Listening from the Margins: A Phenomenological Inquiry into Parents’ Lived Experiences of School Involvement in Rural Philippine Communities

Abstract

The majority of people think that parents' involvement in their child's schooling is significant. However, most frameworks discuss involvement in terms of school-centered standards that do not account for what parents actually go through, especially in rural and underserved areas. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to understand what parents in small towns in the Philippines really thought about the activities their kids engaged in at school. Parents of school-aged children enrolled in public schools were purposely selected and interviewed in depth, with the interview partly structured. The organized IPA methods were used to examine the data and understand how parents make sense of their involvement in school situations shaped by cultural norms, socio-economic factors, and the way power operates in the school. Three main themes emerged from the results: being seen but not acknowledged, having an educational role despite limitations, and wanting a real connection. These themes show that parental involvement is not just a list of things that can be seen. It is also an emotional and social experience. According to the study, schools and families need to work together in more open and fluid ways, recognizing parents as important partners in their child's education.