Effects of Parents’ Separation to the Academic Performance of Senior High

School Students

By:

Asdilla, Alexia Shane

Dela Cruz, Stephanie

Francisco, Gian Carlo

Reyes, Vanessa

Rosales, Elayza
 Chapter 1

This includes the Background of the study, Statement of the problem,

Hypothesis, Significance of the Study, Scope and Limitations and Definition of

Terms

Background of the Study

Each year over a million Filipino children suffer due to the separation of their

parents, separation that causes irreparable harm to all involved, but most

especially to the children. The number of separated couples in Philippines is

increasing, and public concern is growing about the consequences for children

who experience this kind of change in their family life. This issue can affect the

child in many aspects but the researchers focus on their academic performance.

Observations and experience made the researchers curious about the effect of

parents’ separation to the academic performance of the children, specifically

Senior High School students.

Separation weakens the family, especially the children. Many studies have

been conducted about the impact of family conflict, specifically parental breakup

on the social adjustment and well-being of children. It has been observed that

mean differences between children of separated parents and other children are

not always that marked (Furstenberg and Kiernan, 2001). However, compared to

children whose parents live together, children whose parents have broken up are

more likely to experience certain physical health problems, suffer from

depression, anxiety and other disorders, present various externalized behaviour

problems, be less successful in school, stay in school for a shorter length of time,

and experience more social relations problems (Ambert, & et. Al 2009). Children

who have experienced a separation of parents frequently have lower academic

achievement than children from non-separated families (Wolchick, 2002). In a

review done on family and school factors related to adolescents’ academic

performance, it noted that it is two times more likely for a child from a separated

family to drop out of high school than a child from a non-separated family. These

children from may also be less likely to attend college, resulting in the

discontinuation of their academic career (Rodgers & Rose, 2001).

The number of separated parents in the Philippines according to the 2014

data the Catholic bishops' news agency has risen by 40 percent in the last

decade. These alarming statistics underscore the seriousness of the problem no

matter the factors that lead to it – adultery, incompatibility, poor communication,

financial problem, abusive behavior, lack of commitment to it, alcohol and drug

abuse and mental illness.

This study aims to determine the level of academic performance of SHS

students at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila before and after their parents

had a separation and To know the extent at which the separation affect the

academic performance of the Senior High School students.

Statement of the Problem

The primary aim of the study is to determine the effects of parents’

separation to the Academic performance of Senor High School students

Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the distribution of Senior High School Students?

a. Who experienced parent separation?

b. Who did not experience parent separation?

2. What is the distribution of the academic performance of Senior High School

Students?

a. Who experienced parent separation?

b. Who did not experience parent separation?

3. What is the average academic performance of Senior high school Students?

a. Who experienced parent separation?

b. Who did not experience parent separation?

4. Is there a significant difference in the academic performance of Senior High

School students who experienced and who did not experienced family

separation?

Hypothesis

The following null hypothesis will be tested at 0.05 level of significance:

There is no significant difference between the academic performance of

Senior High School students who experienced and who did not experienced

family separation
Significance of the Study

This study will help to understand the concerning conflict on how the family

separation affects the student’s academic performance. The findings of this study

may be of help to teachers and will add knowledge on family conflict for they will

able to understand the students’ situations and give some hopeful advice to the

students who experience this problem.

The study will also be helpful to parents and especially those who

experience problems in their families. This study will also be a help to be an

effective tool for guidance, counselling personnel and psychologist. This study

will also be applicable for the government.. The ideas presented may be used as

reference data in conducting new researchers or in testing the validity of the

related finding. This study will also serve as future reference of the future

researchers’ research.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study will be conducted on Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

which is the current school of the researchers. The scope of this study is Senior

High school ages 16-19. The limitation of this study is applicable only to the

students that are not related on this topic should not be measured and does not

belong to the population of this study.

Definition of Terms

Academic performance – In this study, Academic performance means the Final

grade of the Senior High School Students (STEM,ABM, HUSS) in four subjects,

namely, Reading and Writing Skills, General Mathematics, Statistics and

Probability and Oral Communication.

