Parental Absence Impingement towards Student’s Academic Performance and

Social Development at School and Intervention

By:

Lyn, Soposo

Abarquez, Jennie Mae

Villaver, Charis

Suerte, Christian

Sambo, Dimple Jhonly

Caparas, Adrian Anthony

Gedorio, Angel

Deniega, Kate

Aliporo, JR

Deada, Jaylord

Cabañero, Kiann

Paunil , Aleia
 CHAPTER I
PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION
Studies have shown that children who have a single parent who is always there to

support them and their peers have a significant impact on the academic. Even though they

are aware of how hard their parents has tried to support their studies and tried to support

us, the absence of a parent nevertheless affects a study's academic achievement. The

absence of parents has a strong impact on the academic performance and social

development of students in the school environment. When parents are away due to work

commitments, divorce, or other reasons, this often correlates with lower academic

performance. A lack of consistent parental guidance and support can hinder students'

ability to focus on their studies and effectively navigate homework challenges. Prolonged

absence, lasting more than one year, has been associated with worse academic

performance. Children who experience parental absence due to serial migration also tend

to perform worse academically. The presence of a parents figure has been shown to play

a significant role in the academic performance of children, with intact parents children

demonstrating better academic performance compared to absent parents children.

Overall, parental absence negatively affects student academic performance, leading to

lower achievement scores, reduced educational expectations, and poorer academic

outcomes .

Addition, the effects extend beyond academics and affect students' social

development. Emotional distress due to the absence of parents can cause difficulties in
establishing and maintaining relationships with peers. Changes in behavior, such as

withdrawal or aggression, may appear as coping mechanisms in response to emotional

distress from parental intervention. Overall, parental absence negatively affects student

academic performance, leading to lower achievement scores, reduced educational

expectations, and poorer academic outcomes.The importance of this research is to give

knowledge to everyone, especially the parents, for them to know what negative impact

they contribute in the studies of their children, whenever they make some drastic

decisions of their separation. This also gives insight to the readers that lack of parents'

support has also a negative impact on their children' s relationship with other people and

decision making. It has been repeatedly shown that a child's academic achievement is

positively correlated with their parents' involvement in their education. Nonetheless, not

much research has been done on the mechanisms underlying this association. The

relationship between parent involvement and a child's performance on a standardized

achievement test was fully mediated, according to a multiple mediation model, by the

child's perception of cognitive competence. The relationship between parent involvement

and teacher evaluations of the child's academic performance in the classroom was fully

mediated by the nature of the student-teacher relationship. Restrictions, potential avenues

for future investigation, and consequences for public policy endeavors were deliberated.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to investigate the impact of parental absence on students' academic

performance and social development within the school environment. Specifically, it seeks

to answer the following questions:

1.To what extent does parental absence affect the academic performance of students

enrolled in St. Cecilia's College?

2. How does parental absence influence the social development of students, including

their interaction with peers and teachers, at St. Cecilia's College?

3. What support systems and interventions can be implemented at St. Cecilia's College to

help mitigate the negative effects of parental absence on students' academic achievement

and social well-being?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The results of the study can provide more in-depth knowledge about what lower-

class families are facing with inflation. The beneficiaries of the study are the following:

1. Parents: It sheds light on the impact of their absence on their children’s academic

performance, potentially motivating parents to prioritize involvement in their

children’s lives to support their educational success.

2. Students: The significance lies in understanding how parental absence impacts

students' academic performance and social development at school, prompting the

 need for effective interventions to support these students in navigating their

educational journey and personal growth.

3. Society: Understanding the effects of parental absence on academic performance

can inform societal interventions and policies aimed at supporting families and

addressing underlying issues contributing to parental absence, ultimately

promoting better outcomes for children and the broader community.

4. Teachers: Teachers can benefit from insights into the challenges students face

due to parental absence, allowing them to provide targeted support and

interventions to help students succeed academically despite these obstacles.

5. Future researchers: This study provides a foundation for further research into

the complex relationship between parental absence and academic performance,

offering opportunities for deeper exploration, refinement of interventions, and the

development of new theories and methodologies to address this issue

comprehensively.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The study will be conducted on St. Cecilia College. Focusing only those students

in middle in high school who experience the impact of parental absence on their

academic performance. The number of respondents ranges from 5-10 students. To look at

how parental absence affects the academic performance of students and social

development.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Parental absence, whether due to factors such as divorce, work-related travel, or

other circumstances, can significantly impinge upon students' academic performance and

social development at school.

