Ebide, John Vincent 11- Bulkhead

Lignig, James Kenneth

Singuillo, Jayland

Veo, Earl Von

An Investigation of Influence of Student Absenteeism on

Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in

Nyandarua, Kenya

The influence of student absenteeism on academic performance has often been a subject

of concern for schoolsfor a long time. This has largely been because the teacher and the school

authorities have always been underextreme pressure to complete a given syllabus and also to

perform well in national examinations. They havetherefore felt that, those students who absent

themselves from regular instruction for whatever reasons, missimportant knowledge and

competencies, a fact that is bound to influence somehow their academic performanceand

achievements at the end of the course (Bantu, 2003).Most researchers in educational institutions

have concentrated on the relationship between other schoolcharacteristics like class size, teacher-

student ratio, expenditure per student and differences between public andprivate schools and not

academic performance (Staffolani, S. and Massimilano, B. (2002). Nevertheless itshouldnt be

overlooked that a student will occasionally miss class due to sickness, lack of school fees,

studentdelinquency and truancy, suspension, time out on games and sports or because of many

other causes. Civil strifeand natural disasters like tribal clashes, drought and famine will also

often make a child miss school (Kipkemboiand Silsil, 2006).Kenya has adopted universal
primary education (U.P.E), and is striving to achieve education for all(EFA). Educations both in

primary and secondary school levels have been decreed by the government to be freeand

compulsory. The childrens act Cap. 114 of the laws of Kenya also provides for every childs

unhinderedaccess to quality education. This can largely be effective if the students attendance of

instruction is alwaysguaranteed. If children will occasionally and in some cases chronically be

absent from this instruction forwhatever reasons, then the goals so sought by the students

themselves and other stakeholders including the state,will not be met. It is therefore important

that influence of absenteeism on students academic performance beinvestigated and determined

because students still miss school regularly in Nyandarua County.

Literature review

Student Absenteeism and Academic Performance

Glasure (2002), sought to find out whether class attendance influenced non-traditional

studentsacademicperformance of university students in the U.S.A. The study revealed a

statistically significant and quantitativelylarger relationship between days absent and academic

performance. Days absent alone accounted for 44% of thevariation in performance. The

researcher finally concluded that class attendance mattered for improvement on academic

performance.

CHRONIC STUDENT ABSENTEEISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERS

Framework for the Study Each year, school leaders in K-12 public education are faced

with the complex challenge of addressing student absenteeism concerns. In addressing such

concerns, their actions are often confined by a districts unwritten, historical practices and formal
attendance policies. An extensive review of the literature points to a vast number of attendance

practices and policies which perpetuate non-attendance problems by blaming and punishing

students, thus resulting in increased absences (Epstein & Sheldon, 2002; Garca-Gracia, 2008;

Hartnett, 2007). However, there is limited research to suggest school leaders are seeking input

from their students as they look to improve student attendance. This practice is inconsistent with

the pool of research that suggests students must be given the opportunity to be heard, listened to,

and recognized for their contributions to their education (Cook-Sather, 2006; Gunter &

Thomson, Sands et al., 2007; Smyth, 2006b; Yonezawa& Jones, 2009). Drawing on literature

centered on chronic student absenteeism and literature related to student voice, I developed an

argument for the need to hear from and understand student perspectives related to their

absenteeism, along with the perspectives of their parents and/or guardians. I sought to explore

the role of school leaders in understanding and responding to such perspectives when addressing

student absenteeism concerns. Through this research, it has been my intent to help school leaders

to be better equipped to assist students in building and maintaining a foundation for ongoing

learning and academic success through consistent participation in the K-12 public education

system. 2 Theoretical Basis of the Research As the researcher, I explored chronic student

absenteeism through a critical lens, shaped in part by critical pedagogy and a critical approach to

leadership, both of which I further explored in chapter two. Critical pedagogy looks to a deeper

understanding of the world (Burbules& Beck, 1999; Giroux & Simon, 1988; Kincheloe, 2005;

Monchinski, 2008). A critical approach to leadership provides students with the opportunity to be

heard and for their perspectives to be taken into consideration. Further, a critical approach to

leadership opens the door for those who have been oppressed or marginalized to tell their story. I

used a critical lens as I sought to understand the research participants. Most importantly, the
middle school students identified with chronic student absenteeism. I sought to understand the

lived experiences and perspectives of such students, along with the experiences and perspectives

of their parents and/or guardians through a reflective interview process. Through the use of

reflective questions, I provided the research participants with the opportunity to construct their

own meaning as they engaged in the world. I provided the students and their parents and/or

guardians with an avenue to which they were allowed and encouraged to share their stories, as I

sought to understand and respond to their experiences (Sands, Guzman, Stephens, & Boggs,

2007, p. 341). It was my intent to ensure the voices of the students identified with chronic

student absenteeism, along with the voices of their parents and/or guardians were heard. I sought

to have the students and parents feel as if they were collaborators and problem solvers alongside

their school leaders in addressing student absenteeism concerns.

