CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

The family is a profoundly important to child’s development. A child will

learn about manners, self-esteem, relationships, worth and loyalty all by watching

and participating in a family. Parents teach about values first by living those

values. Children learn much more from what you do than what you say. Families

play an enormously important role in kids' social and emotional development.

Nurturing family relationships lay the foundation for all other relationships.

Through these experiences, children learn to trust others and seek out friendship

and comfort. Having healthy and happy family is what everyone’s dream. In the

most basic sense, the family is essential because it sustains society while

fulfilling God’s purposes (Thompson, 2017).

Children’s wellbeing as the result of changes in family structure or family

transitions. Child wellbeing can be defined in many different ways. There is

consensus that childhood wellbeing is multidimensional and should include

dimensions of physical, educational, emotional and social wellbeing. Wellbeing is

considered to be influenced by family income and access to education because

these particular factors minimized the likelihood of disparities between individuals

and enhance quality of life (Conti & Heckman, 2012).

Children with broken family in United States, each year, over 1 million

American children suffer the divorce of their parents. Children from non-intact

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families have significantly higher rates of difficulty with all levels of education,

from pre-kindergarten through to primary, secondary, and college-age levels.

Teenagers, students from broken homes were 30 percent more likely to miss

school, be late, or cut class than students from intact homes, in part because

single parents had more difficulty monitoring their children. These children were

also at higher risk for smoking, using drugs and consuming alcohol (Schultz

2006).

Children with broken families in the Philippines, most of the student come

from a broken family with a single parent. Slowed academic development is

another common way that separation of the parents affects children. After a

divorce, children from pre-school through late adolescence can experience

deficits in emotional development. Children of all ages may seem tearful or

depressed. Children may experience anxiety, which can make it difficult for them

to seek positive social interactions and engage in developmentally beneficial

activities such as teen sports. This analysis becomes necessary because life in a

single parent family can be stressful for both the child and the parent. Such

families are faced with the challenges of diminished financial resources

(Children’s Defense Fund, 1994).

Thus, as the researchers we indulged ourselves into a research study to

investigate the life stories of the school-age children with broken family. The

result of this study will also be a great help for the institution and others to make

a beneficial action for the respondents.

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Purpose of the Study

The main thrust of the study is to know the cause and effect of broken

family to the school-age children. This will also seek the struggles and coping

mechanisms of the children’s attitudes at school.

Research Questions

The main thrust of the study was to investigate the school-age children

with broken family as perceived by the respondents.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the struggles of the school-age children with broken family?

2. How does the situation of the school-age children with broken family

affects their educational engagement?

3. What are the coping mechanism of the school-age children with broken

family?

Theoretical Lens

This study was anchored with the psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson

which discussed theories about the effects of broken family to the school-age

children. According to Erik Erickson (1959) children aged between 6-18 years

have tasks of facing and meeting the family, peer and school expectations.

Problems at this stage include feelings of inadequacy, poor self-image, fear of

school, lack of concentration, poor memory, excessive competition, expressing

anger and sexual disadvantages. In this study, pupils in home where there is

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conflict were lack of trust towards their parents because those parents are not

providing basic needs of the problems in those families.

Parental separation has been reported in the literature as being

associated with a wide range of adverse effects on children’s wellbeing, both as

a short-term consequence of the transition and in the form of more enduring

effects that persist into adulthood (Mackay,2005).

If adolescence from unstable homes are to be compared with those from

stable homes, it would be seen that the former have more social, academic and

emotional problems (Schults, 2006). Academic performance is of two types

positive and negative (poor) performance. Habits, family background,

perseverance, attitudes, interest all these affect academic achievement in school

(Akinboye, 2004).

Significance of the Study

This study was conducted to find out the effects of broken family to the

school-age children as perceived by the students of St. Mary’s College of

Bansalan, Incorporated. This will be beneficial to the following:

School administration: The school administration will benefit from our study

because this study can give them an idea that having a broken family is not that

easy. This research might be somehow become a guide to the school so that

they may learn to understand the children who are being affected of broken

family.

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Teachers: In the teachers it can benefit to them when they encounter a student

who are having a case family break down. In that case the teacher may now

confront and talk to the child so that the pain who’s hidden inside is being relief.