According to attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969), children rely on consistent

caregiving from primary caregivers to develop secure attachments, and prolonged

absence can disrupt this process, leading to emotional distress and difficulties in forming

relationships with peers and teachers.

Moreover, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979)

suggests that parental absence can disrupt the microsystem (family) and mesosystem

(interactions between family and school), thereby impacting a child's academic

engagement and social adaptation within the school environment.

Additionally, social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) posits that parental absence

may limit opportunities for observational learning and modeling of adaptive behaviors,

further affecting academic motivation and social skills development.

According to Albert Bandura's hypothesis, kids pick up attitudes, behaviors, and

emotional responses via seeing and copying their parents. This development may be

hampered by parental absence, which could result in issues with social relationships and

academic settings.

According to this theory Maslow’s Hierarchy, people can't concentrate on higher-

level needs like social relationships, esteem, and self-actualization until their basic
physiological and safety requirements are satisfied. When these fundamental

requirements are not met, parental absence may interfere, which may make it more

difficult for a child to focus on their schoolwork and social interactions. The eight phases

of development listed in Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development are each

distinguished by a unique conflict. Parental absence can interfere with these conflicts'

resolution, especially when it comes to issues of trust, autonomy, and initiative. This can

have an adverse effect on a child's social and academic development.

Resilience theory examines how individuals can adapt and thrive in the face of

adversity or significant life stressors. When dealing with parental absence, resilience-

focused approaches emphasize building protective factors such as social support

networks, problem-solving skills, a sense of self-efficacy, and positive coping strategies

to navigate challenges and promote well-being.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

PARENTAL SEPARATION
THEORY
(ROBERT W. FIRESTONE)
(2019)

IMPINGEMENT OF PARENTAL
ABSENCE

STUDENTS ACADEMIC SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

PERFORMANCE AT SCHOOL

INTERVENTION/S

RECOMMENDATIONS
DEFINITION OF TERMS

To make this study more understandable for others, the researcher defined several

terms to help readers better grasp the content. Here are the meanings and explanations of

some keywords in the study:

Parental Absence- The condition where one or both parents are not consistently present

in a child’s life due to factors such as divorce, separation, work-related travel, or other

circumstances, potentially impacting the child’s emotional, psychological, and social

development.

Academic Performance- The measure of a student’s achievements and

accomplishments within an educational setting, typically assessed through grades, test

scores, participation, and overall mastery of curriculum material, reflecting their level of

understanding, engagement, and success in learning.

Social Involvement- The extent to which an individual actively participates in social

activities, interactions, and relationships within their community or social circles,

including involvement in clubs, organizations, events, and interpersonal connections,

influencing their sense of belonging, social skills, and overall well-being.

 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Parental absence across the world

Although two-parent families are becoming less common over the past few

decades, they still constitute a majority of families across the world. The United Nations

2017 report of household size and composition show that across 124 countries with valid

data, nearly three quarters of households with children are two-parent families (United

Nations 2017). The median proportion of two-parent households is about 73% among

households with children under 15 years old. The median proportion of single-parent

households is about 21% for single-mother families and 3% for single-father families

(United Nations 2017). There are substantial cross-regional and cross-national variations

in parental absence.

Consequences of parental absence

Studies in the U.S. have found that two-parent families tend to have greater

resources, higher income, and more time to invest into children (Gibson-Davis, 2008;

Suárez-Orozco, Rhodes, & Milburn, 2009). They are also better in providing emotional

support, involving in children’s education, and facilitating children’s academic

performance (Sarez-Orozco et al. 2009). However, while in developed countries, divorce

may be the primary reason for parental absence, in developing countries, migration is

often the primary reason for parental absence (Lu & Treiman, 2011). Parental absence

caused by migration may be linked to higher family income and spending on educational

resources (Zhang et al. 2014; Lu and Treiman 2011). Therefore, the actual results of

parental absence may depend on other aspects of family processes and the social context.

