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Western Mindanao State University

Department of Psychology

Experiences and Effects on Academic Performance of College Students with

OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) Parents

Andrie T. Amoguis
Aubrey A. Aguana
Whitney Faith M. Lantaca

Chapter I
Introduction
Background of the Study
Overseas Filipino Workers work hard not only for their families but for the nation as
well. It is apparent that the Philippines have been constantly dependent on their remittances.
According to National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Philippine
economy can only become less dependent on OFWs remittances but not completely
independent from it. For the first eight months of 2014, total personal remittances cash and
non-cash have climbed to $17.232 billion. This was because of the remittances of OFWs
land based and sea based workers abroad. Without a doubt, OFWs have become an
indispensable part of our lives. Since remittances go straight to households, it is used on the
essentials: food, water, clothing, shelter and education, improving the lives of millions of
Filipinos and booming the countrys economy. These benefits are more than enough to show
the huge contribution of OFWs to our economy. (Hazel Jeremias 2015)
According to Melanie Reyes 2008 (Author and Professor at the Miriam College
Women and Gender Institute), With this huge number of Filipino migrants (and still more)
living the country temporarily (or permanently), more pressing concern is with regard to
children left behind, In terms of investments 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, Remittances do help improve the quality of life of the migrants
and their families. A huge percentage of the parents remittances go to tuition fees of their
children, allowing them to enrol in private schools offering good quality education. Other

studies say remittances can benefit the child in terms of allowing access not only to leisure
and recreation but also to cultural activities and contributing to higher achievements in
school. According to the Convention on the Rights of Children, parents have the moral
obligation and responsibilities for the upbringing and development of their children. But with
the absence of the parents, technological mechanisms like cellular phones and computers
have become the default substitute to personal parenting; this will still not replace the
emotional bonding that can develop in the relationship when they are physically present. At
the same time, they will miss the growing up years of their children and their value
formation.
In educational institutions, success is measured by academic performance, or how
well a student meets standards set out by local government and the institution itself. As career
competition grows ever fiercer in the working world, the importance of students doing well
in school has caught the attention of parents, legislators and government education
departments alike. Parents care about their child's academic performance because they
believe good academic results will provide more career choices and job security. Schools,
though invested in fostering good academic habits for the same reason, are also often
influenced by concerns about the school's reputation and the possibility of monetary aid from
government institutions, which can hinge on the overall academic performance of the school.
State and federal departments of education are charged with improving schools, and so
devise methods of measuring success in order to create plans for improvement. The tracking
of academic performance fulfills a number of purposes. Areas of achievement and failure in a
student's academic career need to be evaluated in order to foster improvement and make full
use of the learning process. (Melissa J. Bell 2012)

People often consider grades first when evaluating academic achievement. This
includes schools, who rank students by their GPA, awarding special designations such as
valedictorian and salutatorian for those who graduate first and second in their class.
Scholarship organizations and universities also start by looking at grades, as do some
employers, especially when hiring recent graduates. Leadership can also indicate academic
performance. Some students demonstrate their competence by serving as student body
president or holding officer positions in student groups such as the honor society or the
science club. Or, they might regularly organize student events such as fundraisers, pep rallies
or dances. Others participate in volunteer organizations and coordinate food drives or other
community outreach efforts. Universities and employers look favourably on consistent
leadership activities, feeling these students will bring that same drive to their classrooms or
board rooms. (Ellie Williams 2001)
The researchers seek to study about the performance, specifically the academic
performance of students without the guidance of their parents or having OFW parents.

RELATED LITERATURE

Family is the most important thing in the world. All of us want to have a perfect and
complete family. Because if we have both parents at home, we will have fuller perspective on
life and we will know how to deal with certain situations. But sometimes theres a situation
that our mother/father leave us and go abroad for the sake of our future.
Parents who work overseas may put more food on the table that makes and have
better means to support their education. However, they may deprive their children of parental
tender loving care and guidance essential in their development as with well-rounded
personalities who can confidently take their place in the society (Cabrillas 2008).
Using the definition of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a child
means every human being below the age of eighteen who are also needing protection
against all forms of discrimination. Under the Convention, the parents have the moral
obligation and responsibilities for nurturing and for the development of the children.
According to Hearts Apart Focus Group Discussion Research, the departure of one or
two parents leaves an emotional mark on the young children left behind. The children long
for the presence of the migrant parent(s), especially when mothers are away. But the author
suggests that the children are attended to by the family- mostly the mothers when it is the
fathers who migrate, other female relatives and extended family when both parents are out.
Despite the emotional displacement, the children of migrants are not disadvantaged children
of non- migrants in many dimensions of well- being. Thus, when the family is stable, it can
withstand the separation imposed by migration.