Absenteeism and Academic Performance in an Introduction to Business Course.

Introduction

In a traditional university setting, class meetings are the primary means of delivering educational

services. However, as almost anyone who has ever taught a large section of an introductory

course can confirm, student attendance at these meetings is far from perfect. As educators, we

want our students to attend class. We enjoy teaching and interacting with students and work hard

to make our classes worthy of the students' time and energy. We know who our best students are

because they attend class regularly, but we often have a hard time putting a face to the names of

the students that fail. Based on this anecdotal evidence, we assume that students who attend class

regularly benefit from the lectures, films, and learning activities designed to facilitate their
acquisition of knowledge. Conversely, we assume that excessive absences from class results in

poor academic performance. These assumptions, however, are not based on empirical evidence.

To encourage class attendance, we have always spent part of the first class meeting telling our

students that it is important for them to attend class, that they will learn more if they attend class,

and that students who attend class regularly generally earn higher grades for the course and vice

versa. Unfortunately, when we searched the literature for empirical evidence to back up our

claims, we failed to find any studies specifically examining the relationship between students'

absenteeism during an Introduction to Business course and their subsequent performance on

exams. Moreover, studies over the past fifteen years that have examined the relationship between

absenteeism and academic achievement in related fields such as economics, finance, and

operations management have produced different, sometimes contradictory, results.

Several studies have linked class absences with lower grades. For example, Brocato (1989)

found a strong negative correlation between absences and grades among undergraduate students

enrolled in Principles of Macroeconomics and Intermediate Macroeconomics courses he taught

over a four-year period. Park and Kerr (1990) also found that attendance was a determinant of

student performance in a Money and Banking course, but not as important as a student's GPA and

percentile rank on the American College Test (ACT).

Browne et al. (1991), however, found that students who studied on their own did just well as

students that attended a typically structured Principles of Microeconomics class on the Test of

Understanding College Economics (TUCE). Their conclusion: "Apparently, instructors'

classroom activities have negligible impacts on student performance, measured by multiple

choice items tapping memory, application and simple analysis competencies" (Browne et al.

1991, p. 29).

Based on attendance counts taken in all undergraduate economics courses taught at three

"relatively elite" universities, Romer (1993) concluded that absenteeism was rampant, with

typically about one-third of the students absent from class. (This finding may explain why so

many studies of absenteeism and academic performance have students who are enrolled in

economics course as their subjects.) Romer also reported that regression estimates of the relation

between attendance and performance in one large Intermediate Macroeconomics course

suggested that attendance might substantially affect learning. Considering only students who did

all of the problem sets (in order to control for the impact of student motivation to do well in the

course) and controlling for prior grade point average, he found the difference in performance

between a student who attends class regularly and one who attends class sporadically to be

approximately one full letter grade.

Durden and Ellis (1995) also found that attendance does matter for academic achievement in a

Principles of Economics course. However, their findings suggest that the effect is nonlinear,

becoming important only after a student misses four classes during the semester. They concluded

that what really seems to matter is excessive absenteeism.

Chan, Shum and Wright (1997) studied the effect of class attendance on student performance in a

Principles of Finance course using Tobin's (1958) TOBIT model and a two-stage equation
developed by (Heckmen 1976, 1979). They found a significant positive relationship between

attendance and student performance in the TOBIT model, but only a weak relationship between

attendance and student performance in Heckman's two-stage model. Furthermore, they found

that a mandatory attendance policy did not improve performance.

A Qualitative Research Study on SchoolAbsenteeism Among College StudentsMichael A.

