truancy in school essay

Understanding Truancy: Causes, Consequences and Solutions for Improving School Attendance

Ever wondered what’s behind the term “truancy”? It’s more than just skipping school. Truancy is a serious issue that affects students, families, and communities across the country.

When you hear about truancy, you might think it’s about rebellious teens ditching class. But there’s more to it. Truancy is a symptom of deeper problems that can have long-term consequences.

Let’s dive deeper into understanding truancy, its causes, and its impact. This knowledge could be your first step towards addressing this issue, whether you’re a parent, a teacher, or a concerned community member.

Key Takeaways

Truancy is not merely skipping school but a serious and far-reaching issue rooted in social, familial, and personal problems.
Essentially, truancy refers to a repeated pattern of unexcused absences from school, usually exceeding a particular number set by state law in a calendar year.
Various factors contribute to truancy including a disengagement from education, personal issues, or lack of support from family or community.
Truancy has severe long-term consequences like poor academic performance, higher dropout rates and risk of criminal activities.
Addressing truancy includes recognizing and connecting with the underlying issues which requires collective efforts of parents, teachers, and community members.
Effective strategies to address truancy include early identification of at-risk students, engaging teaching methods, active parent and community involvement, and necessary policy changes.

Defining Truancy

Let’s get into the nitty gritty. Truancy isn’t simply a case of students playing hooky. It’s a far-reaching issue with roots that run deep into social, familial, and personal problems.

So, what exactly is truancy? At its core, truancy refers to any unexcused absence from school. Now, this definition might seem straightforward enough. Yet, there’s more to it. You see, it isn’t just a one-off occurrence where a student might miss a day here and there. It’s a pattern, a habit. To be precise, if a student racks up more than a handful of unexcused absences within a school year, they’re considered truant. Remember though, the specifics might differ slightly from area to area, depending on local laws and regulations.

Now let’s update our definition. Truancy is defined as a repeated pattern of unexcused absences from school, usually exceeding a particular number set by the state law in a calendar year.

But wait, there’s more. Truancy extends beyond just an absence from school. It’s also about why the student is absent. There are many underlying causes that contribute to truancy. It might be due to a disengagement from the education system , unresolved personal issues, or a lack of support from family or community.

And why does this matter? Well, it’s more than just missed school days. Truancy has serious long-term consequences for the individual, their family, and the entire community. Truant students often have lower academic achievement, are more likely to drop out, and face a higher risk of involvement in criminal activities.

Let’s not forget that truancy is a clear signal of underlying issues. Addressing these issues is a crucial step towards reducing truancy rates and enabling students to excel in their education. This is not just a responsibility of parents or teachers but involves the collective efforts of the entire community.

Understanding truancy for what it really is – an alarm bell for deeper problems – is essential in tackling the problem head-on. To achieve this, anyone involved in a child’s life – from parents and teachers to community leaders – must be properly educated about what truancy is, why it occurs, and what impact it can have.

Misconceptions about Truancy

Many assume that truancy means a student cutting classes solely for kicks or laziness. But let’s delve into this common misconception. Truancy usually hides deeper issues than simply disliking school or being unwilling to learn. It’s often rooted in a myriad of complex factors like family problems , behavioral issues , mental health struggles , or socioeconomic barriers that hinder regular attendance.

Another widespread misunderstanding revolves around the idea that skipping school doesn’t significantly affect a child’s education. People might think that missing a day here and there won’t cause any harm. In reality, however, even sporadic absences can add up, causing significant gaps in learning. A lack of concern for occasional absences can fuel a growing habit of truancy, missed opportunities, and eventually, a drop in academic performance.

Meanwhile, some people believe that it’s solely the responsibility of schools and teachers to address truancy. This perception is far from the truth. Schools, of course, play an important role in tackling the problem but responsibility also significantly lies with parents and community members .

Correcting these misconceptions about truancy will ultimately increase our understanding and enhance our approach to solving this prevalent issue. So, as you move forward in this article, keep in mind the deeper issues intertwined with truancy. Knowing these will help you better comprehend the later sections on the strategies and solutions to counteract truancy effectively .

Causes of Truancy

To fully grasp the phenomenon of truancy, it’s vital to unpack its potential causes. Truancy isn’t just about kids playing hooky for a day—it stems from multiple complicated, interwoven issues. Understanding these causative factors aligns you better towards effective solutions.

One major cause of truancy is family problems . In some instances, kids become absent due to parental neglect, unstable home environments, or due to the need to take on familial responsibilities that preclude school attendance. It’s important to recognize this link.

Next, let’s consider mental health struggles . Many children wrestle with psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can deter regular school attendance. Without appropriate intervention, these struggles may lead to chronic truancy.

Socioeconomic barriers too, play an immense role. Poverty can force kids to drop school, seek work, or get involved in illicit activities to support their families. In many cases, kids might stay away from school due to a lack of basic necessities like food, clothing, or school supplies.

Lastly, there are school-related issues . These encompass a vast array of challenges including bullying, difficult teacher-student relationships, or a sense of alienation. A hostile school environment can unsettle kids, pushing them towards habitual truancy.

In your efforts to comprehend and address truancy, remember that it isn’t a single-problem issue. It’s an outcome of many overlapping circumstances that usually need a multi-dimensional approach for resolution. Let’s move forward and see how this newfound knowledge about the causes of truancy can shed more light on potential prevention strategies.

