Effects of Absentee Parent to the Academic Performance of Senior High School Students in

Pangalangan National High School

Pangalangan National High School

Capataan, San Carlos City, Pangasinan

Musni, Alwyn F.

Abrera, John Lloyd F.

Aquino, Raffy

Gabilan, Ronmarc C.

Jarme, Desiree P.

Zacarias, Mart Lorenz G.

Effects of Absentee Parent to the Academic Performance of Senior High School Students in
Pangalangan National High School

A Research Proposal Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School Department

Pangalangan National High School

Capataan, San Carlos City, Pangasinan

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in Practical Research II

by

Musni, Alwyn F.

Abrera, John Lloyd F.

Aquino, Raffy A.

Gabilan, Ronmarc C.

Jarme, Desiree P.

Zacarias, Mart Lorenz G.

December 2022
 i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers are sincerely grateful to the following individuals who contributed and
extended their assistance towards the completion of this study.

To all teachers for the encouragement, suggestions, and advices to finish this study and
valuable support in the interpretation towards meaningful results and help validate the research
questions;

To the respondents for their cooperation and participation in answering the questions;

To the researchers for their much valued support and unending patience on finishing this
study;

Above all, the Almighty God for giving us strength and wisdom and who made all things
possible and for the priceless gifts of love so that the researchers may enjoy and value their work.
 ii

DEDICATION

The Researchers cannot achieve the greatest achievements of their research without the
help of very important people in our lives and this document is dedicated to

Our Beloved parents

…Who encourage us in the midst of conducting this study…

A Respected and Hardworking Mentor

…Who imparted with wisdom and values to be good learner…

Our Dearest Alma Mater

…Pangalangan National High School whose legacy will always be cherish...

The Senior High School Department

…That provided us this opportunity to conduct this study…

Above all.. God the almighty

…Who guides us, gives hope and courage in life…

 iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover Page

Title Page…………………………………………………………………...……ii

Acknowledgement………………………………………………….……..….....iii

Dedication……………….………………………………………………………iv

Table of Contents………………………..…………………..
……………………….……v

List of
Figures…..............................................................................................................vi

List of
Tables………………………………………………………………………...…vii

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….…1

Background of the Study………………….………………………………….1

Significance of the Study………………….………………………………….2

Statement of the Problem…………..….….…………….……………………3

Hypothesis……………………………………………………………………3

Paradigm of the Study……………….…………..……………………………4

Theoretical Framework.……………………….……………………………..5

Scope and Delimitations of the Study……………..…………………………6

Definition of Terms…………………………….…………………………….6

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES…………..…………6

Related Literature……………………………….……………………………6

Foreign Literature…………………………..…………………………….......7

Local Literature………………………………………………………………..8

Related Studies………………………………………………………...............8

Foreign Studies…………………………………….……………………..……9

Local Studies……………………..……………………………………………10

CHAPTER III………………………………………………………….……….11

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY………………….……………………………11

Research Design….…….……..….……………………….………………....11

Duration and Locale of the Study……………….……………………..……12

Population and Participants………….…………….…….……………..……12

Materials and Procedures ……………….…………………………..………13

Data Analysis……………….……………………………………………….13

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A………………………………………………….……………..….14

Appendix B……………………………………………………………………15

Research Questionnaires …………………………...…………………………16

Curriculum Vitae…………………………………..…………………………..17

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Population and Sample Size

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In their own species, parents look after their children. In humans, a parent is the person
who looks after a child. Families play a significant role in children’s upbringing and
socialization. For older kids and teenagers, the resources and family environment are also an
essential part of their quality of life, having a direct impact on their opportunities in
relationships and in life. The normal growth of a child is greatly influenced by the parents.
Parents are their children’s first teachers and role models, thus in addition to giving them
food and shelter, they also have duties for their children’s emotional health, safety, and
academic performance. Children who lack any of these traits are more likely to experience
serious behavioral issues, which may affect how well they perform academically in school.
The literature suggests that there is little understanding of parental absence as a result of
migration. There are many reasons why parents may be absent, including death,
imprisonment, marital dissolution, and separation.

Parenting has been demonstrated to play an essential role in children’s academic

performance in a number of ways. Prior research indicated that parents’ education
attainment, attitudes, parental aspiration, parent–children interaction, and so forth could
considerably contribute to children’s academic performance (e.g., Sudhir and Sailo, 2016;
Bean et al., 2013; Henry et al., 2018). Particularly, a number of studies showed that parents’
engagement in children’s school or home lives were positively associated with children’s
academic performance (Reynolds, 1992; Henry et al., 2016). Furthermore, low-level
engagement or parents’ neglect on children could lead to academic underachievement
(Radziszewska et al., 2015; Boon, 2013). Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the
absence of parents may be associated with the impaired academic performance of children.

