TEENAGE PREGNANCY: ITS EFFECT TO THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
SANTO NIÑO HIGH SCHOOL OF BACOLOD, INC
POBLACION, BACOLOD, LANAO DEL NORTE

MARY GRACE M. PALAHANG

FEBRUARY 2023
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a

female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. This includes those who are
legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period
between the ages of 10 and 19 years. Pregnancy can occur with sexual intercourse
after the start of ovulation, which can be before the first menstrual period (menarche)
but usually occurs after he onset of periods. In healthy, well-nourished girls, the first
period usually takes place around the age of 12 or 13.

The concern over the age at which young women should give birth has existed
throughout human history. In general, however, there are two divergent views used to
explain teenage pregnancy. Some authors and researchers argue that labelling teen
pregnancy as a public health problem has little to do with public health and more to do
with it being socially, culturally, and economically unacceptable. The bibliographic
citations selected for this article will be extensive. The objective is to cover the major
issues related to teenage and childbearing, and adolescent pregnancy and childbearing.

Since the 1950’s, teenage pregnancy has attracted a great deal of concern and
attention from religious leaders, the general public, policymakers, and social scientist,
particularly in the United States and other developed countries. The continuing
apprehension about teenage pregnancy is based on the profound impact that teenage
pregnancy can have on the lives of the girl and the children. Demographic studies
continue to report that in developed countries such as the United States, teenage
pregnancy results in lower educational attainment, increased rates of poverty, and
worse “life outcomes” for children of teenage mothers compared to children of young
adult women.
 Adolescent pregnancy is a complex issue with any reasons for concern. Teenage
pregnancy is a natural human occurrence that is poor fit with modern society. In many
way it has become a proxy in what could be called the cultural wars. On one
philosophical side of the debate, political and religious leaders use cultural and moral
norms to shape public opinion and promote public policy with the stated purpose of
preventing teenage pregnancy.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to know the effects of teenage pregnancy to the academic
performance.

1. What is teenage pregnancy?

2. What are the effects of teenage pregnancy to academic performance?

3. How to overcome teenage pregnancy?

Hypothesis

To answer the problem above the following hypothesis formulated.

H0: There is no significant relationship of Teenage Pregnancy: Its effects to the

Academic Performance.

H1: There is significant relationship of Teenage Pregnancy: Its effects to the

Academic Performance.

Theoretical Framework

In the current study the Crisis Theory elucidated by Caplan (1964) is advanced to
conceptualise teenage pregnancy as a crisis arises out of some change in a person’s
life space that produces a modification of his/her relationship with others and
perceptions of the self. For example, Bilton (2000) used the Crisis Theory to explain the
transition to motherhood which puts teenagers at a greater risk for psychological
distress because they are socially, cognitively and emotionally immature to cope with
the demands of motherhood. Such a change may come about relatively slowly and as a
result of rather normal and inevitable experiences of growing and developing physically
and socially or quite rapidly as a result of some unforeseen and traumatic event
(Lehana, 2003). Based on this explanation of a crisis, teenage pregnancy could be
perceived as an experience that leads to rapid physical, emotional and social changes
to the pregnant teenager.

Caplan (1964) outlined several phases of a crisis situation to illustrate how the
process takes place. Phase 1 is a period when there is a rise in tension as a result of
the problem stimulus which generates anxiety and perception of threat to the self
(Lincoln, 2000). This anxiety and perceived threat to the self, triggers habitual problem-
solving responses which the individual has learnt previously which might be generalised
to this particular situation (Lopez, 2005). Marxin (2010) applied this theory to explain the
failure to apply the usual coping mechanisms which we lead to feelings of helplessness
and ineffectualness. In the case of teenage pregnancy, it can then therefore, be
proposed that the teenager will become anxious as soon as she realises that she has
fallen pregnant (the problem stimulus). This will then trigger some of the habitual
problem solving responses that the teenage is accustomed to (Scott, 2005). Since the
problem stimulus and the situation will be of such novelty and intensity, the individual
experiencing the crises will fail to reduce the anxiety in the period of time expected
(Paiger, 2005).

Phase 2 posits that this perceived failure to apply the usual coping mechanisms
will lead to feelings of helplessness and ineffectualness (Sadock, 2003). Similarly, a
pregnant teenager maybe overwhelmed by her pregnancy to the point of feeling
helpless. A third phase of his theory posits that an individual will try to redefine the
problem to bring it into the range of prior experience (Ritcher, 2005). The individual may
accept the situation and thus integrate it into the self-image. If the experience is
perceived as acceptable, the teenager could become positive about the pregnancy and
thus develop new positive ways of dealing with it (Rip,2004). Studies report that failure
by a pregnant teenager to accept and cope with the new experience leads to various
forms of psychological distress (Chillman, 1986; Dryfoos, 1990; Preston-Whyte, 2000).
However, the last stage postulating that if the problem fails to be solved in the third
stage the
pregnant teenage fail to accept and cope with new experience, could lead to emotional
experiences (Persons, 2006).