In a study conducted by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) entitled

Children and Migration in Ecuador: Situation Diagnostic by Gloria Camacho Z. and Kattya
Hernandez (2007), when the father has migrated, the family is not quite affected since, from
a cultural point of view, the mother has always been responsibility of the household. This
situation gets worse when the father stops sending the remittances or they are not enough to
cover the basic needs of the family. On the other side, when the mother has migrated, the
family is strongly affected and its vulnerability levels depend on whether the father directly
takes over the care of their children or he has the support from other women in his family.
These impacts will be increased if the couple is breaking up prior to or together with the
migration. If both the father and the mother have migrated, the original family structure is
significantly different.
Parental absence creates displacement, disruptions and changes in care giving
arrangement (Arias Rufo, 2008). Such effects are more felt when it is the mother who works
abroad, as families go through more adjustments, than when it is the father who goes to work
abroad. There is always an emotional aspect that goes along with parents leaving their
children, especially for long periods of time. In spite of that, it is also a relief to have the
family looking after their children who were left-behind. However, we cannot negate the fact
that the children are longing for the love and care of their biological parents.
It also affects the Childs Emotional Health ,according to Michael D.
Resnick(1997)Compared with peers whose parents are often absent throughout the day, teens
whose parents are present when they go to bed, wake up, and come home from school are
less likely to experience emotional distress. Teens were less likely to experience emotional
distress if their parents were in the home when they awoke, when they came home from

school, at dinnertime, and when they went to bed. They were also less likely to experience
emotional distress if they engaged in activities with their parents, and if their parents had
high expectations regarding their academic performance. In addition, those who had low selfesteem were more likely to experience emotional distress.
Social behavior of children can also be affected by migration of either one or both
parents. In the previous study by Battistella and Conaco (1996), children with absent mothers
showed poorer social adjustment and suffered impeded psychological development. Butin the
2003 Scalabrini study, it showed that children have generally adjusted socially mainly
because of the strong social support from family members and relatives.
Regardless of whether the parents are here or not, children also share some
responsibilityin the household chores. Among the common chores are cleaning the house,
setting the table/washing dishes, taking care of the siblings, doing errands, watering plants,
taking care of the animals, etc. And although migrant children reported experiencing
13 2003 difficulties and longing for their absent parents, they also acknowledge that they
learned to be more independent in the process. (Asis, Maruja M.B., Migration and Families
in Asia, 2000)

According to Melanie Reyes (2008) Children have a different level of acceptance or

tolerance of the situation depending on their cognitive development. She added that young
children may see this as abandonment and not see the other side of the picture for young
children, they only see migration as a form of abandonment of their parents; while
adolescents may either be receptive or resentful (Carandang, 2007). The 2003 study found
that children of migrants were generally fine and faring better than the children of non

migrants. Surprisingly, children of migrants are less anxious and less lonely compared with
the children of non migrants (2003 Philippine Study by Scalabrini). It showed that children
have generally adjusted socially mainly because of the strong social support from family
members and relatives.
Clinical psychologist Anna Katrina Oaminal-Watin(2013) said that for the many years
that she's been teaching at the University of Cebu-Banilad, she came across children of
OFWs who had problems-truancy, bullying (either as the victim or the bully), academic
performance and other behavioral concerns - in school. She said it happens as "children, who
are at school age, need more time and attention from parents considering that it is the time
where development is more crucial."