The teachers may learn to understand the child’s feeling if his/her family is being

broken. In addition, the teacher may keep his/her eyes on that child because the

teacher knew that the child is facing on a family break down.

Parent: In this study, the most important persons that our research is addressed

to, is the parents. Because as a family the parents are the one that leads their

family. The parent’s guidance is the most important to their child’s development.

We noticed that the main reason of family break-down starts with the parents

break up, parents is separated to each other, divorce and etc. We make the

parents realize that the family structure would affect the child’s development,

behavior and attitudes. It includes the academic performance and child’s social

behavior.

Students: The students will benefit from our study because it is by them who can

be affected and help them to be aware if they encounter this kind of situation.

Our study also can help those students who never know the situations of having

a broken family so that when they has a classmate who have this kind of

situation, they will be aware of their actions and words that they are going to

share.

Future Researchers: The future researchers will benefit from our study because

as the time pass by, there might have researchers to pick this kind of topic. This

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study may help them in conducting in their own study. In their data gathering, our

research can be used as a guide to them in their recent research.

Scope and Delimitations

This study was focused only on the broken family as perceived by the

students of St. Mary’s College of Bansalan S.Y. 2017-2018. It involves the impact

of broken family to the school-age children and what are their struggles. It also

includes on how they cope up on that kind of situation.

There were 4 respondents and they are now in the high school level.

Moreover, the data gathered tool that used for this research is Key Informant

Interviews (KII). In addition, the respondents were informed that their answers

will remain confidential to protect their privacy as a citizen in the community.

Hence, this study is qualitative and will be anchored on phenomenological

method. The respondents were selected through a snowball technique.

Definition of terms

The following terms are operationally defined for clarity purposes. The

following terms are:

School-age children. The age at which a child is considered old enough to

attend school. The child on this stage are the most affected in a broken family

situation because it is the stage that needs guidance of their parents.

Broken family. A broken family is a family that has split or separated due to a

variety of reasons. This leads to children being raised by single

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 parents, stepparents or others not related to the biological parents.

Broken families can result from separation due illness, divorce or other

issues. The break-up of a family has many negative impacts on the

children. The children are more likely to act out against siblings,

biological parents or stepparents.

Case study. Case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit (such as a

person or community) stressing developmental factors in relation to

environment.

Review of Related Literature

In this section, presents the review of related literature which guided the

researchers in conducting this study. This section includes the causes and

effects of having a broken family to the children based on the studies of the other

researchers.

Family

Family is a small part of the community, a small foundation of society.

Family is the home of happiness and love. Family is one of the most important

things that we must have. It is an inspiration in life to fulfill our goals in order to be

successful in life. Family is said to be the first institution where one starts to equip

oneself to grow. But differences have been found to each family. Not everyone

out there can imagine life without a family. Barring a few unfortunate individuals,

for most of us our family is an integral part of our lives. No law in this world can

defy this fact. The moment you enter this merciless world, where each man is for

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himself, there are some near and dear ones out there who leave no stone

unturned to ensure your happiness (Parry, 2003).

Broken Family

A broken family is a family in which the parents are separated or divorced

and it is disruptive to your child’s life no matter how carefully you protect him.

Over time, your little one will come to accept his new “normal”, but recognize that

it will take time for this acceptance to happen and that behavioral bumps will

occur along the way. A broken family can negatively affect all domains of your

child’s development. The effects of a broken family on a child’s development

depend on numerous factors, including the age of the child at the time of parents’

separation, and on the personality and family relationships. A broken family in

this context is one that is not structurally intact for various reasons; death of a

parent, divorce, separation, dissertation and illegitimacy in which case, the family

was never completed (Conkline, 1996).

Children living in a family where the parents have divorced or separated

need to know that they still have a family. It may mean that their family lives in

two homes, that new people are added such as step parents or that they will now

live with their grandparents. Assumptions of new roles and responsibilities,

establishment of new patterns in intra-familial interaction and reorganization of

routines and schedules (Agulanna, 1999).

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Causes of Broken Family

A family is cannot be broken without a certain reason such as death,

parental separation, divorce or any problems that can lead into this kind of

situation. Hence the parents are the most important person that can lead and

guide their children.

