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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The life of overseas workers is very hard and mostly controlled by the

people who hired them to work abroad. The lives of the children of the overseas

Filipino workers are quite difficult to manage and lack parental guidance mostly

because of the distance of work (Reyes, 2008). Sometimes they are misled from

the path intended by their parents for them to become a better person. As

observed adolescents today receive less supervision from their parents and this

are the issue surrounding parental responsibilities. But Reyes (2008) said that in

terms of investment in education, the money brought in by migrant parents

increase the levels of educational attainments among their children, opening up

more opportunities for their future.

It is also observed that first year high school students have low

achievements in terms of their grade; home works, projects and they got low

performance in different activities. This happens because of lack of parent

involvement to the studies of those children, so, parents need to be involve on it.

It also has a huge percentage of the parents’ remittances go to tuition fees of

their children, allowing them to enroll in the schools offering good quality

education.

Such parents when actively involved in their children schooling, the

children subsequently demonstrated higher levels of academic motivation and

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performance. Holman et. al. (1997) emphasized in the study conducted that

when parents are more involve, it has a great positive impacts to children’s

literacy development and overall student’s achievements.

Statement of the Problem

This study focused on the educational problems encountered by the

overseas Filipino workers’ children enrolled in San Agustin Institute of

Technology S.Y 2017-2018. Specifically, this study sought to answer the

following questions:

1. What is the profile of the overseas Filipino workers’ children in terms of:

1.1 age;

1.2 sex;

1.3 grade level; and

1.4 monthly income?

2 What are the educational problems encountered by the overseas Flipino

workers’ children enrolled in San Agustin Institute of Technology?

3 Is there a significant difference on the educational problems encountered by

the overseas Flipino workers’ children enrolled in San Agustin Institute of

Technology when group according to age, sex, grade level, and monthly

income?
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Objectives of the Study

In general objective of this study determined the educational problems

encountered by the overseas Flipino workers’ children enrolled in San Agustin

Institute of Technology S.Y 2017-2018. Specifically, this study aimed to:

1. described the profile of the overseas Flipino workers’ children enrolled in

San Agustin Institute of Technology in terms of age, sex, grade level, and

monthly income;

2. determined the educational problems encountered by the overseas Flipino

workers’ children enrolled in San Agustin Institute of Technology;

3. find out the significant difference on the educational problems

encountered by the overseas Filipino workers’ children enrolled in San

Agustin Institute of Technology when group according to age, sex, grade

level, and monthly income.

Significance of the Study

This study benefit the following:

Overseas Filipino Worker’s Children. This research intended to discovered

the educational problems encountered by the overseas Flipino workers’ children

enrolled in San Agustin Institute of Technology.

OFW Parents. Parents has a better awareness for their child who’s left in

their country in order for them to provide their family’s living.

Future Researchers. The result of this study is used as basis for further

research for future researchers.

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Scope and Delimitation

This study only focused on the educational problems encountered by the

overseas Filipino workers’ children enrolled in San Institute of Technology. The

independent variables include age, sex, grade level, monthly income, and

experiences encountered by the OFW’s children while the dependent variables

are the educational problems.

Definition of Terms

Age refers to number of years of the respondent from birth to his last

birthday.

Education refers to the knowledge and understanding that you get from

attending a school or university.

Gender refers to the classification of the respondents as male or female.

Grade level refers to the level of study that is completed by a respondent

during one year.

Overseas Workers refers to the people working abroad to support their

family

Parents refer to the mother and father or guardians of the respondents.

Socio-economic status refers to the measurement of the respondents’

economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education,

and occupation.

Student refers to a learner who attends an educational institution.

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Chapter 2

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This chapter presents the Review of Related Literature, Theoretical

Framework, Conceptual Framework, Hypothesis, and Schematic Diagram.

Review of Related Studies and Literature

According to UAE Labor Law, Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW is a

Filipino living and working outside of the Philippines who are in another country

for limited or definite period i.e. on a work contract. Migration of parents abroad

for working purpose may be important of generating income and reducing

unemployment. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) make just to provide a better

life for their families. Education, it is one of the primary reasons why parents go

to abroad.

