children w/ ofw parents

8/20/2019 Children w/ OFW parents

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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 !" Amoguis

Au#re$ A" Aguana

Whitne$ Faith %" &antaca


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Chapter '

'ntroduction

ackground of the Stud$

Overseas Filipino Workers’ work hard not only for their families bt for the nation as

well! "t is apparent that the Philippines have been constantly dependent on their remittances!

#ccording to $ational %conomic and Development #thority &$%D#'( the Philippine

economy can only become less dependent on OFWs’ remittances bt not completely

independent from it! For the first eight months of )*+,( total personal remittances - cash and

non.cash - have climbed to /+0!)1) billion! 2his was becase of the remittances of OFWs -

land based and sea based workers abroad! Withot a dobt( OFWs have become an

indispensable part of or lives! Since remittances go straight to hoseholds( it is sed on the

essentials3 food( water( clothing( shelter and edcation( improving the lives of millions of

Filipinos and booming the contry’s economy! 2hese benefits are more than enogh to show

the hge contribtion of OFWs to or economy! &4a5el 6eremias )*+7'

#ccording to Melanie 8eyes )**9 thor and Professor at the Miriam :ollege

Women and ;ender "nstitte'( With this hge nmber of Filipino migrants &and still more'

living the contry temporarily &or permanently'( more pressing concern is with regard to

children left behind( "n terms of investments in edcation( the money broght in by migrant

parents increase the levels of edcational attainments among their children( opening p more

opportnities for their ftre( 8emittances do help improve the


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stdies say remittances can benefit the child in terms of allowing access not only to leisre

and recreation bt also to cltral activities and contribting to higher achievements in

school! #ccording to the :onvention on the 8ights of :hildren( parents have the moral

obligation and responsibilities for the pbringing and development of their children! =t with

the absence of the parents( technological mechanisms like celllar phones and compters

have become the defalt sbstitte to personal parenting> this will still not replace the

emotional bonding that can develop in the relationship when they are physically present! #t

the same time( they will miss the growing p years of their children and their vale

formation!

"n edcational instittions( sccess is measred by academic performance( or how

well a stdent meets standards set ot by local government and the instittion itself! #s career

competition grows ever fiercer in the working world( the importance of stdents doing well

in school has caght the attention of parents( legislators and government edcation

departments alike! Parents care abot their child?s academic performance becase they

believe good academic reslts will provide more career choices and @ob secrity! Schools(

thogh invested in fostering good academic habits for the same reason( are also often

inflenced by concerns abot the school?s reptation and the possibility of monetary aid from

government instittions( which can hinge on the overall academic performance of the school!

State and federal departments of edcation are charged with improving schools( and so

devise methods of measring sccess in order to create plans for improvement! 2he tracking

of academic performance flfills a nmber of prposes! #reas of achievement and failre in a

stdent?s academic career need to be evalated in order to foster improvement and make fll

se of the learning process! &Melissa 6! =ell )*+)'


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People often consider grades first when evalating academic achievement! 2his

incldes schools( who rank stdents by their ;P#( awarding special designations sch as

valedictorian and saltatorian for those who gradate first and second in their class!

Scholarship organi5ations and niversities also start by looking at grades( as do some

employers( especially when hiring recent gradates! Aeadership can also indicate academic

performance! Some stdents demonstrate their competence by serving as stdent body

president or holding officer positions in stdent grops sch as the honor society or the

science clb! Or( they might reglarly organi5e stdent events sch as fndraisers( pep rallies

or dances! Others participate in volnteer organi5ations and coordinate food drives or other

commnity otreach efforts! Universities and employers look favorably on consistent

leadership activities( feeling these stdents will bring that same drive to their classrooms or

board rooms! &%llie Williams )**+'

2he researchers seek to stdy abot the performance( specifically the academic

performance of stdents withot the gidance of their parents or having OFW parents!


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)E&A!E* &'!E)A!+)E

Family is the most important thing in the world! #ll of s want to have a perfect and

complete family! =ecase if we have both parents at home( we will have fller perspective on

life and we will know how to deal with certain sitations! =t sometimes there’s a sitation

that or motherBfather leave s and go abroad for the sake of or ftre!

Parents who work overseas may pt more food on the table that makes and have

better means to spport their edcation! 4owever( they may deprive their children of parental

tender loving care and gidance essential in their development as with well.ronded

personalities who can confidently take their place in the society &:abrillas )**9'!

