Developing Responsible Learners: Lived Experiences of Junior High School Students in Cultivating Effective Study Habits Through the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program

The development of effective study habits is fundamental to learners' academic success, self-regulation, and lifelong learning. Following the educational disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Junior High School students experienced learning loss, reduced learning motivation, and weakened study routines, prompting the Philippine government to institutionalize the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program through Republic Act No. 12028. The program provides structured learning interventions designed to help struggling learners recover foundational competencies while promoting holistic development. Despite the increasing implementation of the ARAL Program in public schools, limited research has explored how learners themselves experience the development of productive study habits within the program. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of Junior High School students in cultivating effective study habits through the ARAL Program. Employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study seeks to understand how learners describe their study routines, learning behaviors, motivations, challenges, coping strategies, and perceived academic growth while participating in learning recovery interventions. Participants will consist of purposively selected Junior High School students enrolled in the ARAL Program. Data will be gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed following the interpretative procedures of IPA. The study is expected to generate meaningful themes that explain how structured learning interventions influence learners' study habits, responsibility, self-discipline, and academic engagement. The findings are anticipated to contribute to learning recovery research by providing evidence-based recommendations for teachers, school administrators, curriculum planners, and policymakers seeking to strengthen learner-centered interventions that promote responsible learning behaviors and sustainable academic success.