Impact of Truancy

As you navigate the complexities of truancy it’s pivotal to understand the ripple effect it can have on a student’s life; disrupting not just their academic trajectory but also their emotional well-being and future prospects.

The immediate impact, unsurprisingly, is academic underachievement . Regular absences from school cause you to fall behind your classmates and miss critical learning opportunities. It’s a well-established fact that there’s a direct relationship between truancy and poor performance in exams.

Take a glance at the table below to assert the influence of truancy on academic achievement:

Education Level	Truancy Rate	Average Exam Scores
Elementary School	15%	60%
Middle School	25%	55%
	35%	50%

Over time, academic struggles might lead to disinterest and disenchantment with the education system leading to higher school dropout rates . This dire situation places the truant students in a precarious position as they’re left without basic employability skills and qualifications, perpetuating cycles of poverty and socio-economic disadvantage.

Notably, truancy also causes profound psychological impacts. It’s not uncommon for truancy to trigger feelings of alienation, guilt, and stress. Eventually, these factors can pave the way for mental health disorders , making it even harder for suspended students to return to the fold of normal schooling.

Moreover, the spiraling consequences of truancy don’t just affect the individual but can also shake the foundations of a community. Habitual truancy often leads to higher rates of juvenile crime and antisocial behavior which, in turn, can lessen community safety and harmony.

Addressing each of these factors, therefore, forms a critical step in combating the rising truancy rates. The next section of the article will shed light on effective strategies to prevent and mitigate the damaging effects of truancy. It’s clear that understanding the impact of truancy is a pathway to devising nuanced, impactful policies.

Addressing the Issue of Truancy

In light of the serious repercussions truancy has on a student’s academic performance, emotional well-being , and future prospects, addressing this pervasive issue is of paramount importance. The commitment must be collaborative – involving educators, parents, communities, and policymakers alike. So how exactly can we tackle this? Here are some strategies to consider.

Early Identification : In many situations, prevention is better than cure. Identifying students at risk of chronic absenteeism before it morphs into a habit can nip this problem in the bud. Schools can leverage data tracking systems to spot trends in student behavior and identify subtle changes over time.
Engagement : Disinterest in education often stems from a lack of engagement or relevance to real-world challenges. Implementing engaging and interactive teaching methods can make learning more appealing. For instance, edtech solutions, real-life problem solving, hands-on activities, and flipped classrooms can foster greater participation and attendance.
Parent and Community Involvement : As they say, it takes a village to raise a child. Similarly, combatting truancy requires the participation of both parents and the larger community. Strengthening the parent-school relationship encourages greater parental involvement in children’s education. Community resources can offer support, mentoring, and extra-curricular activities that keep kids engaged outside school hours.
Policy Changes : Changes at a macro level can influence rates of truancy significantly. This could mean lobbying for laws that underscore the importance of school attendance or policies that firm up school discipline frameworks while addressing root causes.

While it may seem like an uphill battle, addressing truancy isn’t insurmountable. It requires thoughtful, comprehensive strategies and collective action. By protecting our students now, we safeguard their futures. Addressing truancy head-on isn’t just about improving school attendance; it’s about creating a brighter, more prosperous future for our society.

You’ve journeyed through the complexities of truancy, understanding its impact on students, schools, and society. It’s clear that it’s not a solitary issue but a collective concern requiring a multifaceted approach. Remember, early identification of at-risk students can be a game-changer. By adopting interactive teaching methods, you can boost student engagement, making school an exciting place to be. Don’t forget the power of parent and community involvement, it’s a potent tool in your arsenal against truancy. And policy changes? They’re the winds of change that can reshape the educational landscape. So, let’s take a stand against truancy, working together to build a brighter, more prosperous future. Because it’s not just about improving school attendance, it’s about creating a society where every child has the chance to shine.

Addressing truancy involves understanding its causes, consequences, and implementing solutions to improve school attendance. According to Understood.org , truancy can result from various factors such as family issues, academic struggles, and mental health concerns. Attendance Works emphasizes that schools can combat truancy by providing support services, engaging families, and creating a positive school environment to encourage regular attendance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the central theme of the article.

The article primarily focuses on addressing the issue of truancy. It emphasizes the collaborative efforts needed from educators, parents, communities, and policymakers to fight this issue effectively.

What are the strategies suggested to decrease truancy?

Strategies suggested include early identification of at-risk students, increasing engagement through interactive teaching methods, promoting parent and community involvement, and advocating for policy changes.

Why is interactive teaching a part of the solution?

Interactive teaching methods are advocated for as they increase student engagement, making school more interesting and lessening the chance of skipping class hence, reducing truancy.

How does parent and community involvement help?

When parents and communities are involved, students are likely to feel more accountable and supported, leading to better school attendance.

What are the benefits of addressing truancy?

Addressing truancy not only improves school attendance but also helps in ensuring a brighter and more prosperous future for society as it contributes to reducing crime rates and increasing the likelihood of gainful employment.

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Truancy in Schools Research Paper

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Introduction

Community relationship, current intervention, the recommended intervention, evaluation of the program, reference list.