The children whose parents are absent run higher risks of getting in

trouble in school: they have less interest in coming to school and in studying

which result in lower grades, disciplinary action and overall decreased

performances. OFW children put more premiums on time and attention given to

them by their parents (PIDS, 2011). Many parents working abroad assume that

their sons and/or daughters fully understand why they have to leave: that their

departure is for the children’s benefit as well as their future. Statistically

speaking, the number of children in this situation is not significant enough that we

can call it a national phenomenon, but measures should be taken to prevent it

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from one (Asis, 2007).OFWs children mostly left behind with spouses, guardians

and other relatives were victimized in various kinds of abuse (Vega, 2017).

Abuses are acknowledged as a serious problem and should not be implemented.

Especially, for those ages between 13-16 years old they already assigned new

responsibility. At Experience has shown that children are affected by migration in

different ways: children are left behind by migrant parents; they are brought along

with their migrating parents; and they migrate alone, independently of parents

and adult guardians. Negative impacts of mother’s migration among the 0-4 aged

children are likely to be exposed to several factors that can increase their

incidence of illness, including: reduction of care, improper bottle feeding. Other

children do not move, but are nevertheless affected because they live in

communities that send or receive large numbers of migrants. In the absence of a

parent or both parents, children are left to the care of the parent who is left

behind or to some other relative. This parental absence creates disruptions in

care giving arrangements and leaves the children to the relatives (Agoot,

2011).Other studies have relied on inter-temporal variation in incomes between

siblings, but it is unclear that parents do not take compensatory actions in the

face of differential financial resources associated with each sibling.

Education is one of the words that a parent/s seek to go abroad and

provide their children needs. Most Filipino migrant parents determined by their

willingness of their duties to fulfill for their children. Children of OFWs are prone

to have a behavioral and educational problem and are becoming self-doubting. In

terms of investment in education, the money brought in by migrant parents

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increase the levels of educational attainments among their children, opening up

more opportunities for their future (Reyes, 2008). Remittances do help improve

the quality of life of migrants and their family. A huge percentage of the parent’s

remittances go to tuition fees of their children, allowing them to enroll private

schools offering good quality education (Amoguis, 2012). Family structure,

household resources, numbers of siblings competing for those resources, and

parent’s own educational attainment are often more important predictors of

children’s educational outcomes. Parent involvement in a child's education is

consistently found to be positively associated with a child's academic

performance. The cause by overseas migration is either neutral or can have

positive effects on schooling outcomes. If they do, then sibling studies estimate

the effects net of those actions (Chevalier, 2013). Usually, parents even do not

realize that problems in their child’s education are a result of their attitude to both

child and school. School children whose parents are overseas Filipino workers

are emotionally affected by the status of their families. To help them, there is a

need for the school to know that the parents of the children are OFWs. OFW

children are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities, such as

camping, field trip, school programs and so forth. In terms of socio-economic

variables, the children of migrants are markedly better off compared to the

children of non-migrants. This economic advantage appears to provide the

children of migrants with other advantages.

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Theoretical Framework

Millions of Filipinos work overseas either temporarily or permanently, their

left-behind children directly carry the burden of living with absentee parents.

Bowen’s Family Systems Theory is a theory of human behavior that views the

family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex

interactions in the unit. It is the nature of a family that its members are intensely

connected emotionally. People solicit each other’s attention, approval, and

support and react to each other’s needs, expectations, and upsets. The

connectedness and reactivity make the functioning of family members

interdependent.

According to John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment, children come into the

world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others, because this

will help them to survive. He believed that attachment behaviors are instinctive

and will be activated by any conditions that seem to threaten the achievement of

proximity, such as separation, insecurity, and fear. These attachment behaviors

initially function like fixed action patterns and all share the same function. The

determinant of attachment is not food but care and responsiveness.

Conceptual Framework

In a very literal way, a home is the child’s first school. A home as defined

by the Webster Dictionary is “the place where something originated and

developed.” Therefore, parents are our first teacher. This research study aims to

seek if the students have their educational problems and demands more time
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from their parents as for material satisfaction and for parental attention leading to

good academic performance. And find out what are the things encountered by

the OFW’s children in their educational problems.

