Abstract
This study aimed to analyze and understand the actual learning experiences of senior high school students who are incarcerated in Digos City District Jail – Male Dormitory. Unaware of much, this was undertaken to unveil the voice of the youth behind bars. The current study uses a single-case design and a purposive sampling of five (5) individuals and is conducted within a qualitative framework. The emergent themes from the transcriptions and qualitative template analysis of the audio-recorded interviews were documented. The study revealed the views and experiences of the student-inmates as well as their coping mechanisms and insights. Based on the findings, the following themes emerged: being locked in long years, encountering circumstances, trying to accept reality, full of uncertainties, longingness, being given the privilege, limited opportunities, full of unrequited dreams, praying unceasingly, motivating oneself, collaborating with others, set family as inspiration, study hard, change for the better, life inside the prison cell is hard, surpass everything despite difficulties, giving importance to education, uplift spiritual life, listen to parents, and reflect and do better. The study's findings could not generate a generalization of the participants' experiences. Other research approaches can also prove beneficial in assessing the severity of the issue and developing solutions.