According to (Amato & Booth, 2017) The most frequently mentioned causes of
paternal absence are divorce and separation, death and career demands. Of these, divorce
and separation differences that paternal absence due to divorce or death can have on a
child’s emotional development.
 This study is made to understand the performance, specifically the academic
performance, of students without the guidance of their parents or having absentee parents. In
studying, parents are important to help guide, teach and lead their children because a child
need supports from their loved ones and also discipline to be motivated.

It is a parent’s responsibility to take care of their children, it is hard for a student to

have no one to guide them especially in their studies because as a student you still need
someone to teach you and it is best to learn from your parents. In the world today people
cannot avoid this situation maybe because of life difficulties or maybe because of other
circumstances. Some reasons why this happen is due to financial problems like parents need
to go abroad or leave to look for money to enable to support their family an example are the
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), another is separation (Divorce or Annulment) of parents
which sometimes results to single-parenting and one more example is the death of a loved
one.

Significance of the Study

This study must be conducted to find out what Parental Absence affects the Academic
Performances of Senior High School Students of Pangalangan National High School.
Hence, the results of the study benefited the following:

For Students, this will help them to become aware that Parental Absence won’t affect their
Academic Performance.

For Parents, this study will help them to realize their role as a parent and avoid affecting
the Academic Performance of their children.

For Teachers, this study will help them to understand and catch up the conditions,
specifically those students experiencing Parental Absence.

For Administrators, in this study it will help the School Administrators in putting up
additional strategies for the betterment of Senior High School Students’ condition at
Pangalangan National High School.

For Researchers, this study will help them because, this study will be able to gather
information/idea and knowledge.
 2

Statement of the Problem

The study aimed to determine the Academic Performance of Senior High School with
Absentee Parent at Pangalangan National High School.

More specifically this study sought to answer the following questions;

1.)What are the Effects of Absentee Parent to the Academic Performance of Senior High
School Students?

2.)What are the problems/challenges of Senior High School Students that experiencing
Parental Absence?

3.)What intervention did Senior High School Students do with their situation, specifically,
having an absent parent?

Hypothesis

 There is a significant relationship between the factors of Absentee Parent and

Academic Performance of Senior High School Students at Pangalangan National
High School.
 3

Paradigm of the Study

Demographic Profile 1. Survey

Questionn
1. Age aire
2. Sex 2. Data Exploration,
Gathering Understanding and
Absentee Parent and
3. Purposive Discovery
Academic Performance
Sampling
1. Reasons 4. Data
2. Effects Analysis

Input Process Output

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

Theoretical Framework

One theory that will be use to support the study is Parent Development Theory (PDT).
Developed over a decade ago, the PDT is a useful theoretical perspective for understanding
individuals' parenting perceptions and behaviors. Closely aligned with both social learning
and cognitive developmental theories, the PDT posits how individuals construct and modify
their parenting point of views over time. More specifically, parenting is viewed as a social
role which includes a specific group of individuals called parents, involved in a parent-child
dyadic relationship, performing behaviors associated with the parental role. Research
associated with the PDT reveals that individuals tend to perceive the parent role as including
six primary characteristics: bonding, discipline, education, general welfare and protection,
responsivity, and sensitivity. While most individuals view these characteristics as important
components of parenting, the relative weighting in terms of importance and frequency varies
developmentally. That is, what a parent does in terms of parenting an infant differs from
parenting children at other child developmental points in time. This theory is not only useful
in terms of understanding and working with parents, but also for exploring parental similarities
and differences (e.g., cultural) as well as child development outcomes (e.g., social development).

4
Another theory that supports the study was based on Vygotsky’s social development
theory, Bandura’s social learning theory, and paternal investment theory (Vygotsky, 1998). Each
of these theories contributed to the understanding of the role of fathers in the lives of their
daughters (Ellis, 2004; Kearsley, 2011). This section will briefly discuss the main principles and
assertions of each theory, including the theories’ appropriateness to the theoretical framework.

Social development theory and social learning theory address social interaction and
development of cognition, as well as the significance of observing and patterning behaviors,
attitudes, and emotional reactions to others (Kearsley, 2011). Social development theory argues
that social interaction contributes to cognitive development; in relation to father absence, this
theory helped me to identify how having no father interaction contributes to a daughter’s
development. Social learning theory argues that people learn from one another by observing,
imitating, and modeling, which helped me to identify the effects of growing up without a father
in a single-parent home on a daughter’s development. Both the social development and social
learning theories are appropriate components of the theoretical framework; these theories
recognize the important role of fathers in possibly influencing the development of daughters,
particularly during the early years.