Truancy refers to the habit of students staying away from school without permission. There is a growing concern over the increasing number of truants, despite the millions of dollars invested to improve school attendance.

Both local and central governments are committed to reducing absenteeism in schools (Rosenheim, 2002). Truancy as a problem has also been largely linked to geographical location of schools. Schools falling in regions associated with social deprivation often record low attendance levels compared to those in affluent regions.

Local and central governments have developed both disciplinary and collaborative measures meant to address the problem of school absenteeism. Punitive measures developed involve the legal measures adopted by the government to support families with truants and at risk adolescents. Social workers play an important role in the success of the collaborative intervention approach.

This paper reports on a truancy intervention program I developed while working as a social worker in a high school. My task in the school was to intervene on the truanting behavior of three high school students identified to frequently cut classes. In my quest to intervene on my clients’ problems, I sought first to establish the root cause of the problem I was tasked to solve. In this quest, I worked closely with the teachers, the school principal and the parents of the three children.

The three students go to one of the schools in Baisley Boulevard, New York, established in 1971 as an educational options school. The school was established through the initiative of the community leaders, union representatives and members of the aviation industry. The school’s gender distribution stands at 45% female and 55% male.

The school’s racial composition comprises of blacks as the majority at 80%, followed by the Hispanics who are 10% and Asians at 5%, as per the school’s register in June 2012. Attendance at the school is marked both at the subject and class levels. At the third period, the class attendance is taken, where as subject attendance is taken by each subject teacher at the end of the lesson.

The school keeps an attendance record for each of the student and has a truancy policy, where students who skip class without a valid reason are given up to three warnings. Majority of teachers in the school are blacks, and the surrounding community comprises of low income people.

Poverty levels in the school’s catchment area play a major role on students’ attendance levels. I established that most of the parents struggle to sustain their children in the school, as most of them cannot afford fees. Most students do not have tutors as parents cannot afford to hire for them. The school occasionally organizes sensitization programs to educate parents on the need to ensure their children attend school regularly.

My clients were three high school students who were noted to have developed a habit of skipping classes. I took interest in intervening on the behavior to ensure the students attended classes regularly as required. I came up with an intervention program to help the students at the school level.

In the program, I scheduled meetings with the students, teachers and parents of the children; I met the children twice every week and once every week with the parents and teachers. The meeting with the students was meant for counseling, where as the meeting with the parents and teachers were to determine the impact of the intervention program. The three students were noted to cut classes at the same time, were classmates and belonged to the school’s football team.

After the first meeting with the students trying to find out the cause of skipping classes, I established that the three students did not have an interest in mathematics. The students were often truanting on mathematics because they had a negative attitude towards the subject and even the teacher.

The school environment provided several avenues for students skipping classes to hide. These included; halls that were not manned or closed during learning hours, toilets and overgrown flower gardens around the school. The school guards did not have a tight supervision program to ensure every student attended class when they should. This provided loopholes for the students to cut classes.

Besides, the teachers’ intervention program at the school level was only guiding and counseling, which was not effective. The school has an excellent working relationship with both the community and parents in reducing truancy among students. The school’s attendance office provides every parent, information of their child’s attendance, besides the record of academic performance.

The school’s current intervention program highly comprises of guiding and counseling. The aim of guiding and counseling is to make an individual realize the problem so that he or she can make an informed judgment. This often does not help to solve the problem of truancy among students. Truanting students require couching, close observation and use of punitive measures to realign their behavior the right way.

Having established the cause of skipping classes, my task then was to draw out a plan that would help me solve the problem at hand. The first step was to change the attitude of the students towards mathematics. The three students had confessed that the subject was beyond their comprehension and that despite the effort of the teacher to make them like it, they remained indifferent. I first sought to know to know their career aspirations.

Two of the students said they would like to study engineering at their higher education levels, the third student was interested in medicine. These career lines formed the platform for my program with the students. As Schargel suggests, people are motivated to achieve in their careers if they are made to understand what they stand to gain from the career in future (Schargel, 2003).

The second step of the program was to help them understand the link that lied between their dream careers and mathematics at their current level of study. After my talk with the students, it became clear to them that they would not be able get to their careers without good passes in mathematics.

The next question they were asking was to know what they needed to do in order to develop their attitude towards the subject and improve their scores. I organized with the mathematics teachers in the school to develop a keen interest in the students with the aim of helping them in mathematics. I also sourced the best mathematics books for them from the school library together with careers books for each of them in line with their dream career.

I established that the school had weak deterrent measures to apprehend offending students. The schools disciplinary as well as the guiding and counseling departments were not effectively carrying out their duties. As a result of a weak disciplinary department, students were not afraid of breaking some of the school rules.

I recommended that the school’s disciplinary department be more active and come up with strict disciplinary actions against students who contravened the school’s rules and regulations. Research shows that teachers being close to students in schools are the first to detect unbecoming behavior among the students and are best placed to rehabilitated them (Dupper, 2002)

I also sought to share the problem with the parents to the three children to discuss with them the best way to alleviate the problem. It was a surprise that all the three parents were not aware that their children were truanting. They learnt of the issue when I called to see and share with them the problem their children were facing.

Each parent promised to take a keen interest in the performance of their children in the subject. They promised to engage the services of private tutors in mathematics and also play a role in monitoring their children’s performance in mathematics.

