Psychological Struggle and Academic Performance of Single Parents
Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Background of the Study
Statistics shows that two of every ten college students today is a single parent, whether male or female. And the number of single parents in college is on a steady rise. This shouldn't really be surprising since single-parent households have been on a sharp and steady increase for several decades. Today, there are more single parents enrolled in college than ever before.
Single parents face difficult challenges, and single parents who are also college students have additional stresses and demands to deal with. In fact, an international study conducted shows that juggling between study and raising a child has an enormous impact to the persistence of single mothers in attending college. The study revealed that single parent mothers, especially those who are currently in poverty, find it difficult to even enroll in college plus the psychological struggles they encounter add up in becoming a barrier to their stay in college. The phenomenon of single parents in college studies has a wider sphere of interest world-wide because they now constitute a noticeable fraction of the university population in all countries (Bowl, 2000). Little has been studied about how these single parents experience university or college life. Nor has there been full exploration of whether and how universities and colleges are changing to meet the needs of this growing group of single-parent students
In the Philippines, research indicates that single mothers, especially those who pursue their degree in college, experience excessive stress and that the stress is a result of the need to provide financially for the family concurrently with caring for the home in ways traditionally handled by both men and women, acquiring new skills, and parenting.
In Davao City, an observed number of students are single mothers believes that completion of a four degree provides the best opportunity, to acquire good jobs with good wages and benefits
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Background of the Study
Statistics shows that two of every ten college students today is a single parent, whether male or female. And the number of single parents in college is on a steady rise. This shouldn't really be surprising since single-parent households have been on a sharp and steady increase for several decades. Today, there are more single parents enrolled in college than ever before.
Single parents face difficult challenges, and single parents who are also college students have additional stresses and demands to deal with. In fact, an international study conducted shows that juggling between study and raising a child has an enormous impact to the persistence of single mothers in attending college. The study revealed that single parent mothers, especially those who are currently in poverty, find it difficult to even enroll in college plus the psychological struggles they encounter add up in becoming a barrier to their stay in college. The phenomenon of single parents in college studies has a wider sphere of interest world-wide because they now constitute a noticeable fraction of the university population in all countries (Bowl, 2000). Little has been studied about how these single parents experience university or college life. Nor has there been full exploration of whether and how universities and colleges are changing to meet the needs of this growing group of single-parent students
In the Philippines, research indicates that single mothers, especially those who pursue their degree in college, experience excessive stress and that the stress is a result of the need to provide financially for the family concurrently with caring for the home in ways traditionally handled by both men and women, acquiring new skills, and parenting.
In Davao City, an observed number of students are single mothers believes that completion of a four degree provides the best opportunity, to acquire good jobs with good wages and benefits