ABSTRACT
This study aimed to identify the socio-demographic characteristics, emotional quotient, intelligence quotient and guidance need of fatherless students in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.
Data were gathered using inventory questionnaires for the guidance needs of fatherless students during the school year 2014 – 2015. Descriptive analysis, Pearson Product Moment correlation were used to analyze the data. A 133 item test Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) includes the intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability, stress management and general mood. A multiple choice test Ottis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) includes twenty-one subtests that are organized into five areas—verbal comprehension, verbal reasoning, pictorial reasoning, figural reasoning, and quantitative reasoning—each with equal numbers of verbal and non-verbal items.
Findings identified that fatherless students have a low capacity to be effective and can be emotionally, socially and behaviorally experience problems in their daily lives especially in the following subscale: adaptability, stress management, general mood and its total E.Q.
Majority of the respondents are below average in terms of Non-Verbal Ability, verbal ability majority of the respondents are below average, and the total Intelligence Quotient is below average.
Studies has the highest mean described as “High Need” in their guidance needs which means that the respondents’ have a high need to understand their lessons. The lowest mean item is “cope with financial demands of subjects” which means that the students have moderate need in sustaining their daily financial needs in school.
The relationship of Socio-demographic characteristics to Emotional Quotient (EQ) showed that the year level is positively correlated with positive impression; the relationship of Socio-demographic characteristics to Intelligence Quotient (IQ) showed that there is a positive relationship between age and Non- verbal ability. There is also a positive relationship between grade/ year level and Verbal ability, Non-Verbal ability and total I.Q. and the relationship of Socio-demographic characteristics to Guidance Needs showed that age is negatively correlated with studies and career. This also shows that grade/year level is negatively correlated with social relationship, studies and career.
Based on these findings, it was recommended that propose special programs and activities that will help the fatherless student to improve their emotional aspect through seminars and trainings focusing on adaptability, stress management and general mood, and in improving their intelligence aspect through special programs on their school curriculum focusing on their verbal and non-verbal ability. And on their guidance needs that propose special programs focusing on the study habits and skills that will guide the fatherless students in their studies.
INTRODUCTION
The family is the basic unit of society. It was originally designed and modeled by God based in our doctrine of Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was in His plan and idea that we live a happy life. But the truth is many families nowadays experience different from what God has planned. One of the hardest things that a family can encounter is the loss of a father image, who serves as guide, model, and discipline.
One of the greatest issues some children face nowadays is regarding family matters. A fatherless home serves as a major challenge in a child’s life because an adult male family member especially the father provides good responsible role model. Fathers indeed play this important role in the family.
Parents obviously give tremendous direction in the course that their children propel through, especially a father. One of the most important functions of family is to provide the needs of children. This is an ongoing commitment until children become adults. However, when children are young they are dependent on parents and so this time of child-rearing is very intense and often becomes the focus (Pamela et.al, 1996).
A fatherless child as defined by the World Wide Web dictionary is a child not having a living father, and a child not having a known or legally responsible father. A father’s absence maybe due to death, overseas work, separation, and illness. But still a family is a family, it can never be replaced by any other institution or agency.
Youth is a period of life which is heightened in its emotional aspects Valmiki Foundation said. There are different needs that should be addressed through their families and one of these is the emotional need.
There are other needs which need to be addressed such as: role and value conflicts, career decision and unemployment, emotional and sexual adjustment, coping with pressures of living, and many more. These are common needs that children or youth need to have a healthy personality.
Indeed, family is a very important factor in a child’s life because the family is the basic unit of the society and it is the place for nurturing a child’s life. As Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The Bible verse impresses that the father plays a very important role in molding his children. He trains his children to respect authority, earn their respect, be consistent and discipline them with love. Fathers are role model for their children.
In this present study, learners whose parents are separated, whose fathers are dead, fathers working abroad or are in other places, fathers who stay away because of illness or imprisonment are the concern of the researcher. Based on the records of teachers and guidance counselors, some of these students without fathers experience difficulty in adjusting from their fathers’ absence. On the other hand, there are also some who excel not only in class but in other aspects as well.
This study looked into the description of the socio-demographic characteristics, Emotional Quotient, Intelligence Quotient and guidance needs of the respondents. This also tried to show the relationship of socio-demographic characteristics and emotional quotient, relationship of socio-demographic characteristics and intelligence quotient and relationship of socio-demographic characteristics and guidance needs of fatherless learners in school.
The researcher was inspired by her own experience to conduct the study. The researcher knows what it feels to be fatherless for a long time due to her parent’s separation. With this paper, she found answers to her own agonies and questions. Another reason for this study is that the motherless generation, as studied by Hiyasmin in 2010 and children left-behind by Farro in 2013 have already been explored but very few studies focus on the fatherless generation in the country.
Research Design
The study used the descriptive-correlation research design to describe and correlate the operational definition of the four aspects of I,Q: verbal comprehension, verbal reasoning, figural reasoning and quantitative reasoning, discuss socio-demographic characteristics, emotional quotient, intelligence quotient and guidance needs of the respondents.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
This section presents an analysis and interpretation of the data gathered. The data focused on the following: (1) socio-demographic characteristics of fatherless students such as age, sex, year/ grade level, number of year’s father’s absence and type of guardian, (2) emotional quotient of the learners such as intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability stress management; and general mood (3) intelligence quotient of the learners such as verbal (Verbal Comprehension & Verbal reasoning) and non-verbal (Figural reasoning & Quantitative reasoning) (4) guidance needs of the learners such as self- development, family relationship, social relationship, studies, career, and specific social issues (5) significant relationship in terms of the Socio-Demographic characteristics of the respondents according to their emotional quotient (EQ), intelligence quotient (IQ) and guidance needs.
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