Research Defended: Challenges Encountered by Benguet State University – Secondary Laboratory School Graduates in Their Research Subjects

This study investigates the challenges faced by Benguet State University – Secondary Laboratory School (BSU-SLS) graduates of 2023 and 2024 in completing their senior high school research subjects, and explores the coping strategies they adopted to navigate these difficulties. Anchored in Lazarus and Folkman’s Stress and Coping Theory (1984), the research sought to understand how students responded to the demands of research. The study used a qualitative descriptive design and gathered data through semi-structured interviews with 11 STEM strand graduates. Participants were selected through criterion sampling, and their responses were thematically analyzed to identify patterns in their experiences. Findings revealed that students encountered challenges across five areas, issues in group dynamics, educational and instructional lapses, low motivation and poor time management, limitations in related literature, difficulties in conducting and analyzing research data, and obstacles in the research process. Despite these obstacles, participants demonstrated resilience by utilizing variety of coping strategies, including seeking support from peers and groupmates, managing emotions and academic stress, applying task-oriented coping strategies, maintaining motivation and enjoyment, and using breaks and leisure for recovery. Graduates also provided recommendations to improve research instruction, such as, upskilling and reskilling of research teachers, enhancing student group dynamics, innovating pedagogies in research, and improving access to research resources. The study concludes that strengthening research support systems, improving instruction, and addressing institutional gaps can enhance the quality of research education. This research adds to the growing body of literature on student experiences in research education by offering grounded insights into the challenges and coping mechanisms of senior high school graduates.