic demands. They

even provided her with emotional support.

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Tapos akoang ano ga suport akoang mama so malisdan ra mii kay

(uhmmm) kung kung kanang malisdan mi kay naga prepare pa mii naga prepare
pa mii sa manganak ko tapos mga gamit ni baby… dapat ano kanang dili mi mag
anodili mi sige gasto...(P1)

Ah syempre eh nalisdan (tweet tweet) kay usahay lang (tweet tweet), karon
nagasalig pa lang ko (tweet tweet) kay mama kay alangan (tweet tweet) ga skwela
pa lang ko ug ga eskwela(P2)

Naa ma ang pamilya sa lalaki...mga tito,tita.....syempre di jud ko

magproblema una-una kay naa man sila magtabang (P2)

Naglisod ko, kunyari, (ongeee-ongeee) wala ko kapalit kay kylie (tweet)

tapos wala kwarta si mama (hmm) (ongeeeee-ongeeee) ang akong balon akong
(ongeeee-ongeeee-ongeeee-ongeee) gina ipon arun naa koy ipalait ug diapers,(P2)

Mangayog kuan kung (tweet) kung unsa man mga assignment (tweet),
projects na dili nako maanohan (P3)

…dili man mawala ang tabang sa ginikanan(P3)

Mag ano...mangayog....mangayog kuan sa mga klasmates unsay tawag

ana? tung mga lessons mao na. Mag study para may maanswer japon ka..tingala
gani ko sige ko absent taas akong grado.(P2)

Naga lala nagud sila… Ti nagpasok ako sa madami din daw gawa…
Gawain… (swish swish) kato gicomfort ako nila… Simula sato nag sige na
sila(swish…. Swish…. Swish…. Swish….) comfort sa akoa tung unsa akong gusto
ipanghatag gud nila… Tapos kuhaan mga… Attendance attendance sila nayung
naga. Naga. Ano saakin. Na naga. Gawa tapos… Naa tung… May time na medyo.
Stress ako. Gina.. Ano nako nila.. Gina pa happy.. kay lisod na ma stress ang
buntis ganyan..(oo).. yun…(P3)

Mag online selling lang at tsaka magpatayo ng tindahan dun sa amin...(P3)

One of the biggest concerns as a young parent is revolves around money in order

to care for their child and their selves. Knowing what your main expenses such as food,

clothing, transport, childcare and health and where to get financial support can help you to

manage this expenses and reduce stress whether they are supported in full or part by their
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family and partner, or earning an income. The participants are saving money and

sometimes they are using their own allowance to support their children’s needs.

Moreover, one the participant concluded that her classmates are assisting/helping

her in coping up with her academic demands and indicated that her friends are comforting

her when she has problems.

Optimism

Being pregnant at early stage will surely cause gossips and judgment from other

people around. The only way to overcome it is to disregard these people and to have a sense

of optimism deep inside.

Furthermore, ignoring the judgment of the other people is one of the strategies the

pregnant students do to survive and to keep on living.

Ayy,syempre..daghan jud chismis.....wala lang ko..kabalo sila Liva ana..sila

Vani..na kaingon gani si Vani na strong daw kaayo ko kay maskin nabuntis ko,
nagsulod-sulod daw japon ko ug skwelahan..wala man..wala na nako na gina-
mind..Basta makaayo mag-eskwela.(P2)

…akuang gi butang sa akuang mindset nga ignore ang tanan nga ano na
judgement. (P1)

The participants have experienced being talked by other people because of their

situation. Being pregnant at an early age can cause other to gossip and make hasty

judgment. The only way to disregard this is not to mind those negative comments. The
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participant indicated that they need to ignore the rumours so that it will not affect them and

cause a problem and disappointment among themselves.

Acceptance

Acceptance is one of the themes derived from the answer of pregnant students.

