Stories of Perseverance in The Education of Licensed Professional Teachers from Broken Families

Abstract

Several studies found that students from broken families were challenged by different problems contributing to poor academic performance. Yet, even with these problems, these students from broken families managed to gain positive experiences and persevered despite their traumatic family background. With this in mind, the researchers were motivated to conduct this narrative inquiry to explore the different narrative life stories of perseverance in the education of licensed professional teachers from broken families. The five participants from Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines were interviewed about the circumstances and consequences that led to their family’s situation, and their motivations to persevere and continue with their life goals. Using the narrative-thematic analysis, this study revealed that the participants’ families were once happy. Nonetheless, they fell apart due to the following circumstances: parents’ infidelity, social influence, and parents’ frustration towards their children’s sexuality. Moreover, having a broken family led to a lack of financial and emotional support in pursuing their education. Some even lost their interest in continuing their studies. However, even with the consequences of having a broken family that they experienced, they managed to persevere in finishing their education by doing part-time jobs and finding scholarships. Furthermore, poverty, their family, and the opportunities they had to continue their studies motivated them to persevere in their goal to finish their education. They become resilient individuals by sustaining and finding ways to support their school finances. Through the highlighted results, the researchers recommended a more welcoming environment (school, community, church, and government) and opportunities for children from broken families.