As you sow, so shall you reap: Understanding the social-emotional development of a select group of Filipino grandchildren reared by grandparent educators

ABSTRACT

In light of new family structures and patterns that continue to emerge in contemporary society, grandparents are delegated with a more active role in child-rearing, particularly during the crucial stages of their grandchildren’s development. In industrialized countries, empirical studies have indicated the link between grandparents’ educational attainment vis-à-vis their caregiving roles and the social-emotional development of grandchildren. Such findings call for further investigation especially from the perspective of a developing country with a collectivist culture such as the Philippines. Here, the vital role of grandparents is highly recognized and appreciated. This study argues that the grandparent who is a professional educator significantly contributes to the positive social-emotional development of grandchildren, hence this phenomenological inquiry. A semi–structured interview was employed as the main data gathering tool. Field texts were subjected to vertical and horizontal analyses to abstract the essence of the phenomenon and were validated through member checking procedures and critical friend technique. The study revealed a portrait of the influence of grandparenting on the development of the social-emotional aspect of a select group of Filipino grandchildren. The Pendulum of Social-Emotional Development typifies the dynamic nature of Filipino grandparenting that exerts a vibrant influence and synergistic force of endearing, endowing and enduring. Said forces situate the grandchildren in a context where the following gifts are experienced: attribution and accommodation, retention and repercussion, and configuration and concession.