Parent Separation – this is when the parents of a student separate wherein both

side already have a new family or when the parents are living separately.
 Chapter II

This chapter represents the review of related literature of the sub-topics of

this research, synthesis and conceptual framework

Review of Related Literature

The stress of separation places both men and women at risk for

psychological and physical health problems. Alcoholism, drug abuse, depression,

psychosomatic problems, and accidents are more common among separation

than non-separated adults (Hetherington, Stanley-Hagan &Anderson,1989)

Research suggests that marital disruption and the associated distress also

depresses the immune system, making separated persons more vulnerable to

disease, infection, chronic and acute medical problems, and even death. But

not only that, separation can affect the people who have been part of the

relationship, specifically, the children.

According to Stephens (1976) and Salami (1998), Children, especially

adolescents are the most likely to be affected during the separation. Harlaw &

Harlow (1963), said that due to the separation of their parents there are many

changes happen and contribute to their psychological problems anxiety state,

depressive, illness that affects the learning and relationship of the student in the

school and to other people that surrounds them.

Amato and Keith (1991) said that separation can lead to single parenting

that causes many things in many aspects to children and their behavior. With the

use of a systematic analysis, the researchers concluded that being separated to

parents are connected in facing negative things in the children’s life such as poor

academic performance, conduct, psychological problems and low self-esteem.

Fosukun (1954) stated that there is an increasing problem that emerges

between homes and schools that affects the children to lack of motivation.

Moreover, the parents cannot provide the basic needs of the children and this will

cause the children’s poor academic performance.

Not only that, Yognm and Yuanzhang (2008) highlighted that having an

achievement or performing is hard in some cases of children. Borgers et. Al.

(1996) made it clear that the educational outcomes for those who have a

separated parents were generally poorer that those children who lives with their

two parents.

Amato and Keith (1991) found that, children of separated family with that

of children of parent who were married to each other experience greater risk and

problems.Children of separated family are at risk of lower academic performance

than their peers from non-separated families the differences decrease but do not

disappear when income and intellectual ability are controlled. In addition,

Eckenrode et.al. (1993) said that parents affect the performance of the student in

the school. The parent who has no connection with their children will result to a

low academic achievement while the parents who have connection can lead to

the children’s achievement in their academic performance.

(Connoly, 2009) stated that teachers found out that the rate of children

from separated families has higher possibility with regards to academic failure.

This is caused by their inability to reflect, irrelevant talk and inattention. who
experienced separation perform negative actions like regular absence, do less

homework and have less guidance from their parents in order to perform well in

school.

According to Philippine guide (2017) Legal separation is done

whenever one of the people who are in the marriage takes a legal action. There

is no divorce in the Philippines, and so, to get out of an unhappy or failing

marriage, legal separation is the only recourse. A husband or a wife may file a

petition for legal separation based on one or several of the reasons listed in the

Family Code.

Eshica, (2010) stated that Family assumes an essential part in one's

identity, conviction and capacity. Everything about a child for the most part

depends on the condition of the family belonged. The way he acts towards other

individuals could be accounted to the individuals whom he regularly blends with.

Living under a similar roof should add to the reasons that he is so needy to his

family. All things considered, since each individual has this dependence towards

his family, any difficulty would influence his entire being. Such wrecking issues

with respect to family connections like parent's partition could give a serious

effect to the general population concerned, the youngsters.

According to Rizada (2007) Offspring of separated guardians (those

completely from troubled families) are accounted for to have a higher possibility

of behavioral issues than those of non-separated guardians (a blend of glad and

despondent families). Studies have likewise detailed the previous to probably

endure manhandle than youngsters in place families, and to have a more

prominent possibility of living in destitution

Magpantay (2014) mentioned that behavioral issues turn into an

overwhelming issue among young people. The greater part of them has a place

with a broken family or single parent family. This family stretch causes absence

of parental help and direction which results to teenagers' passionate and

behavioral issues.

Agulana (1999) pointed out that the family lays the psychological, moral,

and spiritual foundation in the overall development of the child. Structurally,

family/homes are either broken or intact. A broken home in this context, is one

that is not structurally intact, as a result of divorce, separation, death of one

parent and illegitimacy.

Schultz (2006) noted that if adolescents with different family situation will

be compared, those from separated and not separated, the difference with

regards to their relationship and academic performance have a significant

difference.

Levin (2001), also states that parents are probably the actors with the

clearest unidimensional interest in a high level of their children's academic

performance. To some extent, there is simple evidence to show that marital

instability brings about stress, tension, lack of motivation and frustration.