CloresAt eneo de Naga Universitymclores@ adnu.edu.ph

School absenteeism is an alarming problem for administrators, teachers, parents, and the

society,in general, as well as for the students, in particular. It may indicate low performance of

teachers,students dissatisfaction of the schools services, or lack of or poor academic and non-

academicstructures or policies that address the problems or factors influencing or reinforcing this

behavior.Parents are financially burdened for having their children to stay longer in the school,

having tore-enroll them in subjects where they fail due to excessive absences. The present study

aimedto explore the process by which the phenomenon of school absenteeism evolves or is

experiencedby the college students. In-depth interviews of ten absentee students and the

use of editingstyle analysis and a method described by Colaizzi (1978) yielded three

category schemes ofexperience of school absenteeism: (a) disempowering circumstances -

feeling of helplessness;(b) misguided value system - mixed up priorities; and (c) pedagogical

dilemmas - unappealingacademic environments. Based on the findings, the pedagogical,

psychological and socio-culturalimplications are discussed

Action Research on Student and Pupil Absenteeism in School

 The Problem of Student Absenteeism

My pupils as they were having their quarterly exams. If you notice, there are vacant seats which

signify the absence of some pupils. Some frequently absent students even skip important tests.

My pupils as they were having their quarterly exams. If you notice, there are vacant seats which

signify the absence of some pupils. Some frequently absent students even skip important tests.

One of the most annoying experiences for teachers like me is when students are absent. We

prepare lesson plans with the objective that 100% of the class will learn from the days classroom

activities, and it is most satisfying when all students are present on that day and the days

thereafter to ensure maximum learning.

Sadly, it is very difficult to achieve perfect attendance. No matter how interesting and well-

prepared my lessons and teaching materials are, there are bound to be students who miss out on

the days activitieswillingly or unwillingly.

I would like to minimize this problem, if not eradicate it completely. That is why I conducted an

action research to understand them better. I wanted a more accurate analysis of why some of my

students are perennial absentees, so I could formulate plans, projects, and programs to minimize

their absences. I hope that it also enlightens you. Even if you are not an educator, you may be

able to help a student to stay in school.

Causes of Absenteeism
Grade VI Students of Zapote Elementary School School Year 2010-2011

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, absenteeism is "chronic absence." In the context of

school, it is the habitual or intentional failure to attend school. While every student may miss

some school activities now and then, absence becomes a problem when the student is away from

school for many days.

Going to school regularly is crucially important for a students education and social skills.

Chronically absent students are at a disadvantage both socially and academically. They miss out

on critical stages of social interaction and development with their peers, while simultaneously

limiting their academic progress. This can result in low self-esteem, social isolation, and

dissatisfaction that could well have precipitated non-attendance in the first place.

School absenteeism is an alarming problem for administrators, teachers, parents, society in

general, and pupils in particular. Unaccepted absences have a negative effect on peer

relationships, which can cause further absences. According to Malcolm, Wilson, Davidson and

Kirk (2003) teachers identified the effects of absenteeism on children as:academic under-

achievement,difficulty in making friends which could lead to boredom and loss of confidence.

prolonged absence can have deleterious effects for the child in later life.

students who are absent from school are at the greatest risk of dropping out of school early.

Absenteeism also affects the teachers ability to present classwork in a sequential and organized

way. This can have an effect on the progress of all the students in the class.
Society also suffers when school-age children are not in school. These children may hang out on

the streets. Since they have nothing to do, they resort to petty crimes like stealing other peoples

belongings and property. Others may become addicted to drugs or engage in other destructive

behavior. Thus, if a student keeps away from school for too long, he may grow up to be a

liability to his community and his country as a whole.

It is the aim of every school to lessen, if not eradicate, absenteeism among its students. One way

of addressing this problem is to identify the causes of truancy. Once they are singled out,

understood, and analyzed, these issues may be addressed with specific actions and measures.

This will eventually result in the better performance of the students, teachers, and the school in

general.

It is in this context that this action research was undertaken, that is, to identify the causes why the

grade VI students in this school absent themselves from their classes.

This action research examined the causes of absenteeism among grade VI students of Zapote

Elementary School during the 2010-2011 school year. This class had the most daily absences

while in grade V. This data was gathered from the daily attendance record that is kept by the

teacher-leaders office every day and regularly filled out by grade level teachers.

Once the students entered grade VI, some of them were still frequent absentees. It is for this

reason that this research was undertaken. It has the goal of understanding and correcting such

undesirable pupil behavior. Based on the findings, methods and strategies were recommended to

minimize, if not eradicate absenteeism or truancy.

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