Chapter 1

SHATTERED AND TORN: LIVED EXPERIENCES OF BROKEN FAMILIES

Introduction

There are many different types of families. Some include intact, non-
intact, single families, stepfamilies and variety of others. It is something that
affects each member of a family at different times end in breaking up
leaving one million children each year to deal with the process of family
breakdown (Martin ET al, 2003).

According to Shakira (2014) Broken family is one where the parents

(mother and father) of a child or children have split up and no longer share
a single-family home as a family unit. This is also known as a shattered home.

Building relationship and committing to a relationship is one of the

impact on adolescents during family breakdown. Research has shown that
marital conflict can affect the development of intimate relationship during
adolescents (Martin ET al, 2003).

According to CPC acts; (March 2014) When a family break up it is

usually difficult for everyone. It is like a death which brings with it feelings of
grief and loss. Most people need time to get used to the changes and each
person’s response can be very different. Parents try to grapple with their
own feelings while they make practical and very important decisions that
mean the end of a special relationship between two adults but not the end
of a relationship between a child and a parent. Children need the on going
love and support of both parents.

Broken families is usually caused by lack of communication and

understanding of one view in society. But sometimes too many arguments
that might lead to divorce and the parents decided their children.
However, I believed drugs or money mostly causes it. Too much money
lends to arguments, which causes to forget about love and divorce.
 With this, the researchers are motivated to conduct a study about the
lived experiences of broken families.

Statement of the Problem

The current study seeks to understand the lived experiences of

students having a broken family by answering the following:

1. What are the lived experiences of the students having a broken family?

2. What are the themes that emerged from the testimonies shared by
student who are having a broken family?

Scope and Delimitation

This study is about the lived experience of 10 grade 8 to grade12

students having a broken family. The age range of the participants is from
14 to 18 years old and residing in selected barangay in Cabuyao, Laguna.
The research shall study only within the family, as being the participants of
the study. This study shall focus with the current experiences of the student
and to know their reason why they are involve with a broken family.

Significance of the study

This study is foreseen beneficial to the following:

Student, this is for them to be aware on how to deal with problem and help
fellow classmate who is also in this kind of position.

Teachers – know how to give full understanding and guidance for a

students need.

Parent/Guardian – will be able on this study as to guide their children in

proper guidance and behavior to their performance in school.
School Administration – the researchers sincerely hope that the
administrator may be able to look into activities or seminars that could
boost the self-esteem of the students.

Definition of terms

The following terms are contextually and operationally defined.

Family –this is a group consisting of parents and children living together in a

household. All the descendants of a common ancestor designed to be
suitable for children as well as adults.

Broken Family – this is a term used to describe a household, usually in

references to pretending in which the family unit does not properly function
according to accepted societal norms. This household might suffer from
domestic violence a dissolves marriage, drug abuse, or anything else that
interfaces with the upbringing of children.

Foreseen – this means be aware of beforehand or to predict.

Testimonies – it is a formal written or spoken statement, especially one given

in a court of law.

Intact – this means that not damaged or impaired in any way

Broken home – it is a family in which the parents are divorced or separated.

Stepfamilies – it is a family that is formed on the remarriage of a divorced

or widowed person and that includes one or more children.

Grapple – it is engaged in a close fight or struggle without weapons.

Divorce – it is the legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other

competent body.

Separated – this means to move or be apart.

 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A broken family can negatively affect all domains of the child’s

development.

According to Noligen Baguio, the stability of family creates a building

block for children to progress throughout life. When parents separate, the
children are left with no stability causing them to lose basic concepts of
childhood that may carry with them throughout life. Children of divorce or
separated parents have less success and happiness. Watching parents
take a home from a traditional family lifestyle to a “broken” home by
being separated is very devastating for a child’s mental well-being.
Reviews of literature summarize evidence that children are depressed and
anxious and they feel comfortable and common in families. However,
family breakup has not become a positive yet, it remains negative. One
of the dangerous effects is emotional and financial disruption of children
live. Considering the above mentioned issues.

Similarly, the study aims to reflect or show that separation of parents

can cause anxiety, depression, attitude and it can affect the social
behavior of the child who experience separation of family.

Conversely, the difference between parents who can take care of

their children and the parent who abandon their children.

According to Woosley (2009), Broken Family is not an intended event

in a family’s life. It is something that can affect each individual of the
family differently and at different times. Today a family chance of getting
broken is of high percent. Since this is an event that is not intended to
happen, many factors need to be considered when children are
involved. Literature shows that children from broken families’ experienced
difficult adjustments such as social, academic, and behavioral compared
to children of intact families, also concluded that children from non-intact
families lend to have lower psychological well-being as compared to
those from intact families.

Similarly, this study show that the separation it can affect the social
relationships, slow academic development because of emotional stress.