Divorce is claimed to be the main reason behind broken family. The

common disputes between a husband and a wife are the financial issue, sexual

misunderstanding, early marriage, teen pregnancy, education, health problem,

and etc. When the parents get divorced, usually either of them or sometime both

of them leave home. Then the absence of either or both the parents will affect the

family administration, then family become broken. In addition, divorce is the

hardest challenge that can happen to a couple especially if they have kids. The

impact of this turn events in a family’s life is more devastating on the children

(Saika, 2017).

Another factor that can lead in family breakdown is death. Death can

reduce the family strength and unity. Like other reason all death in the family do

not necessarily bring any broken, but by the death of mother or father children

become mother/father less. When children realize that the parent will never

return, they get emotionally disturbed (Saika, 2017).

Effects of Broken Family

Child development/behavior can be affected by a number of things but a

big factor may be the parents. Depending on the severity of a broken home, the

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parent's relationship with each other, as well as their children can affect how their

children behave and may even develop. If the parents are not emotionally

connected to their children, the child will struggle to learn how regulate his

emotions and interact with others appropriately (Moges and Weber 2014).

Depending on a child's age the separation of their parents may cause

extreme stress and the worst case, even depression. Parents have an impact on

their children, married or not. However, on average, broken homes have a

significant impact on children and may even continue throughout their life. To

understand how a broken home affects child development/ behavior it is

important to understand how child should normally develop/behave. Developing

motor skills will make a children become more independent, seeing how they will

be moving and grasping things in their own. Not only are lack of motor skills an

issue at a young age but are social skills (Solomon, 2004).

There are 3 types of behavior that parents should understand when it

comes to their children. First is a behavior that is approved. This includes

behavior such as being kind to other people, being understandable and listening

to others. Second is one that is not necessarily wanted at all times but it is

tolerated. It caused by the child being stressed or sick and is understood in

context and depending in the family, different types of behavior are tolerated. The

third is one that should be tolerated. It can be troublesome for a child's

intellectual development and may even cause harm to the physical, emotional, or

social well-being of the child (Normal Child behavior, 2015).

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 Chapter II

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discussed the research design, the respondents of the study,

research locale, research instrument, data collection, data analysis,

trustworthiness and authenticity, role of the researchers and ethical issues and

considerations.

Research design

This study focuses on the impact of broken family to their children. In

determining the answers of our respondents we conducted an interview and

distributed a questionnaire. We employed the qualitative research design

anchored on the phenomenological tradition. The phenomenology is an approach

to qualitative research that focuses on the commonality of a lived experience

within a particular group. The fundamental goal of the approach is to arrive at a

description of the nature of the particular phenomenon (Creswell, 2013).

Research Participants
The respondents of the study were 4 who were having a situation of

broken family. They were interviewed for this research to gather data that is

needed in this study. Individual interviews were conducted with 4 respondents, 1

male and 3 females. The respondents said that they’ve experience broken family

since birth and other respondent said that they’ve been experiencing broken

family in the past 3-10 years. The participants we’ve selected are from the same

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school. All respondents’ data is collected between January and February 2018. A

total of 7 respondents we approached but 4 agreed to take part. The age of our

respondents ranged from sixteen to 18 years and all were in good health.

Research Instruments

The instruments we used was a researcher-made questionnaire check list

to gather the needed of items that determined the causes and effect of broken

family to the school-age. In the designing of good data collection instrument were

considered. For instance, statement describing the situations or issues pertaining

was toned down to accommodate the knowledge preparedness of the

respondents. Open-ended options were provided to accommodate to free

formatted views relate to the topic or issues. In this way, the instrument is

authorized to obtain valid responses of the students.

Data Collection

We gathered the primary information through structured conversation

during the interviews with the selected senior high school students as our

outmost informants. The selected respondents, with their particular knowledge

and understanding, can provide insight on the nature of problems and give

recommendations for solution (Brook, 1995). Through the Key Informant

Interviews, we were able to have a deep connection and gathered deeper

insights about their problems, needs and aspiration as a receipt of the case

study.

