Assessing Family System, Emotional Well-Being, And Academic Performance of Grade 10 Students

Introduction

Family orientation is the only worldly possession of an individual at birth. It is the family that gives identity to the individual in times when they barely know the meaning of their existence. It protects them from every peril and transforms individuals from entirely dependent creatures to independent beings. Family is a primary institute where an individual learns life's most important lessons and lays the foundation for a bright future. In a family, a child experiences the value of trust, faith, belongingness, love, empathy, responsibility, etc. The very attitude of an individual towards themself and society is shaped by the early experiences of an individual with his family. As the family is a significant component of an individual's immediate environment, it plays a crucial role in forming an individual’s persona.

The family system, especially the Filipino Family System, is considered one of the most valuable institutions in the Philippines. It consists of people who are responsible for a specific function. The nuclear family, extended family, and matrifocal or patrifocal family are the different structures of the family that take responsibility for shaping an individual’s life.

Also, the Family system focuses on interactions between people in the family and between the family and the context in which the family is rooted. The family unit is often considered the foundational institution of society, playing a crucial role in shaping an individual's physical, emotional, and psychological development. However, not all families operate harmoniously, and dysfunction within family systems has been recognized as a significant concern affecting the overall well-being of its members. Dysfunctional families are characterized by various behavioral, emotional, and communication patterns that deviate from healthy norms, potentially leading to negative consequences for individuals and broader social dynamics.

Emotional well-being encompasses an individual's ability to manage and regulate emotions, cope with stressors, experience positive feelings, and maintain a balanced psychological state. It involves a sense of self-awareness, emotional resilience, and the capacity to navigate the complexities of one's internal emotional landscape. Dysfunctional families have been shown to impact various dimensions of emotional well-being. In addition to emotional well-being, dysfunctional families could affect students' academic performance.

Students' academic performance, in terms of their grades and overall educational attainment, holds substantial implications for their future opportunities, career trajectories, and socioeconomic mobility. Consequently, it becomes imperative to comprehensively examine the potential pathways through which dysfunctional family dynamics may impact students' academic performance. By identifying the underlying mechanisms, educators, policymakers, and practitioners can develop targeted interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of dysfunctional families and provide necessary support to affected students.

The researcher has observed students from dysfunctional families, which she believes could influence or impact their emotional well-being and academic performance. Thus, this study was conducted to determine if a relationship exists between dysfunctional family and social wellbeing to the respondents' academic performance.

Methods and Procedures

The respondents were 210 grade 10 students who were personally forwarded a survey questionnaire, which served as the study’s respondents. They were given ample time to answer the questionnaire.

The study presented the data using a descriptive and quantitative research design. The data collected were tallied, analyzed, and distributed using frequency count, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

Results and Discussion

Socio-Demographic Profile of The Respondents

Findings showed that females dominated it with an average age of 15. Most of the respondents' parents were high school graduates, employed, and had a monthly income of 20,651.

Assessment of Family System Characteristics

The assessment of family system characteristics obtained an overall mean of 2.94, described as “often observed,” indicating that the respondents' families always observed most statements in the different categories. Both boundaries, privacy, problem¬solving, and decisionmaking obtained the highest pooled mean of 3.02, described as “often observed.” It was followed by roles and responsibilities with a pooled mean of 2.99, emotional climate with a pooled mean of 2.88, and communication patterns with a pooled mean of 2.78.

Emotional Well-Being

The emotional well-being of the respondents had an overall mean of 3.37, described as “often.” The finding implies that, generally, the respondents often feel good about themselves and the environment where they exist. The respondents ' responses reflected a positive state of emotional well-being, indicating their favorable emotional well-being condition.

Academic Performance

The respondents' overall mean academic performance was 89.92, described as “very satisfactory.” This finding implies that most students obtained an excellent high grade.

Relationship Between Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Family System

The respondents' age negatively correlates with boundaries and privacy (r = -0.166). Likewise, sex is negatively correlated with communication patterns (r = -0.195). A negative correlation was also observed between sex and roles and responsibilities (r = -0.146).