Children of OFW’s are prone to emotional, psychological, and behavioral

problems, they usually encountered educational problems. It has also been

observed that many OFW children are becoming self-doubting and drug

dependents. In addition, most of the OFW children have become so materialistic

and spend their parent’s money on gadgets and internet gaming from lack of

guidance instead of spending it to their educational purposes.

Good parents try to stay aware of their children’s need and activities that

will help them develop properly, but some of live in an environment and cultures

where some needs are never filled because of financial problems so that some

parents work abroad to sustain their daily living. Their common educational

problems are family gatherings in school or family day, guidance in their studies

especially in their homework that needs parents to help. Educational problems

are one of the common problems of students nowadays.

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Schematic Diagram

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

Overseas Filipino Workers’ Educational Problems

Children Profiles: Encountered by Overseas

Workers’ Children
1. Age

2. Sex

3. Grade level

4. Monthly Income

Figure 1. Schematic diagram showing the independent and dependent variable

of the study
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Hypothesis of the Study

Ho1: There is no significant difference of the educational problems

encountered by overseas workers’ children when group according to age, sex,

grade level, and monthly income.

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Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design, research locale, respondents

of the study, sampling procedure, data gathering procedures, and statistical

treatment.

Research Design

This study utilized a descriptive research design which means that this

study simply described the variables in the study such as the overseas Filipino

workers’ children profile, educational problems, and test the significance of

difference of the independent variables towards the dependent variables

explored.

Research Locale

This study was conducted in San Agustin Institute of Technology, founded

by Fr. Manlio Caroselli S.J, in 1960 with 100 first year high school students

attending classes in the parish convent. The next year a nine-room school

building was put up on a new site donated by Mr. Guillermo Lavina. In 1964, the

school adopted the newly approved technical curriculum, the first of its kind in

Northern Mindanao Region. The following year, the boys’ woodworking shop, the

girls’ vocational building and additional classroom were constructed.

In1966, a new automotive shop was inaugurated, equipped with machine,

tools and equipment and instructional devices donated by the MISEREOR

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Foundation of Germany. The foundation also donated two electric power

generators. The school opened two high school branches in the barangays of

Guinoyoran and Mailag, in response to the growing need for education in nearby

barangays. In 1971-73, the college department was opened. Initially offering

Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education (BSIE) and Bachelor of Science in

Technology (BST). Another extension school was opened in Laligan. In 1980, the

elementary department was opened. By SY 1981-1982, a complete elementary

education program was offered with 249 pupils enrolled. In 1982, Night high

school was opened.

After Fr. Caroselli’s retirement in 1975, the administration of the school

was left entirely to the Diocese, which in turn appointed competent administrators

to carry on the vision. The following has served as Directress of the school: Sr.

Nieves Mogote, MCM, Sr. Rebecca A. Loquias, MCM, and Sr. Teresita S.

Sajelan, MCM, Sr. Felisa P. Batusin, MCM, Sr. Virginia A. Loquias, MCM, and

currently Sr. Gina L. Dahan, MCM.

Population and Sample

The respondents of this study was the selected students of San Agustin

Institute of Technology S.Y 2017-2018, whose parents are overseas workers and

are willing to participate in the study. There were 126 students in junior and

senior high school whose parents are overseas workers. This study utilized

Slovin’s formula to determine the sample size. The formula is presented below:
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N
n=
1+Ne2
Where:

n- sample size

N- population

e- margin of error

After the sample has been determined, simple random sampling was used

to determine the number of students in each section as shown:

GRADE LEVEL N n
Grade 7 26 16

Grade 8 27 17

Grade 9 24 15

Grade 10 11 7

Grade 11 28 17

Grade 12 10 6

TOTAL 126 77
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Research Instrument

The study utilized the questionnaire prepared by the researchers. This

was divided into two parts: Part I – overseas workers’ children profile and Part II

is the level of participation of the respondents.