In the evaluation part of the program, I used the performance results in mathematics and observation of behavior change as tools of measurement. After the first three weeks of my stay in the school, I established that the program had yielded a positive impact on the students’ performance in mathematics.

Though the performance was not so impressive, it was much better than the previous performance. Their interest in the subject had also increased tremendously as I found out from the mathematics teacher. The students were handing in assignments and making frequent consultations with the teacher, a thing they never bothered to do before. From the class register, I also gathered that their attendance had risen from 30% to 95% on average, which was quite impressive.

In my needs assessment of the problem at I hand, I gathered that my clients had a problem with mathematics as well as the mathematics teacher. Besides, they had identified a career in football, which they decided to pursue at the expense of their academic goal. The school compound also provided hiding places for the students to hide as they skip classes. From the needs assessment, I was able to tailor my intervention program to the needs of my clients in my quest to seek lasting solutions to their problems.

The assessment was easier to evaluate based on the parameters I set out in the evaluation tools. The expected behavior change included; improved performance in mathematics, improved attendance and adhering to the rules and regulations of the school. The only part that was a challenge to evaluate was the participation of the parents in the program. This was because parents were involved in the program out of school making it difficult to monitor.

As regards the process analysis of the situation at hand, I first set the limits that program was meant to achieve. Being an intervention program, the objective was to eliminate the problem of truancy among the three students. Based on the outcome that the program realized in the first three weeks, I was convinced that if all effort is put in place and everybody committed to it, the program had the potential to realize good results.

Based on the comments of Reid (2000) I recommend a continuous monitoring and evaluation of the program throughout the learning periods for purposes of evaluation and innovation of better ideas (p. 23). The government should also invest more funds for hiring sufficient guards to supervise student attendance.

An effective truancy intervention program requires the support of all stakeholders in the education sector. This paper demonstrates the important role that parents and teachers should play in reducing truancy in schools. The government alone cannot manage to intervene on truancy, which is threatening to undermine the government’s objective to provide education to all.

Dupper, D. (2002). School Social Work: Skills and Intervention for Effective Practice. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Reid, K. (2000). Tackling Truancy in Schools: A Practical Manual for Primary and Secondary Schools. New York: Routledge

Rosenheim, M., K. (2002). A Century of Juvenile Justice . London: the University of Chicago Press.

Schargel, F., P. (2003). Drop Out Prevention Tools. New York: Eye on Education

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IvyPanda. (2018, June 21). Truancy in Schools. https://ivypanda.com/essays/truancy-in-schools/

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Bibliography

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Daniel Levi

Bridging the gap: a comprehensive guide to combating truancy in schools.

Unpacking the Layers of Absenteeism

Absenteeism in schools manifests in various forms, each with distinct causes and implications. Recognizing these differences is the first step in crafting effective solutions. The most common types of absenteeism include:

School Withdrawal: This occurs when parents or caregivers, for reasons such as needing the child to care for a sick relative or sibling or due to economic pressures requiring the child to work, keep their student at home. This type highlights the socioeconomic challenges entwined with educational access.
School Exclusion: In some instances, schools inadvertently contribute to absenteeism through policies that suspend or exclude students as a consequence for missing school, further alienating them from the educational support they require.
Truancy: Truancy involves students skipping school to engage in activities they perceive as more rewarding. This deliberate avoidance of school necessitates addressing deeper issues related to student engagement and motivation.
Life Circumstances: Various external factors, including transportation issues, lack of appropriate clothing, and unstable housing, can hinder a student’s ability to attend school, underscoring the need for community-based support systems.
School Avoidance: Emotional distress or fear, possibly due to bullying, academic pressures, or social challenges, can lead students to avoid school altogether, pointing to the importance of a supportive and understanding school environment.

Strategies for Mitigating Absenteeism and Fostering Engagement

In the quest to mitigate absenteeism and particularly truancy in schools, adopting a nuanced, comprehensive approach is paramount. Central to this effort is the strategy of early identification and intervention, which is instrumental in preventing sporadic absenteeism from evolving into a chronic issue. Schools are encouraged to set up systems capable of promptly recognizing signs of absenteeism. This involves not only tracking attendance patterns but also identifying subtle indicators such as changes in academic performance, social withdrawal, or shifts in behavior that may signal underlying issues contributing to absenteeism.

Once potential cases of truancy or absenteeism are identified, schools should mobilize support teams dedicated to providing targeted assistance. These teams can work closely with students and their families to understand the specific challenges they face, ranging from socio-economic constraints to personal or emotional difficulties. The goal is to create a tailored support plan that addresses these challenges, leveraging resources within and beyond the school community. This could include academic support, counseling services, family outreach programs, or connecting with community organizations that offer services like transportation aid, clothing, or housing support.

Further enriching this strategy is the imperative to foster an inclusive, engaging school culture that encourages regular attendance and active participation. Schools can achieve this by offering a variety of interest-based clubs, sports, arts, and other extracurricular activities that resonate with students’ diverse interests and talents. Peer mentoring programs and student councils can also empower students by giving them a voice in decision-making processes, thereby enhancing their connection and commitment to the school community.

