Lived Experiences of Selected Grade 11 Students at General de Jesus College Who Grew Up Without the Presence of Their Biological Parents

Abstract

Parental care and guidance are critical components in fostering a child’s skills. However, dual parenting may not be possible in some households due to various contextual variables. Unpredictably, parental instability of any kind will impair a child's growth. When a child grows up without their original parents, it can result in various physical and mental issues that will hurt them as they become adults. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the lived experiences of selected Grade 11 students at General de Jesus College who grew up without the presence of their biological parents. Phenomenological qualitative research was utilized in this study. A total of five (5) students participated in this study who experienced living their lives without the presence of their biological parents. The interview was conducted using a semi-structured interview to obtain responses from the students about their lived experiences growing up without the presence of their biological parents. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify the main themes and patterns. The study found that the lived experiences of selected Grade 11 students at General De Jesus College who grew up without the presence of their biological parents experienced a lack of parental guidance and support, leading to mental and physical problems such as lack of self-confidence, anxiety, financial issues, and misbehavior. The results prompted the need for encouragement from their communities so that they could feel more confident in themselves and also constant love and support from their guardians despite not being their parents because living their everyday lives without having their parents to support them, nurture them, and give them their needs, was very hard for them as a child and a student, which can result in a variety of physical and mental issues that will harm them as they become adults.