Paternal investment theory explains that low paternal investment, such as father absence,
hastens children’s introduction to adolescence and sexual initiation. This exposes them to weak
pair bonds that usually manifest as romantic ideals and result in unfavorable relationships.
 5
Scope and Delimitation

This study attempts to determine the Effects of Absentee Parent to the Senior High School
Students of Pangalangan National High School. This research study is limited or focused on Senior
High School Students of Pangalangan National High School. This study was conducted in December
2022. To be able to gather the needed data in this study, the researchers prepared a survey
questionnaires.

Definition of Terms

The major terms and variable

used in the study were
provided of their conceptual and
operational definitions in
order to facilitate better
understanding of the result of
the study.
Absentee Parents. Refers to
non-custodial parent who is
obligated to pay partial child
support and who is
physically absent from child’s
home (us.legal.com, 2017).
In this study, it refers to the
parents who are not
physically around or present at
home.
Academic performance. Is the
extent to which a student has
achieved their sort or long-
term educational goal
(Wikipedia, 2017).
The major terms and variable
used in the study were
provided of their conceptual and
operational definitions in
order to facilitate better
understanding of the result of
the study.
Absentee Parents. Refers to
non-custodial parent who is
obligated to pay partial child
support and who is
physically absent from child’s
home (us.legal.com, 2017).
In this study, it refers to the
parents who are not
physically around or present at
home.
Academic performance. Is the
extent to which a student has
achieved their sort or long-
term educational goal
(Wikipedia, 2017).
The major terms and variable
used in the study were
provided of their conceptual and
operational definitions in
order to facilitate better
understanding of the result of
the study.
Absentee Parents. Refers to
non-custodial parent who is
obligated to pay partial child
support and who is
physically absent from child’s
home (us.legal.com, 2017).
In this study, it refers to the
parents who are not
physically around or present at
home.
Academic performance. Is the
extent to which a student has
achieved their sort or long-
term educational goal
(Wikipedia, 2017)
The major terms and variable
used in the study were
provided of their conceptual and
operational definitions in
order to facilitate better
understanding of the result of
the study.
Absentee Parents. Refers to
non-custodial parent who is
obligated to pay partial child
support and who is
physically absent from child’s
home (us.legal.com, 2017).
In this study, it refers to the
parents who are not
physically around or present at
home.
Academic performance. Is the
extent to which a student has
achieved their sort or long-
term educational goal
(Wikipedia, 2017).
The major terms and variable
used in the study were
provided of their conceptual and
operational definitions in
order to facilitate better
understanding of the result of
the study.
Absentee Parents. Refers to
non-custodial parent who is
obligated to pay partial child
support and who is
physically absent from child’s
home (us.legal.com, 2017).
In this study, it refers to the
parents who are not
physically around or present at
home.
Academic performance. Is the
extent to which a student has
achieved their sort or long-
term educational goal
(Wikipedia, 2017).
 The major terms and variable used in the study were provided of their operational
definitions in order to facilitate better understanding of the result of the study.

Absentee Parents. In this study, it refers to the parents who are not physically around or
present at home.

Academic Performance. In this study, academic performance refers to the general

weighted average of the students in the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023.

In this study, academic

performance refers to the
general weighted average of
the students in the first
semester of the academic year
2017-2018.
Students. Is a person formally
engaged in learning,
especially the one enrolled in
a school or college
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
2017).
In this study, a student is
someone who goes to school
that has absentee parents.
Students. In this study, a student is someone who goes to school that has absentee parents.

CHAPTER II
Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter of the paper presents the view of review of related literature and studies.

Related Literature

Foreign
 According to the data revealed from China’s national census, the number of rural-to-urban
migrant labors in 2010 was 220 million and increased to 245 million in 2013 (National Bureau of
Statistics of China, 2011, 2014). Due to the large-scale rural-to-urban migration of labors, an
enormous number of children living in rural China are in the absence of parental care. The term
of left-behind children refers to such group of children, who live in their original residence with
one or both parents migrating to other places for work and, hence, have not being living with
parents for 6 months or longer time (Zhou and Duan, 2015; Guo et al., 2012).

Based on China’s national census data in 2010, China Women’s Federation (2008)
claimed that the number of left-behind children in China should be more than 61 million, which
accounted for 37.7% of the children living in rural China and 21.9% of all the children in China.
In recent years, researchers began to pay attention to the psychological status of left-behind
children in China, as they live under the pressure of parental absence. Previous studies have
shown that as compared with their non-left-behind peers, left-behind children were more likely
to suffer from a high level of loneliness, life dissatisfaction, and unhappiness (Jia and Tian, 2010;
Jordan and Graham, 2012; Su et al., 2013). However, there has been a lack of study exploring the
influence of parental absence on children’s academic performance among the left-behind
children.