Moreover, establishing strong partnerships with local organizations, social services, and families amplifies the support network available to students, addressing external factors that may impede their ability to attend school regularly. Such collaborative efforts not only tackle immediate barriers to education but also build a foundation for long-term success and well-being for students.

By integrating these strategies within a comprehensive framework for addressing absenteeism, schools can create a supportive ecosystem that not only identifies and intervenes early in cases of truancy but also actively works to remove barriers to education, fostering a sense of belonging and engagement among all students. This proactive, compassionate approach ensures that every student has the opportunity to thrive academically and personally, setting the stage for a brighter, more inclusive future in education.

Here are the key strategies and action points you can implement in your school today:

Early Identification and Intervention: Implementing systems for early detection of absenteeism and truancy allows for timely intervention. Schools can develop support teams to provide targeted assistance to students, addressing the specific challenges they face.
Creating an Inclusive School Culture: Cultivating a positive and engaging school environment is crucial. Schools can introduce initiatives that foster student engagement, such as interest-based clubs, peer mentoring, and participatory decision-making, enhancing students’ sense of belonging.
Building Strong Community Partnerships: Collaboration with local organizations, social services, and families extends the support network for students. These partnerships can offer essential resources like transportation solutions, clothing banks, housing assistance, and access to healthcare, tackling the life circumstances contributing to absenteeism.
Comprehensive Support Systems: Addressing absenteeism requires more than punitive measures. A comprehensive approach, focusing on understanding the reasons behind absenteeism and working collaboratively with students, families, and the community, is essential for developing sustainable solutions.

Future Focus: A Collective Endeavor

The challenge of truancy and absenteeism in schools demands attention and action from all stakeholders involved in education. By understanding the multifaceted nature of absenteeism and implementing targeted, compassionate strategies, schools can ensure that all students have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with their education. It’s a collaborative effort that not only aims to improve academic outcomes but also supports the holistic development of students, preparing them to navigate the complexities of life. As we tackle the issue of truancy head-on, let us recommit to fostering educational environments where every student is seen, supported, and inspired to reach their fullest potential.

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Truancy: The Concept, Causes, Types, Implications and Intervention Strategies for Students with Truancy

Truancy among students become a growing problem. The truancy problem has been manifested in different forms. Some students deliberately refuse to attend the full days of school, some students may attend school but run away after break, while some students arrive at school after break. Likewise, there are some students who attend school and stay in the class for lessons that they have interest in but internationally refuse to stay in class for lessons that they do not have interest in due the teacher's hostile attitude or hatred of the subject. Also, there are some students who attend school but do not go to their classes at all. Therefore, this paper explained the concept of truancy, causes, types, implications and intervention strategies for students with truancy. Lastly, conclusion and recommendations were provided.

Related Papers

Ugwuoke Akubuwe Friday

Asian Online Journal Publishing Group

The study instigated the incidence of truancy among students and its influence on learning in the Dormaa Senior High School. A descriptive survey design was adopted in carrying out the study. The study population consisted of teachers, students, parents and opinion leaders in the study area. The simple random and purposive samplings were used in selecting respondents. A sample of 135, made up of 20 teachers and 100 students, 10 parents and 5 opinion leaders were selected to participate in the study. A set of questionnaires was designed and administered to the teachers and students. Documentary evidence from the class attendance register and students " report cards were used. In the case of the parents and opinion leaders, semi-structured interview schedules were developed and used to obtain their views. Descriptive statistics were used in presenting the quantitative data. The qualitative data were also presented thematically to support the quantitative data. The study revealed that the causes of truancy can be categorized into student related, family related and school related. Both teachers and students agreed that peer pressure is one of the causes of truancy. The study also showed that truancy brings about school drop-outs and affects students academic output. It was realized that most of the students who attended classes regularly performed better than their counterparts who absented themselves from classes on a regular basis. It was recommended among other things that all stakeholders should see to it that there are qualified counselors in all second cycle schools to assist students.

European of Social …

Dr. Azizi Yahaya

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal

nelson jagero

Journal of COEASU

Abiodun Gesinde

tata umar saad

Abstract: Truancy is one of the problems affecting teaching and learning in our secondary schools these days. This study investigated the causes of truancy among public senior secondary school students in Azare metropolis of Bauchi state, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was used and the sampled was 357 which were selected from the population of 5,219 by using disproportionate stratified random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used in the collection of data for this study and simple percentage and frequency were used in the analysis. The study found out that the causes of truancy emanating from the home of the students include helping parents in the household work, looking after young children in the house, lack of recognition by the parents etc. The study also found out that some causes of truancy which emanate from the children include low intelligence, weak physical health, social and emotional, maladjustment etc. It was also found out that some causes of truancy emanating from the school include fear of teachers, fear of school activities, difficulties of school subjects etc. Finally, the study recommended that well trained teachers are to be employed, guidance and counseling offices and counselors are to be available in schools, conducive atmosphere in schools should be provided, clubs and societies should be reactivated, sport and recreational activities should be provided and maintained by the schools. Key words: Truancy, Public Senior Secondary Schools, Students