Base on the article (2011) a family can consist of a father, mother, and
children they all live in the same house until they are old enough to leave.
Broken family is a family with children involved where parents are legally
or illegally separated whose parents have decide to go and live (mother
and father) of a child or children have split up and no longer share a
single family home as a family unit. This is also known as a broken home.

Similarly, this study show that a broken family is typically cause of a

child or children deceive life.

Conversely, a group of family with parents and children living

together to a group of family with separated parents

According to Tang Xuan Mai (2016) there are many factors leading to
the outcomes of a child. Thoughts and decisions deeply attach to the
family status. It is true that today the percentage of divorce is higher than
it was in the past. The outcomes of a child depend on the role of both
father and mother. Research has shown that broken family leads to many
bad results and two of them are psychology and decision for the future
marriage. Viewed from critical perspective, family plays a key role in
children’s development physically and mentally.

Similarly, this study show that a family with disjoint parents may
affect to their children to own a not good attitude.

Conversely, this study state that they prefer to divorce and on our
study state that the married couple will just break up.

According to the article the effects on Children of a Broken Family in

most cases, usually one parent keeps custody of his/her children. However,
despite of that, the thought that they are no longer complete seem
unacceptable. Here are some effects of a broken can make a child
insecure. Insecure in a sense that he no longer had a complete family he
can call his own.

Similarly, this study show a child cause to be insecure to other children

with a normal family. In addition, a child experienced bully and lead to a
commit suicide because they keep what are feeling of being alone.

Regular family/Complete Family

Base on the article (2011) complete family can looked at their child
properly than a broken family cant. Most of the teenagers who belongs to
broken family did not graduate. They even suffer emotional stress and
depression, which is usually, leads to suicide. While teenagers who belongs
to a complete family graduated with even honors. However, some
products of broken family were successful because their experiences
inspire them to make a better family someday unlike the family they have.
Members of complete family are also capable of handling problems than
a member from a broken one but they are both acceptable in the society.

Conversely, the present study they cannot handle their emotions and
they not usually think properly for the problem they facing. There is no one
who could lean or help them just their selves. They’re alone and no one
who will guide them for everything compare to a complete family and think
there’s no use of living it leads to commit suicide.

SYNTHESIS

Base on the article (2011) complete family can looked at their

child properly than a broken family cant. Most of the teenagers who
belongs to broken family did not graduate. They even suffer emotional
stress and depression, which is usually, leads to suicide. While teenagers
who belongs to a complete family graduated with even honors. However,
some products of broken family were successful because their experiences
inspire them to make a better family someday unlike the family they have.
Members of complete family are also capable of handling problems than
a member from a broken one but they are both acceptable in the society.

According to Woosley (2009), Broken Family is not an intended

event in a family’s life. It is something that can affect each individual of the
family differently and at different times. Today a family chance of getting
broken is of high percent. Since this is an event that is not intended to
happen, many factors need to be considered when children are involved.
Literature shows that children from broken families’ experienced difficult
adjustments such as social, academic, and behavioral compared to
children of intact families, also concluded that children from non-intact
families lend to have lower psychological well-being as compared to those
from intact families.

According to Noligen Baguio, the stability of family creates a

building block for children to progress throughout life. When parents
separate, the children are left with no stability causing them to lose basic
concepts of childhood that may carry with them throughout life. Children
of divorce or separated parents have less success and happiness.
Watching parents take a home from a traditional family lifestyle to a
“broken” home by being separated is very devastating for a child’s
mental well-being. Reviews of literature summarize evidence that children
are depressed and anxious and they feel comfortable and common in
families. However, family breakup has not become a positive yet, it
remains negative. One of the dangerous effects is emotional and
financial disruption of children live. Considering the above mentioned
issues.

The similarly, of the present study on what the feeling of being broken
family even though this is not intention to happened. The teenagers who
belong to broken family to leads to darken the future. They are not thinking
properly because of what happened they could not handle the situation
and the dream of complete family. The teenagers wrecked there life to get
the attention of the parents to get back the complete family. Teenagers
are sensitive about family because their mind was still immature and do not
know how to understand the situation. They become depress and
emotionally or leads to commit suicide.
 REFERENCES

1. https://www. MetaloroDavid/causes-of-family-breakdown-and-its-
effects-on-children-by-david-metaloro

2. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-broken-family-time-bomb-
zvzxjxb5h

3.
http://www.bangladeshsociology.org/BEJS%2010.1%20Shirina%20Aktar.pd
f

4. https://www.coursehero.com/file/13334857/effects-of-being-into-a-
broken-family-among-teenagers/
 Chapter 3

Methodology

This chapter tackles the methods used in order to come up with this
kind of study. This chapter includes a detailed description of the research
methodology that was utilized in the study. This chapter is organized in
several methods used: research design, research locale, population and
sampling, participant of the study, Data gathering procedure,
instrumentation, validation of research instrument, ethical consideration
and treatment of qualitative data that provide to a framework within
which to describe the research procedures. It will tackles on how the
researches will gather data and information that will be a great help to
this study. The lived experienced of broken family.