Conceptual Framework
In order to gain a clearer understanding about the direction of the study. Figure A
present the conceptual framework of the study. The researcher use the Input-Process-
Output that represents relationship of the effects of teenage pregnancy to the academic
performance.
Input Process Output

Awareness and
Teenage Pregnancy Orientation Prevention

Significant of the Study

Teachers. Teachers can use this research to educate teenager about teenage
pregnancy and how it can affect to their academic performance.
Parents. Parents won’t be worry anymore because they know that their child have
enough knowledge about the teenage pregnancy and its effect to their academic
performance.
Students. This research cab help student understand more about the effects of
teenage pregnancy.
Future Researchers. They can use this research to add more information related to
teenage pregnancy.

Scope of limitation
This study focused on the Teenage pregnancy: its effects to the academic
performance. The respondents of the study were the randomly selected teenage moms
Barangay Poblacion of Municipality of Bacolod, Lanao del Norte, who answered the
question prepared by researcher. And this will be conducted in Barangay Poblacion for
the year 2022-2023.

Definition of terms
 Childbearing - the process of giving birth to children.
 Ovulation - the process in which a nature egg is released from the ovary.
 Menstrual period –is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the
inner lining of the uterus through the vagina.
 CHAPTER 2
REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE

Teenage pregnancy is not like other issue there in the whole world although it
seems to be a common concern, it does not seem to bother people that much. Not until
they are personally affected by the issue or until they finally realized that it had been
increasing in number of people that is slowly reached an abnormal stage or to the point
that it affected too many lives already and too many aspects of living.

Teenage pregnancy is mostly unplanned, and as a result, people react to the

experience differently. The teenager has to come to terms with the unexpected
demands of being an adult, and in some cases, she may also have to deal with
disapproval and dissatisfaction shown by the significant others like parents and relatives
(Clemens, 2002). According to Macleod and Durrheim (2003) teenage pregnancy as a
social problem that leads to the disruption of schooling; poor obstetric outcomes,
inadequate mothering; poor child outcomes; relationship difficulties with relatives,
partners and peers; and demographic concerns about increasing population numbers.
In major cases, teenage mothers are not in a position to go back to school after delivery
as they forced to look after their children. In some cases, these young mothers’ physical
health conditions do not make it conducive for them to go back to school. While some
young women may be prevented from going back to school as a result of these factors,
De Jang (2001) found that there are some cases of teenagers who may use their
pregnant status to deliberately escape the demands of high education. Depression is
one of the problems that results to the teenage pregnancy of the women. According to
the psychodynamic theory, depression is presented as a disorder that can be linked to
real or imagined object loss (Gee and Rhodes 2003).
 The adolescent is faced with many decisions and needs accurate information on
topics such as body changes , sexual activity, emotional responses within intimate
sexual relationships, STD’s, and pregnancy. In the United States 70% of adolescents
have had sexual intercourse by the age of 18 (Kenney et al, 1998). A substantial
number of these teenagers do not protect themselves from pregnancy or STD’s. The
dynamics of sexual risk taking are not fully understood, but numerous studies have
found correlations between drug/alcohol use, sexual abuse, and unsafe sex. (Keller et
al. 2001; Kenney et al,2000).Adolescents tend to have a sense of being invulnerable,
believing that unwanted pregnancy; STD’s and other negative outcomes of sexual
behaviour are not likely to happen to them (Keller et al, 2000).

Adolescent parents face different barriers. According to Spivak: “it has been
acknowledged that adolescent parents tend to come in high risk families have poor
academic achievement, and lived in our most disadvantaged communities and
therefore, biologic, economic, and behavioural factors contribute to the increased
likelihood of teenager having children who are vulnerable to physical and developmental
problems.

Teenage parents face many obstacles to economic and social success, and
these further influence the environment in which their children grow up. Adolescent also
experience many difficulties in adjusting to parenthood and display a range of
suboptimal parenting practices, whereas some of these appears highly resistant to
change, others have clinical, programmatic, and policy implications.