Science Park Research Organization & Counselling

Truancy is a serious concern that affects most school districts in the United States and its prevention has been reported as a national emergency although prevalence of truancy has been increased recently. Due to its unintended social, psychological, familial consequences, a special attention is needed. Two hundred 14 – 18 years old boy high school students of Yazd city enrolled in this comparative cross-sectional study. Sampling was done through random clustering method among 10328 boy students of Yazd city high school and the data were collected by a questionnaire consisted of two parts: part one was related to the individual's characteristics and part two was consisted of some factors related to truancy. The sample was studied in 2 separate groups of truants (101 cases) and non-truants (99 cases).Results: The average age of truancy was 16.81 ±0.96 in truants and 16.60±0.98 in non-truants. This study showed that the last year's grade average of the truants was significantly less than non-truants (P=0.002) and there was a significant correlation between the difficulty of school courses and fear of examinations (P=0.03), disappointment of poor results (P=0.007), academic failure (P=0.001), parental failure to address their child's education (P<0.001) and truancy; however, no significant correlation was found between inappropriate behaviour of school authorities, family conflicts, recreation and truancy. The difficulty of school courses, fear of examination and disappointment of study outcome, academic failure and parental failure to address their child's education are associated with truancy of boy students.

Auwalu Shuaibu Muhammad

This study examines approaches to solve the problem of truancy among secondary school students in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. The study investigated school-based interventions, role of teachers and role of parent teachers' association in solving truancy. Descriptive survey research design was used where self-administered questionnaires were given to 100 teachers and 100 parents in five selected secondary schools within Kuala Terengganu district. The schools include: Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kompleks Gong Badak, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ibrahim Fikri, Sekolah Menengah Agama Khairiah, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mengabang Telipot, and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Besar. The data obtained was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the mean, frequency, percentages and standard deviation of the respondents. The findings of the study indicated that school-based interventions have a positive impact in solving truancy. Role of teachers was also found to have a significant impact in solving truancy. However, based on the result, role of parent teachers' association was significant in solving the problem of students' truants' behaviour. Finally, recommendations were given to school administrators, teachers and parents.

Emmanuel Mayame

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Band 7+: In many countries, truancy* is a worrying problem for both parents and educators.What are the causes of truancy, and what may be the effects on the child and the wider community?

Truancy is an activity which some children regard as amusing or even exciting, but which can have serious impacts on their future and on society as a whole. I can identify two main causes, and three broad effects, which we will describe now.

Perhaps the main cause is a sense of boredom or frustration with school itself, for instance with the content, pace or organisation of the lessons. This can be seen in the way that pupils often avoid certain lessons but not others, suggesting that specific subjects or teachers are the personal grievance. Another factor may frequently be peer pressure, meaning that pupils feel obliged to play truant because some of their peers or friends are doing this. We can see that the child’s desire to be popular among a peer group may be higher than the motivation to study and progress.

Turning to possible effects, the tendency to underperform academically is probably the most serious impact on a pupil’s life, leading to poor exam results and weak career progression in later life. Another effect may be the temptation to participate in petty crime or antisocial behaviour while the child is unsupervised, potentially opening a pathway into more serious crimes later on. For example, a child who commits vandalism may progress to theft and robbery, a trend we see in some major South American cities such as Rio or Buenos Aires. This issue of crime is probably the third major effect, and one that impacts on the community as a whole. For instance, children playing truant may cause damage, drop litter, intimidate elderly people and commit other acts which spread a sense of instability and anxiety, even though the financial impact is low.

To sum up, the causes of truancy generally relate to lack of challenge or peer pressures, while the effects are seen in individual under-achievement and in minor crime against the community as a whole.

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In most countries, school absence have become a significant affair in the community. Causes includes laziness and the fear of getting bad grades. In longer term this can lead to community underdevelopment and child illiteracy. Firstly, truancy can occur due to child unmotivated to go school. As a result, they might accused for being lazy […]

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How to Prevent Truancy at Your School

Author: Bethany Spencer

Posted: 30 Jul 2019

Estimated time to read: 5 mins

When it comes to student attendance at school, parents and carers have a legal duty to ensure that their child receives an appropriate full-time education. It’s important for students to attend school regularly as a higher attendance has a direct impact on students’ attainment and subsequently their life after education.

There will, of course, be absences due to sickness, the occasional family event and appointments, these are things that sometimes cannot be helped. The cause for concern when it comes to attendance and school, is when students are repeatedly missing lessons without valid or any reason at all - the act of which is called 'truancy', also known as bunking off school.

There are a number of reasons why a student may play truant from school - the school have a responsibility to investigate these absences, discover why students aren’t attending and work to find a solution so that students are present and punctual to their lessons so they have the best chance at securing a job post education. This blog will explore the reasons why students may purposefully avoid school and how the school can address these issues:

Common reasons for students skipping school

When a child is getting bullied at school it may seem to them that the easiest way to avoid bullies is to skip school. If this is the reason for truancy, you have a duty to promote your school’s stance on bullying more effectively in order to stop this from happening and also make sure victims of bullying know how to report this and how to escalate matters to appropriate staff members/adults.

Peer pressure

In some social circles skipping class or bunking school can happen as a result of peer pressure. When certain students decide to skip school they can force their peers into doing the same by convincing them it’s the ‘cool’ thing to do. As always, reminding students of the consequences of their actions can help to change their actions.

