Living Between School and Soil: A Phenomenological Study of Student Farmers’ Academic Lives in Rural Mankayan

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the lived academic and farming experiences of student farmers enrolled in a public senior high school in Mankayan, Benguet. Anchored in a phenomenological–thematic approach, the research sought to understand how student farmers experience schooling while simultaneously engaging in sustained agricultural work, the challenges they encounter, the strategies they use to cope, and how these experiences shape their personal growth and motivation.
Ten senior high school student farmers participated in in depth, semi structured interviews. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological–thematic procedure informed by Colaizzi’s method, allowing shared meanings to emerge from participants’ narratives while preserving the integrity of their lived experiences. Analysis revealed that academic life for student farmers is characterized by persistence under constrained conditions, shaped by time scarcity, physical fatigue, and overlapping responsibilities between school and farm work.
Findings showed that student farmers cope through personal discipline, deliberate time management, family support, and situational school based consideration. Rather than disengaging from schooling, participants actively sustained academic participation by adapting routines and prioritizing responsibilities. Farming experiences also contributed to personal growth, fostering responsibility, resilience, independence, and strengthened motivation to continue schooling. Hardship was not viewed solely as a burden but was reframed as a source of meaning and direction.
The study concludes that the academic experiences of student farmers are inseparable from their agricultural responsibilities and community context. Education is lived alongside labor, shaping how students construct meaning, manage challenges, and envision their future. The findings highlight the importance of understanding student farmers’ experiences holistically and recognizing lived responsibility as an integral part of learning in rural and agricultural settings.