AUTHORS: Marcelino B. Mangi, Nicole Shane Bangahon, Mary Jane B. Cansana, Meriel Mae B. Gilo, Rowelyn Sarguilla
http://orcid.org 0009-0001-8239-6541/mangimarcelino59@gmail.com,
bangahonnicoleshane16@gmail.com, cansanamaryjane@gmail.com, gmerielmae@gmail.com, rowelynsarguilla3@gmail.com
Philippine Electronics and Communication Institute of Technology, Inc.,(PECIT) Butuan City, Philippines.
College of Teachers Education
Co-Author: Josephine U. Acha,PhD
PECIT, Director for Research & Extension Department
josephineacha.ja@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2866-3725
KEYWORDS
Exploring, Social, Perspective, Cohabitation, College Students, Thematic Analysis, Coding, Philippines.
ABSTRACT
The increasing acceptance of non-traditional relationships and the evolving social landscape have led to a rise in cohabitation among college students, necessitating a deeper understanding of their experiences, challenges, and coping strategies.This study employed a phenomenological design and snowball sampling technique to explore the social perspective on cohabitation among college students. Ten participants from the College of Teachers Education in PECIT were interviewed, and data was analyzed using thematic analysis and coding. The study found that young people face pressures, judgments, and expectations that shape their sexual preferences and decisions. They often lack comprehensive information about reproductive health and may not feel comfortable discussing sex openly. This highlights the need for sexuality education, emphasizing responsibility, consequences, communication, and empowerment in sexual decision-making. This research has implications for youth programs, awareness campaigns, parental guidance, and future research. The findings of this research go beyond just affecting learners’ lives within schools but will also influence parents’ communities, even some government departments, including DSWD, DOH other researchers in the future years ahead. These recommendations bring up questions regarding the involvement played by each stakeholder towards facilitating transformation, starting from developing youth programmers to creating awareness campaigns focused on accuracy.