Using the definition of the :onvention on the 8ights of the :hild &:8:'( Ca child

means every hman being below the age of eighteen who are also needing protection

against all forms of discrimination! Under the :onvention( the parents have the moral

obligation and responsibilities for nrtring and for the development of the children!

#ccording to 4earts #part Focs ;rop Discssion 8esearch( the departre of one or

two parents leaves an emotional mark on the yong children left behind! 2he children long

for the presence of the migrant parent&s'( especially when mothers are away! =t the athor

sggests that the children are attended to by the family. mostly the mothers when it is the

fathers who migrate( other female relatives and eEtended family when both parents are ot!

Despite the emotional displacement( the children of migrants are not disadvantaged children

of non. migrants in many dimensions of well. being! 2hs( when the family is stable( it can

withstand the separation imposed by migration!


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"n a stdy condcted by the United $ations :hildren’s Fnd &U$":%F' entitled

:hildren and Migration in %cador3 Sitation Diagnostic by ;loria :amacho ! and Gattya

4ernande5 &)**0'( when the father has migrated( the family is not


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school( at dinnertime( and when they went to bed! 2hey were also less likely to eEperience

emotional distress if they engaged in activities with their parents( and if their parents had

high eEpectations regarding their academic performance! "n addition( those who had low self.

esteem were more likely to eEperience emotional distress!

Social behavior of children can also be affected by migration of either one or both

parents! "n the previos stdy by =attistella and :onaco &+HHI'( children with absent mothers

showed poorer social ad@stment and sffered impeded psychological development! =tin the

)**1 Scalabrini stdy( it showed that children have generally ad@sted socially mainly

becase of the strong social spport from family members and relatives!

8egardless of whether the parents are here or not( children also share some

responsibilityin the hosehold chores! #mong the common chores are cleaning the hose(

setting the tableBwashing dishes( taking care of the siblings( doing errands( watering plants(

taking care of the animals( etc! #nd althogh Cmigrant children reported eEperiencing

+1 )**1 difficlties and longing for their absent parents( they also acknowledge that they

learned to be more independent in the process! sis( Mar@a M!=!( CMigration and Families

in #sia( )***'

#ccording to Melanie 8eyes &)**9' C:hildren have a different level of acceptance or

tolerance of the sitation depending on their Ccognitive development! She added that yong

children may see this as abandonment and not see the Cother side of the pictre for yong

children( they only see migration as a form of abandonment of their parents> while

adolescents may either be receptive or resentfl &:arandang( )**0'! 2he )**1 stdy fond

that Cchildren of migrants were generally fine and faring better than the children of non


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migrants! Srprisingly( Cchildren of migrants are less anEios and less lonely compared with

the children of non migrants &)**1 Philippine Stdy by Scalabrini'! "t showed that children

have generally ad@sted socially mainly becase of the strong social spport from family

members and relatives!

:linical psychologist #nna Gatrina Oaminal.Watin&)*+1' said that for the many years

that she?s been teaching at the University of :eb.=anilad( she came across children of

OFWs who had problems.trancy( bllying &either as the victim or the blly'( academic

performance and other behavioral concerns . in school! She said it happens as Jchildren( who

are at school age( need more time and attention from parents considering that it is the time

where development is more crcial!J

C2he strength of family relationship particlarly the children’s closeness to their parents(

"s reflected in the children’s choice of their parents as role models!++ Migration has

somehow inflenced the children’s choice of career and ftre plans! "n the )**1 stdy(

I*K of OFW respondents wold like to work abroad and wold like to take corses in

medicineBnrsing( teaching( and engineeringBarchitectre! 2his view is likewise spported

by #Lonevo &)**)' showing an alarming reality in terms of children’s aspiration to work

like their parents! %ven if they dream of finishing college edcation( they already

developed in their consciosness that they cold get a higher salary abroad even withot

having a college diploma!

;eneral well.being


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2he )**1 stdy fond that Cchildren of migrants were generally fine and faring better

than the children of non migrants! Srprisingly( Cchildren of migrants are less anEios

and less lonely compared with the children of non migrants! 2his is in contrast with

=attistella and :onaco’s &+HHI' findings showing children of migrant parents

eEperiencing higher anEiety and loneliness! 4owever( the low level of anEiety and

loneliness can also be attribted to the increase of family commnication! On a sad note(

the children of migrant mothers reported being lonely( angry( nloved( nfeeling( afraid(

different from the other children( and worried compared to all grops of children(

inclding non OFW children! & Philippine Stdy by Scalabrini()**1'

J2he challenge of parenting children and adolescents is that parents need to secre the yong

person in what is considered an insecre time in development(J Watin said!

