Philippines, the world’s largest labor exporter – a story about the left-behind children. : A qualitative study of how teachers perceive that left-behind children are affected.

Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to examine how the Filipino children are affected when either one or both of their parents are living and working abroad based from a teacher’s point of view. Focus is directed towards influences on the daily life of children. The study is based on qualitative interviews with six high school teachers, from two different schools. Their statements have been analyzed by using the theory of attachment and sentence categorization. The teachers described that they think it is a common thought that left-behind children tend to have a bad behavior. However, none of these teachers described the children that they are teaching in that manner but in fact, they described them as responsible, independent and good students. Conclusion of the study is that the cultural context and the environment affect how the children are able to cope with their situation. It was also found that the role of the mother has a significant importance for these children. There is also great need of a motherly and fatherly figure, even though it is not the biological parents of the children.