A meta-analysis conducted by Jeynes (2015) demonstrated the statistically significant

association between father’s parental involvement and children’s educational outcomes
(academic achievement, psychological outcome, cognitive ability, etc.). Furthermore, another
meta-analysis conducted in 2015 by Kim and Hill (2015) indicated that the role of parental
involvement of fathers in children’s academic performance was just as strong as that of mothers.
Nevertheless, researchers realized that even though father’s parental involvement played a
crucial role in children’s psychological development, “their behavior falls short of ideal” (p. 976;
Atkinson and Blackwelder, 2012).

Local

Too much student absenteeism can lead to an increasing disinterest in school.

Schoenegerger (2011) states in his study that excessive absenteeism increases the chance of the
students to drop out from school. The incidence of drop outs can lead to long term consequences
such as lower average incomes, unemployment and higher rate of incarceration. It is also
asserted that the students who drop out from school face a higher risk of poverty due to their
inability to secure quality paying employment due to their lack of education and resources
(Obrador, 2014).
 Recent statistics from the Department of Education publicized that the overall student
absence rate in the Philippines is 4.5%. This means that one in ten school children are classified
as “persistently absent”. Accordingly, middle schools had a higher rate of persistent
absence compared to primary schools. Moreover, unauthorized absence or absenteeism,
whether persistent or not, also increased. Hence, surveyors asked children why they skip
classes. The respondents enumerated anxiety, depression, bullying and having diminutive
interest in the subjects taught in school among others led them to be absent from their classes.

Absenteeism is the tendency, chronic absence, practice or habit of being absent or to be

away from school without a good reason. Thus, it has been viewed as an indicator of poor
individual performance, as well as an indirect gap-building between students and teachers
(Malcolm, 2013). Absenteeism has become a major and continuous problem among high school
students in many countries (Teasly, 2014). Indeed, several studies were conducted to answer why
high school students miss classes. He also noted numerous risk factors that contribute to student
absenteeism such as family, health, low income, poor school climate, drug and alcohol use,
transportation problems, and community attitudes towards education. Furthermore, (Pehlivan
, 2016) found that the major reason given by students for their non-attendance at school is that
they were bored; they dislike the school and the lessons; they lacked encouragement from
friends; and, they lack expectations about education.

8
Related Studies
Foreign

A number of studies have evidenced that the absence of one parent resulted in higher risk
of children’s underachievement (e.g., Riala et al., 2013; Sun and Li, 2011). However, there has
been no previous evidence on children’s academic performance concrning the situation of both
parents being absent. Therefore, based on a large sample of left-behind children, this study
systematically compared the academic performance across children with different status of
parental absence and provided evidence for the relations of both parents with children’s
academic performance

Some previous studies that compared the academic performance of children in disrupted
families with those in intact families have shed more light on the relationship between parental
absence and children’s academic performance. These studies demonstrated that children in
divorced single-parent families performed significantly worse in academic activities than those
living with both (Cherian, 2010; Sun and Li, 2011). It was claimed that the relatively low
academic achievement among children in disrupted family was most likely due to the lack of
access to parents and parental resources (Jeynes, 2015).

Another previous studies, showed that the presence of father played a weak role in
benefiting children’s academic achievement. Shilling and Lynch (2016) found among a group of
eighth grade children that those who lived only with mothers obtained significantly higher
academic achievement than those who lived only with fathers. Similar finding was also reported
by another study that was conducted among children living with single-female-parent family.
This study demonstrated that the absence of father did not attenuate children’s academic progress
(Watts and Watts, 2011).

Furthermore, considering the special parenting condition of the left-behind children, it is

necessary to better understand their academic performance. With a sample consisting of both
left-behind children and non-left-behind children (children living with both parents) in China,
this study examined the association between children’s status of parental absence and their
academic performance in Chinese, English, and mathematics tests, respectively. Moreover,
literature suggests that children who have experienced a history of academic underachievement
are more likely to show negative individual outcomes, such as emotional disorder, school
dropout, and career development difficulties (e.g., Mandel and Marcus, 1988; Baker, 2004;
Hwang et al., 2014).

9
Local

A key issue faced by OFW families is parental absence, which then translates into a lack
of emotional support for their children that would eventually negatively impact the latter’s
welfare (Asis & Ruiz-Marave, 2017).