The age of the child at the time of disruption is thought to be important with

espect to child outcomes (Zill, Morrison, & Coiro, 1993). Parental separation that occurs

while children are very young may be more detrimental than one that occurs later in

children’s lives (Amato, 1996; McLanahan & Teitler, 1999). McLanahan and Teitler

claim that if the separation occurs in early childhood, children may be more emotionally

affected by the experience of parental separation than would older children (see also Zill

et al.). However, some argue that waiting until children have reached adolescence to

divorce is more detrimental for children than if parents divorced when children were

young, especially if children had to endure the break up (McCabe, 1997; McLanahan &

Bumpass, 1988; McLanahan & Teitler; Sprague & Kinney, 1997).

The length of the parental absence experience is related to the child’s age at the

time of parental absence. For instance, children who experience parental absence during

childhood are more likely to experience a prolonged period of parental absence than

those who experience parental absence during adolescence. Previous research has been

extremely limited in the examination of length of parental absence on children’s

outcomes. For instance, Biller (1970) looked at the length of father absence, ignoring

other forms of parental absence experiences, such as mother absence, and concluded that
prolonged periods of father absence resulted in detrimental outcomes for boys, such as

sexuality confusion, cognitive deficits, and aggressive behavior.

The gender of the absent parent is also an important factor to consider when

examining the impact of parental absence on child outcomes. Most of the information

regarding parental absence is derived from studies that focused on father absence, as

fathers are more likely than mothers to be absent from the child’s home. Father

involvement in the academic lives of their children appears to be significant for their

achievement and educational goals. Research has found a positive relationship between

father involvement (e.g., parenting style, paternal school involvement, child care) and

child academic outcomes (Fagan, 2000). Father absence has been linked to academic

problems, particularly for boys (Coney & Mackey, 1998; McLanahan & Teitler, 1999).

In a rare study that examined the effects of both father absence and mother

absence, Heard (2007) found that father changes (e.g., father absence, single-mother

home) increased the risk of school disciplinary problems, while mother changes (e.g.,

mother absence, single-father home) reduced college expectations of the children. Heard

also found that, for each year a child lived in either a single-father or single-mother

home, there was a substantial reduction in the grade point average of the child. Heard

concluded that living in two-parent homes encouraged the study habits and appropriate

behavior of adolescents.

HANDLE OF PARENTAL ABSENSE

Social learning theory, proposed by Albert Bandura, suggests that people learn

from observing others and modeling their behaviors. When handling parental absence,
children and caregivers can benefit from observing and learning from positive role

models who demonstrate effective coping strategies, communication skills, and resilience

in the face of adversity.

Family systems theory views families as interconnected systems in which changes

or disruptions in one part of the system can affect the entire family. When a parent is

absent, the family system may experience stress and adaptation challenges. Strategies for

handling parental absence within a family systems framework may involve open

communication, adjusting roles and responsibilities, and fostering resilience as a family

unit.
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN

The purpose of this qualitative study, "Parental absence impingement towards

student academic performance and social development at school and intervention," is to

gather any available data and information about the The effects of parental absence on

students' academic achievement, social growth, and need for intervention This study

examines the impact of parental absence on their children's academic achievement, social

development, and need for intervention. reasons why the absence of their parents is a

major cause of depression among students In order to verify the findings of this

investigation, the researchers chose to employ a qualitative methodology.

RESEARCH INVIRONMENT

This study will be conducted in the Poblacion Ward II, Minglanilla, Cebu City.

The researchers assure that the type of environment had chosen for the survey is accurate

with the number of respondents who cloud contribute to the study. It is preferable for the

researchers were able to give survey questioners to parents from different houses by

distributing it on places. The researchers lend the survey questioners to different Purok

Tugas.
RESEARCH RESPONDENTS

The respondents of our study are the parents where lived in Poblacion Ward II

Minglanilla, Cebu.They are the ones of our selected to answer the problems posed in our

study since we have know a lot of students out there was experienced of parental absence.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The parents who resided in Poblacion Ward II in Minglanilla, Cebu, are the

respondents in our study. They were chosen to provide answers to the questions we

posed. given that numerous students have reported experiencing parental absence.

DATA ANALYSIS

After the interview, the data will be compiled and analyzed by the research.

Reading the responses from the respondents to the group questionnaire and interview will

complete the data gathered during the interview. The study determined the interpretation

for the qualitative data and ranked the interpreted data according to concepts.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The researchers will be conducting a survey questionnaire in the line with our

study entitled “towards students academic performance”. In this study, a respondent will

answer the group survey questionnaire given by the researchers and the researchers hope

that the respondents will take the time in answering the group survey questionnaire good

and honestly.