They have many challenges in life but they accept all of the trials that come in their

everyday lives. The participants may have different kinds of problems but most of their

problems have something in common. The pregnant students were asked to express their

feelings as single individuals, particularly in the area of being happy and contented and the

burdens and difficulties they have experienced. The answer of participants are as follows:

Dili-dili kau una-una naghilak sila kay nga na ing ani ko . pero pero murag
natanggap sad nila kay, wala sad japun silay mahimo na. unya mali man sad nako.
tapos wala napud silay mahimo. (P3)

Nasayangan sila sa akua pero…. Naay mga iban nako nga friends na mag
lain sa akua kay ing-ani daw ko nang wala na sila gapamansin sa akua ana. Pero
na accept man pud na nako kay mas daghan man ang friends nako nga nagatabang
sa akua ng naa japun sa side nako.. (P3)

Gina pray nalng nako sa ano sa ginoo na i guide mo lang si mama nga unta
di sya mawalaan saakua tapos ano so far di man kaayo hirap si mama na ano na i
accept ko kay kabalo gid ko na kung ka unsa gid ko ka palangga ni mama tapos
suportado nya gid ko (P1)
Wala..dawat naman nila...palangga gani kaayo nila ang bata....labaw na
ng kung mamatay,grabi ilang hilak (P2)

P1, P2, and P3 all responded that even though at first their parents scolded
them, they were still accepted towards the end.
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Pregnant students experienced many difficulties just for them to be accepted by

their parents and their peers. They gain a lot of courage to tell their situation towards their

parents and peers. It’s normal that being pregnant is not easy to convince their parents to

accept their situation and to hear out their explanation. At the end the participant’s situation

were accepted and supported by their parents.

Inspiration

The pregnant students narrated their motivation in life despite of their situation. P1

and P3 stated what motivated them most is the bright future of their baby. In addition, P1

mentioned that she also motivated by her situation right now.

Ang naga motivate jud saakua first.. Akuang ano.. Akuang situation. (P1)

Gusto nako nga bisag ingani ang natabo saakua kanang iprove gud nako
na.. Kaya japon nako iahon akon sarili ang ano lng.. Ug kaya nako ano murag
kaya nako lampasan kay problema ra ni sya ug wala ni wala ta hatagan nga
problema na di natu kaya tapos akuang baby kay.. syempre isipun nako na unsa ba
akuang unsa ba akuang mahatag siyaha if ano if unsay iyahang future (P1)

Ah.. yung baby ko. Yung parents atsaka…. Kay uyab ko. Sila tapos may mga
goals din ako na gusto ko na tuparin.(P3)

P1 and P3 were motivated with their baby because they want to give their baby a

bright future. Each of the participant experienced discouragements which inspired them to

continue living.
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Pregnant students stated each of their inspirations in life . P1 mentioned that the

thing that inspired her the most is her situation and the bright future of her baby. P3 stated

that what motivated her is her baby and her boyfriend and also her parents who served as

an inspiration to her.

Teenagers have a lot of dreams in life that inspires them, but being pregnant at early

age may change their plans and dreams to make them strive harder in achieving the things

they desire.

Implication for Future Research

Based on the findings of the study, this study would provide a deeper knowledge

for the readers and may consider that pregnancy among teenagers is not easy and very

challenging, causing a life of a student to change in an instant.

The school should reconsider some rules for those students who were pregnant like

transferring of assigned rooms in first floor instead at the second and third floor for them

not to feel exhausted. The researchers also recommend to have a comfortable place for

pregnant students, and also consider that they cannot follow the proper dress code.

The teenage mothers in this study had often experienced quite major difficulties

because of their childbearing, such as pressure from family members to terminate the

pregnancy, they seemed to cope with these in a mature way. Often, they had seen

motherhood as the turning point that helped them to see what they wanted to do with their

lives. This was partly because of the responsibility of looking after the next generation.
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Although, they realized that they had missed out on some of the experiences of their

contemporaries, they saw motherhood as more rewarding. They were optimistic about their

futures and often planning new careers.

Concluding Remarks

The general view of the study showed the lived experiences of teenage pregnant

students at Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC), particularly the three female

pregnant students taken as participants of the study. They have shown that being pregnant

affects their school performance and behaviors towards the people around them and

because they were not sagacious enough to interact with them, they become more envious

towards the other people through their physical appearances. In fact, all of them came up

with an idea to stop schooling after they will graduate in Senior High School to provide

financial assistance for the needs of their child. These pregnant students states that being

pregnant at early age comes with a great responsibility and many adjustments come along

the way. They learned and muster courage and patience for them to be accepted by their

parents and peers.

Also, being pregnant hinders pursuance of one’s desire because instead of enjoying

one’s life to the fullest while she is young, there is a baby that she should take care of in

the future and devoted herself to a life-long role of being a mother.

Hence, teenage pregnancy comes up with a lot of adjustments. They need help,

support and understanding from the people them around to cope up with their studies.
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These are their motivation to keep on going despite all the challenges that came into their

lives and also for their baby. God has a plan for them.