The strength of family relationship particularly the childrens closeness to their parents,
Is reflected in the childrens choice of their parents as role models.11 Migration has
somehow influenced the childrens choice of career and future plans. In the 2003 study,
60% of OFW respondents would like to work abroad and would like to take courses in
medicine/nursing, teaching, and engineering/architecture. This view is likewise supported
by Aonuevo (2002) showing an alarming reality in terms of childrens aspiration to work
like their parents. Even if they dream of finishing college education, they already
developed in their consciousness that they could get a higher salary abroad even without
having a college diploma.
General well-being

The 2003 study found that children of migrants were generally fine and faring better
than the children of non migrants. Surprisingly, children of migrants are less anxious
and less lonely compared with the children of non migrants. This is in contrast with
Battistella and Conacos (1996) findings showing children of migrant parents
experiencing higher anxiety and loneliness. However, the low level of anxiety and
loneliness can also be attributed to the increase of family communication. On a sad note,
the children of migrant mothers reported being lonely, angry, unloved, unfeeling, afraid,
different from the other children, and worried compared to all groups of children,
including non OFW children. ( Philippine Study by Scalabrini,2003)

"The challenge of parenting children and adolescents is that parents need to secure the young
person in what is considered an insecure time in development," Watin said.
For her part, Dr. Michelle Cellona (2013), a licensed psychologist and chairman of Cebu
Institute of Technology-University's Department of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences,
said that most of the students who are children of OFWs that she has met are "performing
well" in their classes. There are, however, also those who have the tendency to become
rebellious not to their parents but to their guardians.
Cellona explained that if there are children who are misbehaving, it is not because their
parents are away, as there are also children who act similarly even if their parents are living
with them. She said if a child is misbehaving, it could be traced to absentee parents, who
could be physically there yet not giving their children quality time. She said in most cases, it
is always the absentee parents that need help rather than their children.

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"OFW or not as long as you have the right role model at home, and they (the children) are
reminded constantly why their parents have to leave them, then I don't think there will be a
problem," she said.
Cellona said OFWs should not be blamed if some children are lost, as they left them to give
them a better life. She said it is not easy for a parent to leave his child.
Furthermore, the disruption of family life and the loss of parental attention and
discipline resulting from the absence of a parent may hinder children performance in school.
Bradley and Corwyn(2002) from their study stated that a child who comes from a
stressful home environment tends to channel that stress into disruptive behavior at school and
be less able to develop a healthy social and academic life.

Children with OFW parent coping mechanism

OFWs are even closer to their children even if they are separated physically and they
always find time to talk to their children online as often as possible (Liv G. Campo, 2013).It
was highly recognized that the transmission of values, including spiritual formation, from
one generation to the next is one of the major responsibilities vested in the family (Robert
Escalante, 2008). But the 2003 study found that migration of parents did not matter in the
formation of important values and spirituality since this is also passed on from parents or
caregivers. At the same time, through the help of advance technology, a different level of
intimacy which also strengthens the connection and nurturing bonding is being established

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among migrant families. This is what Tanalega (2002) is also talking about wherein
parenting becomes a long distance love affair synchronized with the fast paced development
of technology. The absence of the parents is replaced through the different technological
mechanisms (cellphones, emails, videocams) to make their presence felt by their children
even if they are thousand miles away. Unfortunately, this techy parenting will still not
replace the emotional bonding that can develop in the relationship when they are physically
present. At the same time, they will miss the growing up years of their children and their
value formation (Tanalega, Families on the Move, 2002).

Theoretical Framework

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A number of theories in psychology shed light on the nature and drivers of family
formation, amongst them object relations theory, attachment theory, and theories of
personality.

Attachment theory offers insights into the formation and maintenance of family
relationships. Like object relations theories, attachment theory argues that the bonds between
a child and its care-giver, usually the mother, affects the childs personality development and
subsequent interpersonal relationships (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters and Wall 1978). Bowlby
and Ainsworth (1991) outlined three kinds of attachments that infants had to their mothers:
secure attachment, where children had a loving childhood, with mothers who were sensitive
and responsive to their needs; avoidant attachment, characterising children who were
constantly denied physical contact by their mothers; and anxious/ambivalent attachment,
resulting from mothers who were slow and inconsistent in responding to their infants cries.
Attachment theories argue that the formation and strengthening of relationships in
adulthood parallel attachments styles of infancy, and that there are different kinds of love
experiences for people with different strengths of relationship. Adults with secure
relationships are confident in both themselves and their relationships, while those with
avoidant behaviours tend to be detached from both their own feelings and their relationships.
Anxious or ambivalent adults are likely to be apprehensive and distressed both in themselves
and in relationships (Morgan and Shaver 1999).

