Author

Luningning S. Zuasola*
Philippine Christian University, Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines

Abstract

This phenomenological study in the Philippines explored how five parents supported transition-to-work programs for learners with intellectual disability. Using semi-structured interviews and selected record reviews, and guided by Epstein’s model, we analyzed data with reflexive thematic analysis. Parents described structured home routines for ADL and pre-vocational skills, two-way communication with teachers, shared goal-setting, and efforts to build community links for work exposure. Reported gains included better functional communication, confidence, and task independence, alongside limits tied to time, finances, and access to resources. Findings point to strengthening parent orientation, clarifying roles in transition planning, and expanding partnerships with local agencies and employers to increase work immersion and placements.

Keywords: Intellectual disabilities (ID), parental involvement, transition program.

*Corresponding author / Email: luningning.zuasola.gse@pcu.edu.ph
DOI: http://doi.org/10.69651/PIJHSS05021189

Recommended citation:
Zuasola, L. S. (2026). Exploring parental experiences in transition program for job placement of learners with intellectual disabilities: A phenomenological study. Pantao (International Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences) 5 (2), 4860-4879. http://doi.org/10.69651/PIJHSS05021189

Read the full text

References

Adelantar, R. (2024). Parental involvement and performance among grade three pupils. International Journal of Social Science Humanity & Management Research. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2024.v3i6n16

Ali, N., Mukhtar, S., Khan, Y., Ahmad, M., & Khan, Z. (2022). Analysis of secondary school students’ academic performance and parental involvement in children education at home. The Education and Science Journal. https://doi.org/10.17853/1994-5639-2022-9-118-142

Alshuayl, M. (2023). Services to prepare students with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the transition from school to adult life. Humanities and Management Sciences – Scientific Journal of King Faisal University. https://doi.org/10.37575//h/edu/230003

Alulima, A., Chiluisa, M., & Villa, M. (2023). Intellectual disability in the learning of students of general basic education and general unified baccalaureate.

Antipkina, I., & Ludlow, L. H. (2020). Parental involvement as a holistic concept using Rasch/Guttman scenario scales. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 38(7), 846–865.

Avellone, L., Taylor, J., Ham, W., Schall, C., Wehman, P., Brooke, V., & Strauser, D. (2023). A scoping review on internship programs and employment outcomes for youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal. https://doi.org/10.52017/001c.38785

Bonilla, M., Camo, J., Lanzaderas, R., Lanzaderas, R., & Bonilla, A. (2022). Parental involvement on child’s education at home during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Humanities and Education Development. https://doi.org/10.22161/jhed.4.3.2

Brotherton, M., Stancliffe, R., O’Loughlin, K., & Wilson, N. (2023). From mainstream employment to mainstream retirement: A randomised controlled trial of a transition to retirement intervention for adults with intellectual disability. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities: JARID. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.13111

Carter, E., Lanchak, E., Guest, L., McMillan, E., Taylor, J., Fleming, L., & Dao, A. (2023). Family perspectives on the complexities of pursuing integrated employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 128(3), 219–236. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-128.3.219

Chaudhry, N., Sattar, R., Kiran, T., Wan, M., Husain, M., Hidayatullah, S., Ali, B., Shafique, N., Suhag, Z., Saeed, Q., Maqbool, S., & Husain, N. (2023). Supporting depressed mothers of young children with intellectual disability: Feasibility of an integrated parenting intervention in a low-income setting. Children, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10060913

Codd, J., & Hewitt, O. (2020). Having a son or daughter with an intellectual disability transition to adulthood: A parental perspective. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 49(1), 39–51.

Cosso, J., Von Suchodoletz, A., & Yoshikawa, H. (2022). Effects of parental involvement programs on young children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology: JFP: Journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000992

Culnane, E., Efron, D., Williams, K., Marraffa, C., Antolovich, G., Prakash, C., & Loftus, H. (2022). Carer perspectives of a transition to adult care model for adolescents with an intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder with mental health comorbidities. Child: Care, Health and Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.13040

Dossal, F. (2021). Impact of inclusive sports and games on the independent life skills of the intellectually challenged individuals. Pakistan Journal of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.52337/pjer.v4i4.466

Dungca, J., Agbayani, G., Muñoz, A., Carreon, B., Antonio, F., Tiqui, J., Castro, A., & Galang, J. (2024). Parental involvement in curricular performance of students at risk. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.05.06.27

Faragher, R., Chen, M., Miranda, L., Poon, K., Rumiati, Chang, F. R., & Chen, H. (2021). Inclusive education in Asia: Insights from some country case studies. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 18(1), 23–35.