Family issues

When students have personal issues going on at home it can lead to skipping school for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps their family doesn’t encourage them to attend school, maybe they are having to care for a family member which impacts the time at which they’re meant to be at school or it could be that family life is rough and they want an escape from authority figures and avoid school as a result. Whatever the reason, these are more complex explanations for truancy and will require the help of third parties to help solve the root cause of the issue which stems from home.

Not liking the teacher or subject

The reason for skipping school can be as simple as not enjoying a certain aspect of school, either classmates, the teacher or the subject. Although these reasons are simple, it can be trickier to approach - however, solutions can be made. Making the teacher aware, rewarding attendance or even transferring classes can all be solutions to this reason.

Falling behind

If for whatever reason students feel as though they’ve fallen behind at school because of consistent truanting, long term illness or other reasons it can cause additional absences whereby students avoid school as they feel as though they have fallen too far behind, this is a vicious cycle.

For planned long term absences schools can plan an integrated return to school, provide students with class notes and home learning and talk to families about tutors if possible. However, unplanned absences are trickier to cater for, however extra learning, directing students to homework clubs and where possible, teachers providing extra support can help students to catch up on learning they’ve missed.

it’s part of our responsibility to identify and recognise issues, intervening before they happen or at an early stage.

How can schools prevent truancy before it happens?

Have a clear attendance policy .

Having a clear attendance policy and communicating the importance of being punctual can help students in understanding how beneficial good attendance is. Additionally, this policy should also outline the consequences of not attending school both on a student’s personal progression, but in the eyes of the law and the impact it can have on families as a consequence of truancy laws.

Intervene early

A lot of our job as teachers centres around prevention - it’s part of our responsibility to identify and recognise issues, intervening before they happen or at an early stage. This is much the case for absenteeism. When you identify a student as a cause for concern, escalate the issue, call for a meeting with parents, introduce an attendance plan and find the root case of the issue. The sooner you address the problem, the easier it is to reverse.

Positive school culture

This may seem somewhat obvious, but by creating a welcoming and positive culture at your school, one where students feel happy and safe, they’re much more likely to attend school. This includes ensuring lessons are engaging and that students want to attend, teachers are approachable, friendly and encouraging and an effective behaviour policy is implemented school-wide. One that encourages positive behaviour and has a zero tolerance to bullying.

Make attendance easy to track

In order to identify unusual absences and provide intervention when necessary, attendance should be routinely monitored and tracked. Having an online system whereby attendance is recorded helps teachers and SLT to quickly notice when certain students have had consecutive days of absence and other unusual punctuality and attendance patterns.

Additionally, making students’ attendance average visible to parents ensures they’re aware of when their child is at school and if there are any unexplained absences they want to bring up with the school.

Provide additional support

In more sensitive cases surrounding student absenteeism, it’s important that the school provides additional support, both internally and by linking them with third parties depending on the reasons for their absenteeism.

Schools can take special measures like holding spare uniforms and stationery supplies, organising a pickup and drop off service as well as hosting breakfast clubs to avoid students missing school because of these reasons. However, it’s important that schools do refer families to organisations who can help with at home issues that are impacting their child’s learning.

There are many factors of truancy and as such there isn’t a blanket solution you can apply to ensure that all students’ attendance is perfect. However, there are ways in which schools can approach absenteeism to prevent and improve attendance issues. The key takeaway from this is to always find out the root cause for truancy and start at doing your best to resolve this, and always have a consistent approach to attendance so you can effectively communicate the importance of attending school and what it means for students’ futures.

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Reference work entry
First Online: 01 January 2015
pp 1005–1011
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Naoko Kodama 2 &
Robyn Hess 2

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At any given time, it is estimated that between 1% and 5% of all school-age children have some difficulty related to regular school attendance. When students are not at school, they miss out on important learning, fall behind academically, have limited opportunities to interact in school-based social settings, and may become disengaged from the overall mission and objectives of schooling. Truancy can be one of the first indicators that a student has started on a negative educational trajectory, and is becoming disengaged from school. Therefore, chronic absenteeism should be treated as a serious marker of academic risk. When students are absent without a legitimate reason, they may be actually conveying a message to their parents, school personnel, and the community members that they are in trouble and in need of help. The problem of school nonattendance is very complex, and seems to relate to a variety of risk factors that often occur in combination. Because there are different...

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Suggested Resources

National Center for School Engagement— www.truancyprevention.org : This website focuses on developing an integrated strategy for engaging students in school that emphasizes attendance, attachment, and achievement and provides training, resources, and support for school districts implementing truancy prevention programs.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention— http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/truancy/index.html : This practical website defines truancy and provides an overview of programs (and their links) that have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing school truancy.

Truancy Prevention— http://www.k12coordinator.org/onlinece/onlineevents/truancy/ : This website features an online training program that provides a detailed description of truancy, its causes, and possible interventions.

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College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, School of Applied Psychology and Counselor Education, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado, U.S.A.

Naoko Kodama & Robyn Hess

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Department of Educational Psychology, The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, U.S.A.

Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers Ph.D. ( Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology ) ( Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology )

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Kodama, N., Hess, R. (2010). Truancy. In: Clauss-Ehlers, C.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural School Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_435

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Tackling truancy: why have the millions invested not paid off?

Nicola sheldon | 03 february 2009.

