Then and Now: Stories of Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency Test Passers

This study aimed to narrate the experiences of Alternative Learning System (ALS) Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Test passers. While previous studies have primarily examined ALS in terms of program implementation, learning outcomes, and policy effectiveness, limited research has explored the lived narratives of successful ALS A&E passers and how they make meaning of their educational journeys. Addressing this gap, the present study employed a qualitative research design using narratology to capture the participants’ experiences in depth. The study drew on perspectives from anthropology, sociology, and psychology to inform the narrative inquiry. Purposive sampling was used to select five participants who could provide rich and meaningful accounts of their ALS A&E experiences. The findings revealed several key themes related to the challenges they encountered, including financial and family burdens, declining learning confidence, and overcoming fatigue. Despite these obstacles, participants demonstrated resilience and determination through striving despite challenges, overcoming challenges together, encouraging the application of learning, rebuilding self-esteem, overcoming self-doubt, cultivating persistence to build character, fostering new horizons, and sustaining inspiration through recognition. Their reflections further highlighted the themes of fostering self-development, realizing learning potential, cultivating knowledge and skills, and encouraging learners to overcome challenges. By foregrounding the voices of successful ALS A&E passers, this study contributes a narrative understanding of resilience and transformative learning that extends beyond conventional evaluations of ALS effectiveness. Overall, the findings demonstrate that ALS A&E passers overcome substantial personal, social, and educational barriers through persistence, support, and self-reflection, offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and program implementers seeking to strengthen learner-centered ALS interventions.