Educational attainment of the father (r =0.155) and mother (r = 0.196) is positively related to roles and responsibilities, indicating that the parents with higher educational attainment have families whose members observe or religiously perform their roles and responsibilities at home.

Relationship Between Socio-Demographic Characteristics and The Emotional Well-Being

Among the socio-demographic characteristics variables, only the mother’s occupation was found to be significantly related to the emotional well-being of the respondents (r = 0.158). It implies that respondents with employed mothers are emotionally stable and feel good and content with their lives.

Relationship Between Characteristics of a Family System and The Respondents' Academic

Performance

A positive relationship was observed between family system characteristics and respondents’ academic performance. Evidence is sufficient that roles and responsibilities are positively related to academic performance (r = 0.151); boundaries and privacy are positively associated with academic performance (r = 0.259), while problem-solving and decision making which is positively related to academic performance (r = 0.210). A strong positive correlation between roles and responsibilities and the respondents' academic performance implies that those students who are religiously performing their roles and responsibilities as learners also perform better academically. Similarly, students whose families have set boundaries and limitations and respect the privacy of each family member also perform well academically. In addition, learners whose families are working together not only in problemsolving but also in decision-making also have a favorable academic performance.

Relationship Between Emotional Well-Being and Academic Performance

The respondents' emotional well-being positively correlates to their academic performance (r = 0.185), implying that those with a positive emotional well-being status also perform well academically.

Relationship Between Family System Characteristics And Emotional Well-Being

Results revealed a solid positive correlation between family system characteristics and emotional well-being regarding boundaries and privacy (r = 0.259**). This implies that respondents whose family members observe boundaries and privacy among themselves have a positive emotional well-being. Similarly, roles and responsibilities were also significantly related to emotional well-being (r = 0.151*), implying that respondents whose family members perform their specific roles and responsibilities also have favorable emotional well-being. Moreover, a strong positive correlation was also observed between problem-solving decision¬making and the respondents' emotional well-being (r = 0.210*). It means that respondents whose families are working together to solve their problems and come up with decisions for the family have good well-being, making them feel good and functional.

Conclusion

In light of the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: Most respondents were females aged 15 to 18 years old whose parents were high school graduates and employed, with an average monthly income of Php 20,651.00. The family system characteristics indicate that the respondents' families always observed most statements in the different categories. The emotional well-being of the respondents indicates a positive well-being. The academic performance of the respondents indicates “outstanding.” The age of the respondents is negatively correlated with boundaries and privacy, while sex is also negatively correlated to communication patterns and responsibilities. The father’s and mother’s education positively relates to roles and responsibilities. The mother’s occupation was found to be significantly associated with the emotional well-being of the respondents. A positive relationship was observed between family system characteristics and respondents’ academic performance. The respondents’ emotional well-being positively correlates to their academic performance. The family system characteristics and emotional wellbeing are positively correlated [1-15].

Recommendations

From the conclusions drawn, the following recommendations were made. Since most parents’ educational attainment is high school, teachers should motivate students to be involved in all activities in the school and gain strong motivation to finish their studies, which may lead to suitable employment. Since most of the categories of family system characteristics were observed by most of the respondents' families, they should maintain or strengthen their relationship with their family members and set time to keep connections tight. Although positive emotional wellbeing was reflected in the study's findings, parents and teachers should often remind the students of its importance. The school's guidance office should develop programs or activities that will focus on the well-being of students. Since parents’ educational attainment is positively related to the roles and responsibilities of family members in the family system, parents should see the importance of having a family with good relationships among all members responsible enough for their roles. Since most of the respondents' academic performance is described as “very satisfactory,” teachers must prepare effective lesson plans that could further improve their performance. Since a mother’s occupation was found to be significantly related to emotional wellbeing, mothers should be informed/reminded of the importance of the roles they play for their children's well-being so that they would not neglect their responsibility to their children. Since a positive significant relationship was observed between family system characteristics and respondents’ academic performance, a good family relationship should be maintained in the students' families. The well-being of the students should be the prime consideration of parents and schools since it was found to be positively related to their academic performance. Since there were significant relationships between family system characteristics and the emotional well-being of students, teachers, heads, policymakers, and government agencies, programs must be formulated to strengthen the relationship among family members. Further study.

References