Garcia, A., & Guzman, M. (2020). The meanings and ways of parental involvement among low-income Filipinos. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.05.013

Garrels, V., & Sigstad, H. (2021). Employment for persons with intellectual disability in the Nordic countries: A scoping review. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities: JARID. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12880

Georgiou, S. (2023). Parental involvement: Beyond demographics. International Journal about Parents in Education. https://doi.org/10.54195/ijpe.18250

Jabar, M., Garcia, J., & Valerio, M. (2020). The influence of socioeconomic status on parental involvement among Filipino parents. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review. https://doi.org/10.59588/2350-8329.1334

Jacob, U., & Pillay, J. (2023). Studies related to employment of persons with intellectual disability: A systematic review. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-230035

Jiang, Q., Shi, L., Zheng, D., & Mao, W. (2023). Parental homework involvement and students’ mathematics achievement: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1218534

Kovács, K., Dan, B., Hrabéczy, A., Bacskai, K., & Pusztai, G. (2022). Is resilience a trait or a result of parental involvement? The results of a systematic literature review. Education Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12060372

Lawrence, K. C., & Fakuade, O. V. (2021). Parental involvement, learning participation and online learning commitment of adolescent learners during the COVID-19 lockdown. Research in Learning Technology, 29.

Lee, C., & Choi, M. (2023). Feasibility of school-based parent support groups for transition-aged youth with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities: JARID. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.13142

Lim, W. (2021). Impacts of parental involvement and parents’ level of education on student’s academic accomplishment. Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.11648/J.EDU.20211001.15

Merhej, R. (2020). Visibility, contact and market-competence: Keys to the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the Lebanese workplace. International Journal of Disability Management, 15. https://doi.org/10.1017/idm.2020.3

Merla, S., & Kumar, S. (2021). A study on the levels emotional states of parents having children with intellectual disability. https://doi.org/10.25215/0904.027

Mostamand, J., & Baharlouei, H. (2020). Physical activity in people with intellectual disability: A narrative review in people with intellectual a narrative.

Otto, B., & Karbach, J. (2020). Parental involvement. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.946

P., A., & Kotian, S. (2022). A systematic review and research agenda on mental wellbeing of the caregivers of intellectually disabled children. International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.47992/ijmts.2581.6012.0194

Piskorz-Ryń, O. (2024). Parental involvement and its influence on academic achievement. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.ijes.7.2.7

Ribeiro, L. M., Cunha, R. S., Silva, M. C. A. E., Carvalho, M., & Vital, M. L. (2021). Parental involvement during pandemic times: Challenges and opportunities. Education Sciences, 11(6), 302.

Salinas, Q. E. G., & Tiamzon, B. I. (2022). Beyond abilities: Understanding the lived-experiences of parents of learners with intellectual disability.

Sanderson, K., & Bumble, J. (2022). Parent perspectives: Understanding the postschool concerns of parents of transition-age youth with disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 46, 120–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/21651434221128490

Schmid, E., & Garrels, V. (2021). Parental involvement and educational success among vulnerable students in vocational education and training. Educational Research, 63, 456–473. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2021.1988672

Sherpa, S. (2021). Students’ perspective on parental involvement in children’s education: A case study of (at-risk) secondary school students under Punakha Dzongkhag. Bhutan Journal of Research and Development. https://doi.org/10.17632/DY3CFKKPRX.1

Sreekanth, Y. (2023). Parents involvement in the education of their children: Indicators of level of involvement. International Journal about Parents in Education. https://doi.org/10.54195/ijpe.18173

Staunton, E., Kehoe, C., & Sharkey, L. (2020). Families under pressure: Stress and quality of life in parents of children with an intellectual disability. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 40, 192–199. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2020.4

Sung, C., Fisher, M., Okyere, C., Park, J., & Choi, H. (2023). Employment outcomes and support needs of Michigan Project SEARCH graduates with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A mixed-method study. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-230042

Talman, L., Stier, J., Wilder, J., & Gustafsson, C. (2019). Participation in daily life for adults with profound intellectual (and multiple) disabilities: How high do they climb on Shier’s ladder of participation? Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 25, 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629519863959

Tan, C., Lyu, M., & Peng, B. (2020). Academic benefits from parental involvement are stratified by parental socioeconomic status: A meta-analysis. Parenting, 20, 241–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1694836

Torrecilla, J., & Hernández-Castilla, R. (2020). Does parental involvement matter in children’s performance? A Latin American primary school study. Revista de Psicodidactica, 25, 13–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psicoe.2019.10.002

Tøssebro, J., & Olsen, T. (2020). Employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities (pp. 225–246). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35683-5_12

Traina, I., Mannion, A., & Leader, G. (2022). Transition program from school to employment in youths with intellectual disability: Evaluation of the Irish pilot study E-ideas. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 25(2), 87–100.

Traina, I., Mannion, A., Gilroy, S., & Leader, G. (2023). Systematic review of job transition programs addressed to youths with intellectual disability. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 29, 583–619. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714231170528

Utami, A. (2022). The role of parental involvement in student academic outcomes. Journal of Education Review Provision. https://doi.org/10.55885/jerp.v2i1.156

Yu, X., Chen, Y., Yang, C., Yang, X., Chen, X., & Dang, X. (2022). How does parental involvement matter for children’s academic achievement during school closure in primary school? The British Journal of Educational Psychology, e12526. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12526