In order to guarantee support and communication systems to strengthen their ties and
connections with their children despite the distance, parents resort to asking help from their
relatives who would oversee their loved ones they have left behind (Kilkey & Merla, 2011). The
wide availability of mobile technologies and applications like Facebook and Skype has helped in
removing feelings of sadness and loneliness, which could be both experienced by migrant
parents and their children.

The relationship between parents and their children has been shifting in a manner that
continuously reshapes views about parenting. This condition has resulted in questions regarding
the adverse effects that parental absence could have on the well-being of children who are left
behind. In this study, children’s well-being pertains to their psychological, health, and
educational outcomes (Mazzucato & Schans, 2011). In particular, emotional well-being is
considered a determinant of how children would decide, behave, and cope when confronted with
complex situations brought about by parental migration and absence. In the local context, Jordan
and Graham (2012) found that “children of migrant parents in the Philippines had a relative
advantage in terms of psychological well-being compared to their peers in nonmigrant
households” (p. 1675).

Past studies on the consequences of parental absence on children’s well-being drew

insights from children and teenagers whose perspectives provide a more in-depth understanding
of their experiences as left-behind individuals. Zhao et al. (2018) found that children experienced
challenges to their psychosocial well-being primarily caused by long-term separation from their
parents. These left-behind children experienced emotional distress, which was reflected in their
experiences of loneliness and sadness. The authors further found that parental migration was
deemed as the best choice to improve the family’s welfare. Lam and Yeoh (2019) explored how
the need to sacrifice for the ‘greater food of the family’ influenced parents’ decision for
migration and served as children’s starting point for understanding and accepting such a
decision. They further found out that eventually, children would resort to measures to convince
their parents to go back home.

Isaacs (2012) identified the negative effects of being separated from parents, noting how it
could lead to a feeling of being abandoned and how reunion after several years of separation
could result in conflict. Graham and Yeoh (2013) highlighted the likelihood of experiencing a
care deficit among adolescents. They noted, however, that such deficit could be filled by the
“support and assistance provided by extended family members” (p. 303).

10
CHAPTER III
Research Methodology

Research Design

The researchers used the Descriptive research design. Their aim is to identify the
academic performance of Senior High School students with absentee parents at Pangalangan
National High School.
 Descriptive research design was used to describe the nature of situation as it existed
in time of the study and explored the causes of a particular phenomenon.

Duration and Locale of the Study

The study was conducted during the second quarter of the researchers in Pangalangan
National High School. Pangalangan National High School is a DepEd partially urban Secondary
Public School located in Brgy. Capataan, San Carlos City, Pangasinan.

11

Population and Participants

This study involves twenty eight (28) Senior High School Students in Pangalangan
National High School. These include five (5) sections in Grade 11 and five (5) sections in Grade
12.

Therefore, the total respondents is 28 in each section of Senior High School in

Pangalangan National High School.
 Grade 11 Total No. of Populations in Total No. of Samples in
Sections each Sections each Sections
Love 27 4
Patience 44 1
Peace 24 2
Joy 29 3
Optimistic 34 3
Grade 12
Sections
Gentleness 29 5
Friendliness 42 4
Goodness 39 2
Kindness 38 1
Faithfulness 21 3
Total 327 28
1. Population and Sample size

12
Materials and Procedures

To conduct the study, a letter to the principal and a letter to the participants were written.
A survey questionnaire was created by the researcher, validated by the professor of the subject,
and then distributed. Through a survey questionnaire, the researcher gathers data from
Pangalangan National High School. The respondent’s value to the study is explained by the
researcher. The researcher explains certain phrases to the respondents so that they can complete
the questionnaire fully aware of their role as the study's subject.
 The respondents were asked to answer completely truthfully by the researcher. The
researchers guaranteed the privacy of their data sheets and acknowledged that respondents’
conscience might also influence their sincerity and efficiency when providing a response. The
researcher gathered and totaled the data for analysis after the survey respondents provided their
responses. The data was acquired, calculated, and then processed and examined by the
researchers.

Data Analysis

The proper statistical processing was applied to the study’s data. The first descriptive tool
utilized was a frequency count, which was used to tally the instances in which participants
responded to the variables chosen. Second, the Mean was used to identify and categorize the
students who had parental absences and those who had parents, as well as their academic
achievement. Last but not least, Standard deviation was utilized to illustrate how far the data
deviated from the mean.

13

well-being, safety and their

condition or situation in
school. . Children who are
deprived of any of these things
are prone to develop significant
behavioral problems and it
may decrease their academic
performance at school. There
are several reasons for which
parents may be absent, such
as death, incarceration,
marital dissolution and
separation, the literature
suggests that there is little