The “Lack of Parental Guidance Contributes to Teen Pregnancy”, states that

most people evade their children from talking about sex. In some case they provide
false information regarding sex and discourage their children to participate in any
informative discussion about sex. Also teenage mothers are not well educated about
sex before getting pregnant and thus this leads to lack of communication between the
parents and their children ( Hoffman 2004).
 Consequently, there can be no “one size fits all” conclusion here. But at the same
time, it is possible and useful to describe the average effect of teenage childbearing and
recognizing that the average conceals underlying variation in both directions. Measuring
the socio-economic effects of early childbearing sounds like it ought to be a simple task.
After all, everyone knows that teenage mothers are much worse off on many
dimensions than women who delay childbearing. Their family incomes are lower, they
are more likely to be poor and to be receiving welfare, and they are likely to be married.
Additionally, their children lag on standard measures of early development. But such
facts by themselves do not establish that a teenage birth is the single cause of those
problems or what if we could successfully intervene and change a woman’s age at first
birth and nothing else about her up to that point, we would greatly alter her life
circumstances. Early aged pregnancy has its effect on the socio-economic status of the
childbearing teenage.

Berrington (2013) emphasized that: policies aimed at reducing inequalities in

adult health need to take a life-long perspective and to tackle social disadvantages
across the life course. Teenage motherhood is an important independent pathway
through which poor socio-economic conditions in childhood translate into higher rates of
both mental and overall ill health adulthood. The poorer mental health of teenage
mothers has implications for the subsequent generation and hence contributes to the
intergenerational transmission of disadvantage.

Torivillas (2013) The Philippine Star noted that there is evidence supporting the
Reproductive health law that calls for sexuality education among young students. Not
that for teaching the kids to engage in “safe” sex, but rather, for telling them why they
should not engage in early sex, and yes, before marriage. With regulated sexuality
education, the young are informed about sex, pregnancy, unplanned and planned,
instead of through the internet or pornographic magazines that somehow manage to
reach them. Peep into their rooms and see copies of Playboy and Pent house and other
sexy publications tucked between the bed sheets, and for-adults-only videos in the
internet.

The factors that triggers the Teenage pregnancy in the country are: Family
problems, broken family/complicated family, peer pressure/bad influence,
Media/Television/Movies Influential Trends (regarding sex), pornography, lack of
attention, love, caring, lack of moral values, failure to nurture with good principle,
curiosity, lack of information about Sex (sex education), use of illegal drugs, lack of
Guidance, prostitution (involve poverty), unintelligent decision etc. (Discover questions
in the Philippines, 2013).

Murrah (2003) defined adolescence as a period when many physical, emotional

psychological and social changes are taking place there is no way to predict how
particular youth will behave sexually. Many adolescents at this age explore relationship
and fall in and out of love. They are exploring intimacy, establishing independence from
their families and achieving their own identity they are trying out new ideas and
behaviour that they often perceived as adult. Such as intimate relationship and at times
sexual relationship (hubpages.com/hub/adolescent sexuality).

In the Philippines, NSO (2013) showed in their data that 13-14 percent of all
registered marriage is among teenagers below 20 years old while data from the
National Youth Commission showed that the rate of teen pregnancy in the country is
among the highest in the ASEAN region and the only country where the rate is
increasing. The global issue of teen pregnancy is the reason why the annual celebration
of World Population Day- July 11- lead by United Nations Population Fund, focuses on
addressing teen pregnancy.
 CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the research design, research environment, respondents,

data-gathering procedures and research instruments.

Research Design
The Quantitative research design was utilized in this study. Sample survey was
performed to obtain respondent’s opinion about the tittle, Teenage Pregnancy: It’s
effects to the academic performance to Teenage moms.

Research Environment
The researcher will conduct the survey in the Barangay Poblacion of Municipality
of Bacolod, Lanao del Norte. This place will selected based on the researchers and
informants residencies. The study will conducted through survey.

Sampling Design
 The researcher will be using a Simple random sampling. Simple random
sampling is a type of sampling in which the researcher randomly selects a subset of
participants from a population. So, in that case, the researcher will randomly select 10
respondents in Barangay Poblacion.

Respondents
The study was conducted among the ten (10) female teen mothers who are
pregnant while the research is ongoing and those teen mothers who had been pregnant
ate the age of 15-19 years old were selected to be the informants. Teen mothers from
Barangay Poblacion where the researcher also reside had been chosen for this study.
The informants had been undergone a survey questionnaire. Furthermore, the
respondents were teen pregnant females and/or females who were pregnant in the age
range of 15-19 years old.

Data Gathering
After making the questionnaire, the selected teenage moms of Barangay
Poblacion will be questioned through a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire will aim
to collect relevant information concerning It's Effects to the Academic Performance of
the Teenage Pregnancy.