Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig: The Lived Experiences of Youngest Children as First-Degree Holders in their Households

Youngest children often face difficulties when it comes to education that exposes them to different kinds of situations. In the Philippines, education served as a desirable goal for every family. This includes getting a degree and providing for the needs of their household. Therefore, even with the lack of parental investment in education, the youngest children are still inclined to complete their studies. Thus, the primary goal of this research is to scrutinize the experiences, challenges, and coping mechanisms of the youngest children as first-degree holders in their households. Utilizing Phenomenological as the research design and employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), several findings emerged: (1) youngest children's family expectations influenced their perspective on success, especially after being seen as the last hope. (2) The pressure that they got from their family and peers affected them to the point of disregarding their own needs. This caused them to have problems with socialization and understanding their needs. (3) However, the youngest children who are first-degree holders in their families also possess coping mechanisms like entertainment and self-care to ease their challenges.