For her part( Dr! Michelle :ellona &)*+1'( a licensed psychologist and chairman of :eb

"nstitte of 2echnology.University?s Department of 4manities and =ehavioral Sciences(

said that most of the stdents who are children of OFWs that she has met are Jperforming

wellJ in their classes! 2here are( however( also those who have the tendency to become

rebellios not to their parents bt to their gardians!

:ellona eEplained that if there are children who are misbehaving( it is not becase 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 cold be traced to absentee parents( who

cold be physically there yet not giving their children


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JOFW or not as long as yo have the right role model at home( and they &the children' are

reminded constantly why their parents have to leave them( then " don?t think there will be a

problem(J she said!

:ellona said OFWs shold 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!

Frthermore( the disrption of family life and the loss of parental attention and

discipline reslting from the absence of a parent may hinder children performance in school!

=radley and :orwyn&)**)' from their stdy stated that a child who comes from a

stressfl home environment tends to channel that stress into disrptive 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 &Aiv ;! :ampo( )*+1'!"t

was highly recogni5ed that Cthe transmission of vales( inclding spirital formation( from

one generation to the neEt is one of the ma@or responsibilities vested in the family &8obert

%scalante( )**9'! =t the )**1 stdy fond that migration of parents did not matter in the

formation of important vales and spiritality since this is also passed on from parents or

caregivers! #t the same time( throgh the help of advance technology( a different level of

intimacy which also strengthens the connection and nrtring bonding is being established

http://www.philstar.com/author/Liv%20G.%20Campo/http://www.philstar.com/author/Liv%20G.%20Campo/


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among migrant families! 2his is what 2analega &)**)' is also talking abot wherein

Cparenting becomes a long distance love affair synchroni5ed with the fast paced development

of technology! 2he absence of the parents is replaced throgh the different technological

mechanisms &cellphones( emails( videocams' to make their presence felt by their children

even if they are thosand miles away! Unfortnately( this Ctechy parenting will still not

replace the emotional bonding that can develop in the relationship when they are physically

present! #t the same time( they will miss the growing p years of their children and their

vale formation &2analega( CFamilies on the Move( )**)'!

!heoretical Framework


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# nmber of theories in psychology shed light on the natre and drivers of family

formation( amongst them ob@ect relations theory( attachment theory( and theories of

personality!

#ttachment theory offers insights into the formation and maintenance of family

relationships! Aike ob@ect relations theories( attachment theory arges that the bonds between

a child and its care.giver( sally the mother( affects the child’s personality development and

sbse avoidant attachment( characterising children who were

constantly denied physical contact by their mothers> and anEiosBambivalent attachment(

reslting from mothers who were slow and inconsistent in responding to their infant’s cries!

#ttachment theories arge that the formation and strengthening of relationships in

adlthood parallel attachments styles of infancy( and that there are different kinds of love

eEperiences for people with different strengths of relationship! #dlts with secre

relationships are confident in both themselves and their relationships( while those with

avoidant behaviors tend to be detached from both their own feelings and their relationships!

#nEios or ambivalent adlts are likely to be apprehensive and distressed both in themselves

and in relationships &Morgan and Shaver +HHH'!

Statement of the Pro#lem


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+! What are %Eperiences of college stdents with OFW parents in terms of3

• Parental absentees

•

%motional 4ealth• Social behavior

• Financial Stability

)! 4ow do the :hildren with OFW &Overseas Filipino Worker' parents perform

academically

1! 4ow having OFW &Overseas Filipino Worker' parents can affect the academic

performance of their children

Significance of the Stud$

2his stdy on the #cademic Performance of :hildren with OFW parent is significant

becase it can serve as a database leading to gidelines for parents( gidance conselors and

professors who need to deal with stdents having problems becase of having OFW parents!

#part from this( the stdy may also serve as a reference material for parents who are

thinking of leaving their children behind to work in other contries! "t may help parents to


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know what is best for their children and act accordingly! "t can also be a way to predict

possible areas of concern and ways of addressing problems of stdents with OFW parents!