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Data analysis

Analyzing data from Key Informant Interviews can be challenging. It is

sometimes difficult to judge the validity of the information received from one

person (Miles and Hukerman, 1984). Thus, the information gathered from this

study was subjected to a phenomenological qualitative method which focuses to

reveal meaning of the lived experience from the perspective of participants

(Young and Young, 1991). Phenomenological study is a research methodology

which has its roots in philosophy and which focuses on the lived experiences of

individuals. This approach is must effective for this study because it is based on

philosophy and it studies conscious awareness of the world experienced from the

subjective or first person point of view (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2013)

Trust Worthiness and Authenticity

In qualitative research trustworthiness is very important because we

are getting personal information’s in according to the answers and request of our
respondents. Trustworthiness consists of the following components credibility,
transferability, dependability, and confirmability. With this in our minds, we can be
trusted in keeping those important and confidential information. In the trust
literature integrity is often seen as one of several dimensions of trustworthiness
(Mayer et al., 1995).
To ensure trustworthiness of our study, we will present our interview
guide questions to validation to our school experts in terms of research works.
Since we venture to the complex world of our respondents in trying to ask them
some questions they will think so much confidential for them, we ensure that us,
as a researcher and as an interviewer, we will protect their identity by hiding it

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and make sure that we have the skills of empathic listening, understanding,
patience, and traits of acceptance. The definition of research trustworthiness is
the demonstration that the evidence for the results reported is sound and when
the argument made based on the results is strong (LaBanca, 2010).

Credibility. One of the key criteria addressed by positivist researchers is that of

internal validity, in which they seek to ensure that their study measures or
tests what is actually intended. According to Merriam, the qualitative
investigator’s equivalent concept, credibility, deals with the question, “How
congruent are the findings with reality?” Lincoln and Guba argue that
ensuring credibility is one of most important factors in establishing
trustworthiness. The quality of convincing and believable.
Transferability. Refers to the degree to which the results of a qualitative
research can be transferred to other apply or transfer beyond the bounds
of this research project. Instead, your job as the researcher is to provide
the evidence that it could be applicable. This may sound tricky and wish-
washy, but Lincoln & Guba (1985) said. “It is, in summary, not the
naturalist’s task to provide an index of transferability, it is his or her
responsibility to provide the data base that makes transferability
judgements possible on the part of potential appliers.”

Dependability is important to trustworthiness because it establishes the

research study’s findings as consistent and repeatable. In order to have

reliable information in our study, participants must tell a truth and not a

lie. In order to commit their honesty, we will give our full trust and

certainty to the earnestness of our participants in recounting their stories

that leads them to a heavy drinker of alcohol, in that way they will get

comfortable with us.

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Confirmability. The last criterion of Trustworthiness that a qualitative researcher

must establish to guarantee the objectivity in the translation and

examination of the data that is shared by the participants, we would keep

a record of our interview transcripts that can enable the reader to allude

to the exact narration of our participants when they wish to do as such.

Confirmability refers to the objectivity of the researcher to acquire

information for the participants (Shenton, 2004).

Role of the Researchers

The role of the researcher is to ask questions to the person who would be

interview. This research aims to examine the causes and effects of having a

broken family to the school-age children. We investigate on the children of what

are their coping mechanism in the situation they are facing.

Ethical Issue and Considerations

The respondent has confidential information that needs to have

permission so that the data we gathered is more reliable and more convincing to

the audience. This research study was mainly concerned with children’s views,

and therefore there were ethical issues specific to children’s needs that had to be

given special consideration. While many of the ethical issues affecting children

are similar to those of adults, children’s vulnerability, because of their age and

their relative powerlessness, as well as the more limited understanding of

younger children, requires special acknowledgment (Hill, 1998).

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Informed Consent. First, we made a letter for our respondents and respondent’s

parent/guardian for them to sign as permission in conducting a research

about their situations. We insure that they’ve signed our letters so that

we can distribute questionnaires and conduct an interview without any

violent reactions from them.

Privacy and confidentiality. Privacy and confidentiality is important in

phenomenological research because it involves the personal data where

in only the person allowed can conduct an interview to the chosen

respondent. As a researcher we have to hide the information that the

respondents don’t want to be revealed. The data that we gathered and to

be added in our study is according to the approval of our respondents.

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 CHAPTER III

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents all the data gathered. These are interpreted and

analysed to get a clear view of the information that we gathered using the Key

Informant Interviews. Results and discussion are presented according to the

emerging themes that were extracted from the results of the research questions

on this study. A seek for father’s love, mother’s affair and abandoned ship are the

themes that emerged from the in-depth interview.