Research Design

The researcher use qualitative research method in this study about

students which into broken family. They will collect qualitative data
through interviews.

Qualitative research design is primarily exploratory research. It is used to

gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It
provides insights into the problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses
for potential quantitative research. It is also used to uncover trends in
thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem. (DeFranzo,
2011).

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is used for the treatment of

the qualitative data gathered. It is concerned with the detailed
examination of personal lived experience. The aim of it is to explore in
detail how participants are making sense of their personal and social
world, and the main currency for an IPA study is the meanings particular
experiences, events, states hold for participants (Smith 2017). The themes
that will emerge from the gathered interviews will be extracted through
interview and observation with the lived experience of students, which is
from a broken family.

This study is figured to assess the lived experience of the 8th to 12thgrade
students who are in a broken family whose age is about 14 to 18 years old
through qualitative research method to result in an interpretation based
on the statements given by the 8th to 12thgraders in the interviews.

Research Locale

This study conducted in six schools in Cabuyao, Laguna namely:

Infant Jesus Montessori Center. (IJMC), Pulo National High School (PNHS),
Pamantasan ng Cabuyao (PNC), Gulod National High School (GNHS), St.
Vincent College of Cabuyao (SVCC), and Christ the King School of
Cabuyao (CKSC) wherein the researchers selected 8th to 12thgrade
students which is from a broken family. The IJMC is Located at Block 166 L
14 Mabuhay City, Mamatid, Cabuyao, Laguna. PNHS is at Cabuyao,
Laguna, GNHS is at, SVCC is at 54 Mamatid, Cabuyao, Laguna; CKSC is
located at Block 219 Phase 2 Mabuhay City, Mamatid, Cabuyao, Laguna.

Population and Sampling

The population of this study are the 8th to 12th graders who are in a
broken family whose age is about 14 to 18 years old from different schools
in Cabuyao, Laguna. For the gathering of the qualitative data, the
participant were selected based on their gender and age and then
asked them if they are willing to be interviewed personally. They are
composed of 8th to 12th graders who are in a broken family who are willing
to share their experience and problems they are facing in a broken family.

Participants of the Study

The participants of this study are the 8th to 12th grade students, who
are into broken family from different schools in Cabuyao, Laguna namely:
whose age is about 14 to 18 years old. The researcher having 10 students
who are willing to be interviewed, giving them a lot of time for the
interview according to their satisfaction for them to answer all the
questions thoroughly.

Data Gathering Procedure

As stated in the Research Design of this study in this chapter, the

study follows a qualitative research method. The qualitative data is
gathered through recorded interviews, and then interpret the statements
given by the participants of the study regarding their experience and
problems they are facing in a broken family. In which the researchers
made the questions that will be used to provide the personal experiences
of the participants. This is to gather the themes that will emerge to come
up with the qualitative data results.

Instrumentation

The researchers make questions as anticipated by the 8th to 12th

grade students from different schools in Cabuyao, Laguna. These are to
be asked to the participants of the study for the researchers to analyze
their answers for the qualitative data results. The interviewees will be asked
about their experience and problems they are facing in a broken family.
The questions made by the researchers which is concerned with the
profile of the respondents wherein they may or may not state their name,
age, and gender; and their personal experience regarding their problem
facing in a broken family.

Ethical Considerations

As the process of this study, the researchers consider some issues

that made by the participants of the study. The purpose of this
consideration is to assure the privacy and the security of the participants
as well as to the confidential issue. That risk will need to be balanced
against the ethical interests in respecting the autonomy of the person
affected, and their choice about whether to know or not.
 In terms of the participant’s, he/she will be the one who will decide
what information to disclose and how to disclose it. If he/she will not allow
it then the researchers shall not include that information in the study.

The participants of the study will also be given a lot of time to

answer the interview questions for them to get prepared and to avoid
conflicts with the stated testimonies, as well as for the researchers to know
the factual answers they need to collect for them to know what are the
themes that will emerged from the participant’s testimonies.

Lastly, when the school where a participant goes wishes to stay out
of the study, then the researchers shall not comprise it.

Treatment of Qualitative Data

The following are the qualitative data treatment of the problems

stated in Chapter 1 of the study:

The researchers will interview the participants of the study who all
conformed to share their lived experiences regarding their problems
facing in a broken family. The interviews will be covered through voice
record by the use of mobile devices and then transcribe it in a verbatim
manner.

For the researchers to find out the themes that will emerge
according to the participants shared experience, they will apply the
interpretative phenomenological analysis and use textual and contextual
analysis to examine closely upon reading the interview transcription.

The researchers shall formulate reflection and recommendation

from the results of the study.