:4#P2%8 ""

M%24OD

*esign

Case Stud$


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:ase stdy research eEcels at bringing s to an nderstanding of compleE isse or

ob@ects and can eEtend eEperience or add strength to what is already known throgh previos

research! :ase stdies emphasi5e detailed conteEtal analysis of a limited nmber of events

or conditions and their relationships! Social scientists( in particlar( have made se of this


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social work( science and mathematics! #long with these ma@or fields of concentration(

WMSU offers corses in agricltre( architectre( forestry( home economics( ntrition and

dietetics( social work( criminology( #sian and "slamic Stdies and special degree corses for

foreign stdents! "t also offers eEternal stdies and non.formal edcation corses! "t has two

campses3 the main camps of 0H(*** s


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*ata Anal$sis

2hematic analysis was sed to make significant dedctions from the


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behaviour)and academic prospective of children with parents abroad within the premises of

Western Mindanao State University!

8%F%8%$:%S3

6eremias( 4! &)*+7' !E ECO"O#$C A"% &OC$A' !EO! NOnline! #vailable!

http3BBglobalnation!in


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2an( G6! &)**9' 'eaving OFW children behind Economic bene*its vs+ social costs NOnline!

#vailable!http3BBwww!gmanetwork!comBnewsBstoryB+1,,1*BnewsBleaving.ofw.children.

behind.economic.benefits.vs.social.costs

=ell( Melissa 6! &)*+)' %e*ine Academic Per*ormance NOnline! #vailable!

http3BBwww!ehowpls!netBabot,0,*07*define.academic.performance!html

Williams(%! &)**+' What Is the Meaning of Academic Performance NOnline! #vailable!

http3BBwork!chron!comBmeaning.academic.performance.+011)!html

#rlan( $!( Shrestha( 6! Q (Wingo( R!&)**9' , Employment o* Overseas Filipino Worers

(OFWs) and its $mplications on the Academic Per*ormance o* their Children! #vailable3

SS8$.id+19)+11!PDF

;loria :amacho ! Q Gattya 4ernnde5 = &)**0'( -nited "ations Children.s Fund /

-"$CEF Centro de Plani*icaci0n y Estudios &ociales (Centre *or &ocial Planning and

esearch) 1 CEP'AE& C!$'%E" A"% #$2A$O" $" EC-A%O &ituation %iagnostic!

&Febrary( )**0'

http://www.ehowplus.net/contributor/melissa_j_bell/http://www.ehowplus.net/about_4740750_define-academic-performance.htmlhttp://www.ehowplus.net/contributor/melissa_j_bell/http://www.ehowplus.net/about_4740750_define-academic-performance.html


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file3BBB:3BUsersBG8:"nternet

K)*:afeBDownloadsBgfmdbrssels*0contribtionnicefecadoronchildrenandmigr

ationen!pdf

8eyes( Melanie M! &)**9 ) Migration and Filipino Children Left-Behind:

A Literature Revie, #iriam College / Women and 2ender $nstitute (WA2$)

For the -nited "ations Children.s Fund (-"$CEF) ( 6ly +( )**9'

heories o* *amily and Policy

http3BBwww!treasry!govt!n5BpblicationsBresearch.policyBwpB)**,B*,.*)B+7!htm

=erk( A! &+H,+'! :hild Development!

4tter( M! &+HH+'! 2he Family %Eperiences!

http3BBwww!philstar!comBceb.newsB)*+1B+*B*,B+),+1+0Bspecial.featre.if.yor.parents.are.

away.home.how.children.ofws.cope

http://c/Users/KRCInternet%20Cafe/Downloads/gfmd_brussels07_contribution_unicef_ecuador_on_children_and_migration_en.pdfhttp://c/Users/KRCInternet%20Cafe/Downloads/gfmd_brussels07_contribution_unicef_ecuador_on_children_and_migration_en.pdfhttp://c/Users/KRCInternet%20Cafe/Downloads/gfmd_brussels07_contribution_unicef_ecuador_on_children_and_migration_en.pdfhttp://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2004/04-02/15.htmhttp://c/Users/KRCInternet%20Cafe/Downloads/gfmd_brussels07_contribution_unicef_ecuador_on_children_and_migration_en.pdfhttp://c/Users/KRCInternet%20Cafe/Downloads/gfmd_brussels07_contribution_unicef_ecuador_on_children_and_migration_en.pdfhttp://c/Users/KRCInternet%20Cafe/Downloads/gfmd_brussels07_contribution_unicef_ecuador_on_children_and_migration_en.pdfhttp://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2004/04-02/15.htm


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http3BBwww!asianhospital!comBhealth.digestBseparation.anEiety.disorder.the.s.a.d.case.of.

children.with.parents.working.abroadBTsthash!Er

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