Statement of the Problem

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1. What are Experiences of college students with OFW parents in terms of:
Parental absentees
Emotional Health
Social behavior
Financial Stability
2.

How do the Children with OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) parents perform
academically?

3.

How having OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) parents can affect the academic
performance of their children?

Significance of the Study

This study on the Academic Performance of Children with OFW parent is significant
because it can serve as a database leading to guidelines for parents, guidance counselors and
professors who need to deal with students having problems because of having OFW parents.
Apart from this, the study may also serve as a reference material for parents who are
thinking of leaving their children behind to work in other countries. It may help parents to

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know what is best for their children and act accordingly. It can also be a way to predict
possible areas of concern and ways of addressing problems of students with OFW parents.

CHAPTER II
METHOD
Design
Case Study

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Case study research excels at bringing us to an understanding of complex issue or

objects and can extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous
research. Case studies emphasize detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events
or conditions and their relationships. Social scientists, in particular, have made use of this
qualitative research method to examine contemporary real-life situations and provide the
basis for the application of ideas and extension of method.

Participants
This study involved only five adolescents in the university (WMSU) setting who has
at least one parent that works abroad for not less than three years. For the data gathering
proper, the researchers identified individuals who may qualify as participants, and requested
for their permission to participate in the study. Once participants have clearly stated their
willingness to participate in the study by signing consent forms, they were asked to partake in
the interview.

Setting
The research will be conducted within the premises of Western Mindanao State
University. It is located at Normal Road , Baliwasan, Zamboanga City. The school has 12
colleges, three institutes and two autonomous campuses offering undergraduate and
postgraduate courses specializing in education, engineering, nursing, arts and humanities,

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social work, science and mathematics. Along with these major fields of concentration,
WMSU offers courses in agriculture, architecture, forestry, home economics, nutrition and
dietetics, social work, criminology, Asian and Islamic Studies and special degree courses for
foreign students. It also offers external studies and non-formal education courses. It has two
campuses: the main campus of 79,000 square metres and 9,147 square metres is in the city
(Barangay Baliwasan) and the satellite campus of 200,000 square metres occupied by the
College of Agriculture and the College of Forestry lin San Ramon, 20 kilometers from the
city. Campuses comprising the external studies units are in the provinces ofZamboanga del
Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, including the newly integrated formerly
CHED-supervised institutions in Molave and Tampilisan. It has a student population of over
22,000, regular faculty members of over 600 and over 150 administrative personnel.

Procedure
The goal of this project will be to study the College student of OFW parents with
respect to their social world and the factors which affect the nature of their interactions. A
convenient sample of five (5) students will be obtained through purposive sampling.Each
person who agrees will be asked to read and sign an informed consent form prior to
participating and promised their complete participation. The researchers will now then
proceed to conduct personal interview with the participants for data gathering.

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Data Analysis

Thematic analysis was used to make significant deductions from the qualitative data
that has been transcribed. In thematic analysis, a concept is chosen for examination. In this
case, the concepts that have been chosen are the experiences, the effects and the parent-child
relationship of the children of OFWs. Its analysis then requires identifying and naming
themes according to the responses of the participants. At the end of every interview and also
after the FGD, the researcher that has been assigned to take down notes summarized what
went through and asked the participant/s if they agreed on the data that has been collected. If
not, they were given the right to raise their points and correct the researcher. This specific
part of the interview and FGD was done to fulfill the requirement, reliability and validity
check

Limitation of the study

This research only covered 5 participants who are college student of WMSU. The selected
students should have parent or parents who are Overseas Filipino Workers.This paper tackles
the experiences (Parental Absentees,Emotional health,Financial stability and social

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behaviour)and academic prospective of children with parents abroad within the premises of
Western Mindanao State University.

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Bell, Melissa J. (2012) Define Academic Performance [Online]. Available.

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