Obviously, these manifestations act negatively on a child's academic

performance. Johnson (2005) asserts that children of unmarried

parents/separated families often fail and are at risk emotionally. However, this
may not be completely applicable in all instances of broken homes. Some

children irrespective of home background or structure may work hard and

become successful in life. Moreover, Ayodele (2006) stated that the environment

where a child finds himself/herself goes a long way in determining his learning

ability and ultimately his academic performance in school.

According to Macairan (2014) the data gathered reflect the large number,

82%, of those who wanted and filed separation had children. It is shown that this

kind of children coming from this marriage is more likely to be affected. Firestone

(1990) stated that 30% of the youngsters under investigation encountered a

diminishing scholastic performance following parental partition, and this was

clear three years after the separation. Access to the two parents appeared to be

the most protective factor, in that it was related with better scholarly

performance.Moreover, information uncovered that non-separated guardians

(generally fathers) were extremely persuasive in their kids' development. This

information likewise support the understanding that the additional time a tyke

goes through with the non-custodial parent the better the general change of the

youngster.
Synthesis

The researchers believe that each and every literature and study stated in

this research is different with the other researches reviewed. In Amato and

Keith’s Parental Divorce and Adult Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis study they focus

on the psychological effect and how it causes the things (attitude, academic

performance, conduct, low self-esteem, etc) happening mostly to the children of

the separation, however this research will be focusing solely to the effect of both

separated and non-separated parents to the academic performance of the

children, especially Senior High School students. As we observed in the authors’

statement we can conclude that all of these researches discuss about situation,

those from separated and not separated or just separated, and its difference with

regards to their relationship with family and academic performance. In addition

this research relates and differentiates the research based on the flow of their

experience and the observation in their surroundings. This specialization will also

build the reader focus and wake them to the reality that these factors can affect

how people act, think and decide for their selves. Also, the expected outcome of

this research is to prove that there is no significant difference in the academic

performance of Senior High School students who experienced and who did not

experienced family separation.

Conceptual Framework

The study claims that there is no signifcant difference in the academic

performance of Senior High School students who experienced and who did not

experienced family separation.

Conceptual Paradigm

Senior High School Senior High School

Students with Students with Non
Separated Parents Separated Parents

Figure 1

Research findings from different sources, suggest that

separation of parents has a huge impact toward learning that attributed to lack of

basic skills in learning, weak mastery of language skills and poor self-efficacy

that influence the success or failure of the students (Pajares, 2014). As we can

see, the line shows the relationship between two variables. The proposed

conceptual paradigm is concerned especially with variations in the "definition of

the situation" assigned to the crisis of separation by children and custodial

parents. As shown in Figure 1, the independent variables of the study were the

extent to which they emphasize on the current family situations of senior high

school students. The two variables are 1) Senior High School Students with

Separated Parents and 2) Senior High School Students with Non Separated

Parents. This will determine the Effects on Academic performance.

In addition, the arrow represents the relationship of both variables to each

other. It was expected that children that perform to school will be affected with

regards to their academic performance, which was the dependent variable of the

study. It will be possible to match these two variables and confirm that there is no

signifcant difference in the academic performance of Senior High School

students who experienced and who did not experienced family separation
 Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

This discusses the research design, research locale, population sampling or

respondents of the study, research instrument, data gathering and the statistical

Research Design

The research is comparative because it examines patterns of similarities

and differences across a moderate number of cases. . In comparative study, you

are examining two (or more) cases, specimens or events. Like qualitative

researchers, comparative researchers consider how the different parts of each

case, those aspects that are relevant to the investigation, fit together; they try to

make idea of each case. Thus, knowledge of cases is considered an important

goal of comparative research, independent of any other goal (Ragin,1994). The

comparative method is one of the most efficient methods for utilizing implied

knowledge or implied attitudes. The comparative method can have many

different uses, it can use in detail work as a complement to other methods, or

the entire structure of a research project can consist of the comparison of just

a few cases.

In this research descriptive design is also present because it is use to

describe specific behavior as it occurs in the environment. There are a variety of

descriptive research methods available, the nature of the question that needs to

be answered drives which method is used. It does not answer questions about
how/when/why the characteristics occurred. Rather it addresses the "what"

question. Descriptive research has the advantage of studying individuals in their

natural environment, free from the influence of an experiment's artificial

construct. The main goal of this type of research is to describe the data and

characteristics about what is being studied. It is best to use for its fact finding

study and its involvement in the collection of data through answering

questionnaires, observations and interviews in order to accomplish the aims of

the study (“Boundless”, 2016). Descriptive research is aimed at casting light on

current issues or problems through a process of data collection that enables

them to describe the situation more completely than was possible without

employing this method.