Respondent’s Experiences and Feelings

As we walk into the world wherein our respondent is living with her single

mother; we meet and we listened into their experiences in life of having a broken

family. Using the Key Informant Interview that we had with them there is this

theme that emerged from their answers and is that the cause of her to have a

struggles is the seeks for a father’s love.

A Seek for a Father’s Love. As we gathered the data from our interviews

we had with our respondents. She had shared that she struggling on their

situation because living without the presence of a father is not easy for us if we

are a child. In her situation, she experiences depression because she is seeking

for a father’s presence and love. She can even commit suicide because of the

situation she faces (KI1 and KI3).

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 “Yung mga struggles na na experience ko ay yung
lumalaki ka nang walang amang gumagabay sayo,
yung feeling na hindi kayo kumpleto. Sadness and
umabot rin sa time na na depress ako ,and I even plan
to end my life. but thank God, ‘di natuloy”

(My struggle that I experience is that I grew up without a father that guides me,
the feeling that you are not complete. Sadness and it comes to the point that it
leads to a depression and I even plan to end my life, but thanks to God, it doesn’t
happen)

(KI1 02/22/18)

She also added that when she was in the elementary level, having a

broken family really affects her studies. But when she reached high school level,

she realized that it’s ok to live life even though the family is incomplete. One that

is not structurally intact for various reasons; death of a parent, divorce,

separation, dissertation and illegitimacy in which case, the family was never

completed (Conkline, 1996).

Mother’s Affair. Moreover, the cause of the brokenness of her family is

because of her mother. Her mother has an affair to the other man and she feels

that having a broken family is painful.

“Ang hinungdan kong nganung na broken family mi

kay tungod sa panglalake sa akong mama ug sakit siya sa
feeling na ang akong pamilya kay na broken.”

(The reason why our family was broken it’s because of my mother was having
an affair to other man and it feels so painful when my family is broken)

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 (KI2 02/02/18)

Abandoned ship. We come up to the theme abandoned ship because in

the case of our respondent they were abandoned by his mother. It all started

when his mother decided to go abroad and promised that she will come back

after the work. But they didn’t expect that his mother will not come back and his

parents quarrelled to each other so it becomes the reason that their family was

broken.

“Basin,kaning di ko sure pero para sa akoa murag katong pag abroad ni mama

tapos ana si mama na 2 or 4 years lang siya didto pero hantud karun dili na siya

nagauli, panagsa nalang.”

(Maybe, ahm I’m not so sure but for me, maybe when Mama
decided to go abroad and Mama said that her term in there
is only 2 or 4 years but now she come back home very seldom)
(KI4 02/02/18)

In addition, having broken family for him is that he feels uncomfortable

because his parents are always quarrel to each other. The struggles he

experience was depression, he was depressed because his mother is not around

and also his father. His father only at home during weekends (K14).

Conclusions

In conclusion, the cause of broken family to our respondents are the

parent’s brake up and parental separation. Also includes having an affair to

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another man or a woman. This various reasons affects the family structure,

wherein the children are the most affected. The children may encounter stress

that can lead to depression whenever they know that their family is not complete.

Also they may learn to exclude the member of the family if it is not around in their

homes it is because every child in the family knows only those people that

surrounds them. There is a lot of changes in their lives because as they grow

older they may learn to live life without the member of the family.

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 CHAPTER IV

IMPLICATIONS OF THE PRACTICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study provides for the essential and relevant data needed for any

academic institution both private and public. For the parents who’s having a

complete family, they must keep the good relationship to their family. Because

family is the most important thing in our lives that completes on who we are and

they are near and dearest one out there that leave no stone unturned to ensure

your happiness (Parry, 2003).

For the guardians of the broken homed children, may the guidance for the

children be guided accordingly. May they won’t surrender in the sacrifices they

made. Because every child in this world grows into a good person if the

teachings and actions are good. May their love will never perish to the children

for it is the only way to help them feel complete.

Furthermore, to the children who’s experiencing having a broken family

wherein they have lost their way to the right path because of the situation. They

must learn to realized things and be more matured enough so that they can

handle the problem easily. They must feel comfortable to their surroundings

because everybody that surrounds them are also the person that can help them

cope up.

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 Moreover, for the future researchers it is important to conduct a study with

organized process of data gathering using Key Informant Interview. This study

may also help them to have an effective and organized research.

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