HomeAni: Letran Calamba Research Reportvol. 19 no. 1 (2023)

The Perceived Parental Absence and Self-Regulation Functioning of the Selected Letran Calamba Senior High School Students with Overseas Filipino Working (OFW) Parents

Joe Andrew Catembung | Lharis Mata | Marienella Dorothy Ocampo

 

Abstract:

Due to the growing population of OFW which leads to the concern that many children in the Philippines are left behind, this study determined the relationship between perceived parental absence and self-regulation functioning among Senior High School students of Letran Calamba with OFW parents. This research was anchored on two theories, the Self- Regulation Theory and Attachment Theory. Using the mixed research method, specifically, the sequential explanatory design, the researchers employed stratified proportional random sampling for the quantitative phase and the purposive sampling technique for the qualitative phase. Two scales were administered to the 168 respondents of Senior High School students of Letran Calamba with OFW parents. Semi-structured interview guide was used in the interview with three participants. The results from the tests and the statistical analysis showed that the respondents got a high mark on the overall level of both variables, the self-regulation functioning and perceived parental absence. Results from the qualitative phase yielded six major themes and 15 sub- themes. Findings revealed that most of the participants had a constant control of high stress, could manage to be independent despite having OFW/migrant parents, and they had the capacity to understand others’ thoughts and emotions in their own ways. This investigation can be further improved by applying a different developmental stage in discovering the accuracy and consistency of the study. Furthermore, the future researchers can explore and improve the psychometrics of the test that was used. The researchers also recommended not to limit the study in a single phase, to have a greater number of respondents to get more accurate results, and to test the applicability of the study.