Research Locale

This study will be conducted in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

(University of the City of Manila) located at Gen. Luna cor. Muralla St.,

Intramuros, Manila, Metro Manila. PLM is a pioneer, a leader and a model

institution of higher learning in the Philippines. It is acknowledged as the premier

scholars' university of the capital city whose academic excellence is recognized

by the Commission on Higher Education. Its primary service is the provision of a

completely free high-quality tertiary education to the financially less-privileged but

exceptionally talented graduates of the City of Manila's public high schools. It

serves as the training ground for a higher dimension of intellectual maturity for

about 10,000 undergraduate scholars and 1,000 graduate students annually. The

buildings in PLM are either separate or interconnected with one another. These
buildings include: Gusaling Antonio Villegas, Gusaling Arsenio Lacson, Gusaling

Ramon Bagatsing, Gusaling Katipunan, Gusaling Don Pepe Atienza, Bahay

Maynila, Property & Supplies Building, PRM Enterpreneurial Center, Rajah

Sulayman Gymnasium, Gusaling Corazon Aquino, PLM Chapel and Christian

Community Center, PLM Grandstand (Tanghalang Bayan), and PLM Activity

Center. The study will be conducted in Gusaling Lacson, the highest building in

PLM which resembles a skyscraper.

Every classroom in Gusaling Lacson is clean, well-ventilated and has

enough chairs for every student who participated in the said study. The building

can withstand deep intensities of earthquake as an aftermath of the tragic tremor

that hit the metropolis. This particular place is selected for this will serve as an

effective testing place of the said study among Senior High School students. In

addition, all of the participants of this study will be senior high school students.

This study has tested the effects of parents’ separation in the academic

performance of the said students.

Population Sampling or Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study consist of all senior high school students in

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. The total population of senior high school

students is 980 from ages 16-19. These students were selected as respondents

of the study regardless of their strands. In this study, the researchers will use

purposive sampling; the researchers will select the most informative participants

that will contribute to the study. Moreover, the participants will be divided based
on the two classifications included in this study; non-separated parents &

separated parents.

Research Instrument

The researchers will use a survey questionnaire that is based on the topic

Effects of Parents’ Separation on the Academic Performance of Senior High

School Students. The instrument to be used is researchers-made. The draft of

the questionnaire will be drawn out base on the researchers’ readings, previous

studies, professional literature, published and unpublished thesis relevant to the

study. In the preparations of the instrument, the requirements in the designing of

good data collection instruments will be considered. The questionnaire includes

the name and strand of the participant. In addition, the questionnaire contains

two questions that will reflect the preference of the students. The first question is

about the current marital status of their parents while the second question is

mainly about the participants’ final grade in four subjects, namely, Reading and

Writing Skills, General Mathematics, Statistics and Probability and Oral

Communication.. In addition, the researchers consult the instrument to the

research teachehr and was checked before it will be laid on the study.

Data Gathering

The researchers will make a request letter to conduct a survey to the

respondents and will give the letter to the Principal. After the approval of the

letter, the researchers will conduct a survey to gather information to the

respondents. The researcher will use the time allotted during their vacant to
avoid distractions in class discussion and will go to each classroom to conduct a

survey. The researchers will ask permission to the respondents if they can

answer the survey form. Upon answering the survey form, the researchers will

collect the data for tallying the scores and to apply the statistical treatment to be

used in the study.

Statistical Treatment of Data

To present problem 1, the frequency of each participant’s answer will be

listed and its percentage is calculated using the following formla:

Where:

f= frequency of respondents

N= total number of respondents

to answer the mean and standard deviation of the frequency. Formulas will be

used:

Where:
x̅ = Mean

Σx=sum of all grades

N= number of cases

Where:

S= standard deviation

x=each value in the data set

x̅ = mean

N= number of values in data set

To answer problem regarding significant difference ; Chi-square test for

homogeneity with . Formula will be used:

Where:

X2 =Chi-square obtained
o= the frequencies observed

e= the frequencies expected

Σ= the sum of