Scoring Procedure

The respondents rated the items of the questionnaire using this scaling

scheme:

Point Range of Means Descriptive Rating

5 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
4 3.41 – 4.20 Agree
3 2.61 – 3.40 Uncertain
2 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree
1 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree

Data Collection Procedure

The researchers asked permission from the principal for the floating of the

questionnaires among the overseas Filipino workers’ children enrolled in San

Agustin Institute of Technology. After the permission was obtained, the

researchers approached the adviser for the distribution of the questionnaires.

Then, it was collected, tallied, and processed for analysis and interpretation of

data.
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Statistical Treatment of Data

In order to describe the profile of the overseas Filipino workers’ children

enrolled in San Agustin Institute of Technology in terms of age, sex, grade level,

and monthly income, frequency and percentage will be used.

To ascertain the educational problems encountered by the overseas

Filipino workers’ children, mean and standard deviation will be used.

To find out the significant difference on the educational problems

encountered by the overseas Filipino workers’ children enrolled in San Agustin

Institute of Technology when group according to age, sex, grade level, and

monthly income, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test will be

used.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Agoot, L. (2011). OFW parents should know the academic status of kids open.
Broken Families and Its Effects on Children, 7, 2011, 4-6.

Amoguis, A. (2012). Experiences and effects on academic performance of

students with OFW parents. Journal of Psychology & Cognitive Science,
1, 2012, 4-15.

Asis, M. (2007). Imagining the future of migration and families in Asia. Journal of
Asian and Pacific Migration, 9, 2007, 261-265.

Bretherton, I., & Munholland K. A. (1999). Internal working models revisited. In J.

Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research,
and clinical application. (pp. 89-111). New York: Guilford Press.

Bowlby J. (2009). Attachment, communication, and the therapeutic process. A

secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development,
137-157.

Chevalier, A. (2013). The relative effects of family characteristics and financial

situation on educational achievement. Journal of Education Economics,
10, 2013, 165-181.

Hodges, J., & Tizard, B. (2007). Social and family relationship of ex-institutional
adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30(1), 2007, 77-
97.

PIDS Research Information Staff. (2008). OFW children: wanting more attention
open. Development Research News, 27, 2008, 3-12.

Reyes, M. (2008). Migration and Filipino Children Left-Behind. Journal of United

Nation Children’s Fund, 2, 2008, 3-4.

Rutter, M. (2000). Stress, coping and development: Some issues and some
questions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22(4), 2000, 323-
356.

Schore, A. N. (2000). Attachment and the regulation of the right brain.

Attachment & Human Development, 2(1), 23-47.

Vega, J. (2017). 132 cases of abuse of OFW kids. Retrieved from

https://edgedavao.net/the-big-news-2017/11/29/rise-132-cases-of-abuse-
of-ofw-kids-reported/.
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EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE OVERSEAS FILIPINO

WORKERS’ CHILDREN IN SAN AGUSTIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

QUESTIONNAIRE

PART I. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Name (Optional): ______________________________________

Sex: ( ) Male
( ) Female

Age:
( ) 12-13 years old
( ) 14-16 years old
( ) 17 years old and above

Grade Level:

( ) Grade 7 ( ) Grade 10
( ) Grade 8 ( ) Grade 11
( ) Grade 9 ( ) Grade 12

Monthly Income: __________

PART II. EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED. Please indicate your

chosen answer by checking the number which corresponds to the following
scales:

5 – Strongly Agree
4 – Agree
3 – Uncertain
2 – Disagree
1 – Strongly Disagree

INDICATORS 5 4 3 2 1
1. My quarterly grades and average are declining.
2. I am not interested in coming to school and in studying.
3. I often feel unhappy, depressed or tearful.
4. I envy my classmates during family day or activities.
5. I pay my tuition fee or school fees in delay.
6. I do not have someone to listen or to share my problems in
school.
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7. Doing assignment is hard for me.

8. I feel nervous or clingy in new situations and easily loses
confidence.
9. I involve to any troubles and gets disciplinary action.
10. I have many worries or often seem worried about my studies.
11. I take all the responsibilities in taking charge of my siblings at
school.
12. I do all the responsibilities at home that often resulted for my
absences.