Exploring the Lived Experiences of ESGP-PA Grantees in the Philippines: A Multi-Case Study
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Objective: The Expanded Students’ Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) seeks to expand tertiary access for low-income youth, yet graduates’ lived experiences remain underexplored. This study examined how ESGP-PA shaped scholars’ educational trajectories, obligations, and post-graduation needs.
Methods and Materials: An embedded multiple-case qualitative design was conducted among ten purposively selected ESGP-PA graduates (AY 2014–2018) from five state universities in the CALABARZON region, Philippines. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via hybrid modes, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis with cross-case comparison; credibility was supported through triangulation, member checking, and peer debriefing
Findings: Five interconnected themes emerged: (1) Material Support provided a tuition “floor” but auxiliary subsidies were inconsistently delivered; (2) Strategic Resource Allocation showed stipends’ fungibility as households balanced schooling and survival costs; (3) Navigating Conditionalities reflected amplified self-imposed academic pressure and a “give-back” ethic; (4) Emergent Capacities included gains in confidence, leadership, resilience, and social capital that outlasted financial aid; and (5) Implementation Gaps & Remedies highlighted chronic disbursement delays and weak job-linkage, prompting calls for fixed payout schedules and institutionalized employment pathways.
Conclusion: ESGP-PA can translate financial access into durable capability and human-capital gains when cash flows are predictable, auxiliary supports are standardized, and graduate employment pathways are institutionalized.
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