Executive Summary

Millions of pounds of investment in policies to improve school attendance levels have delivered only modest gains in school attendance over the past 10 years.
Cutting levels of absenteeism was a major priority for central and local government and schools for 30 years after 1880 but since the 1920s attendance rates have hardly shifted, despite improvements in children's health and general levels of affluence.
Geographical differences in school attendance have a long history and truancy is clearly linked to social deprivation but
Social deprivation isn't a complete explanation : some schools in deprived areas have much better attendance rates than others.
Recent policies include a mix of punitive measures and 'social work' approaches to support the families involved.
These policies do not address two key features of the problem - longstanding systemic weaknesses in the enforcement system and the large number of parents who condone casual absences.
Currently schools are held accountable whilst local authority education social workers are responsible for getting truants back into school - this division between accountability and responsibility is neither logical nor successful.
Radical thinking about the role of the legal process, the location of responsibility and accountability for absenteeism, and better targeting of resources where they will have greatest effect would improve the impact of policies.

Introduction

In February 2005 the National Audit Office (NAO) published its report, 'Improving School Attendance in England' which noted that absence rates in state schools had shown little consistent improvement over the preceding eight years of the Labour government, despite total spending on strategies to improve attendance costing £885m. This figure has now passed £1 billion. In February 2008, the government published statistics showing some improvement in absence rates due to a 'sustained drive' but the minister also conceded that, 'A significant minority of children continue to miss large amounts of their schooling. In 2007 just seven per cent of pupils in maintained secondary schools accounted for 32 per cent of all absence and 62 per cent of unauthorised absence ... Persistent absentees are more likely to have poor educational outcomes and disengage from learning altogether.' He stressed the need for the government to continue to 'bear down' on absence in schools.

Such words convey the impression that truancy has been a difficult, even intractable, problem for local authorities. Surprisingly, the history of efforts to reduce truancy are little known in official circles, despite the fact that many of the punitive approaches first imposed on parents in the 1870s and 1880s have come back into use in recent years. On 21 May 2008, The Times noted that record numbers of parents are being fined for their children's non-attendance at school - a total of 16,550 were served with penalty notices in 2007. High profile court cases, such as that of Patricia Amos, twice jailed for her daughters' non-attendance, have attracted considerable media attention.

An understanding of the way in which official views of truancy have changed over time sheds some light on the reasons for this revival of 'Victorian' approaches by the authorities. However, none of the approaches currently in use address two important and long-lasting features of the problem - the systemic weaknesses in the organisation of enforcement which have persisted for over a hundred years and the way in which 'local cultures' affect attendance, particularly of those schools in poor neighbourhoods. There is evidence that the characteristic features of truanting behaviour have remained the same over many decades. However, we should not take this as a 'counsel of despair' but an opportunity to review the past record, understand the origins of the current problem and perhaps even throw off the 'dead-hand' of history by considering more radical change than has yet been attempted.

Measurement and definition

Two key issues face any commentator on the problem of truancy. Firstly, the truancy problem can only be measured in terms of school attendance statistics as a whole. Some absenteeism is clearly justified, for instance when due to sickness. However, all absence is the result of a decision by parent, child, or both, that the 'cause' justifies not attending school. The second issue relates to who defines whether an absence is due to truancy. Schools have usually made this judgement, and this leads to great diversity of definitions of truancy. Efforts by local authorities over the past twenty years to distinguish between 'authorised' and 'unauthorised' absences have proved less helpful than expected since schools operate different judgements about whether an absence, say for a term time holiday, should be authorised.

Both categories of absence are targeted by Government initiatives to reduce truancy. The average level of absence in English schools for 2007 was 6.5%, compared with a 10% rate earlier in the twentieth century, albeit with an earlier leaving age. Ultimately, the full extent of truancy cannot be measured but given the improvements in the general health and affluence of the child population over the past 50 years, it is logical to make less allowance for sickness absence than in the past within the attendance statistics, thus suggesting a fairly static situation over a long period of time.

The persistence of truancy

Research over many years suggests that the peculiar persistence of school truancy needs to be explained in terms of deep-seated cultural attitudes and social problems. In the words of Ken Reid, 'After more than 130 years of compulsory schooling and a century of research into school absenteeism and truancy we are little nearer to finding definitive solutions.' Reid has noted the continuity in average absentee rates in different regions of the country, as well as the link between social disadvantage and truancy and even the persistence of truancy in families over the generations. Yet the phenomenon remains a puzzle; some schools in deprived areas have much better attendance rates than others and it is by no means a common characteristic of the poor that their children fail to attend school regularly.

A hundred years ago, weak attendance was strongly linked to family poverty, especially where the family had a large number of younger children, but the same was still true of many truants in a study in 1947 by the Ministry of Health. This showed the persistence of high levels of absence by older girls with younger siblings and the close relationship between absenteeism and lack of parental interest in the child's progress at school. There was also a clear link between social class and absence from school, whether for sickness or for other reasons. These features of attendance problems still persist today. For instance, higher levels of absence amongst older girls were noted in a 2004 study of school attendance problems in deprived inner-city areas.

The 1947 study also highlighted the 'neighbourhood' problem. Wide variations in the absence rates of children from the same social class appeared to depend on the neighbourhood of the school they attended. The influences from the local neighbourhood tended to set 'standards of acceptability' amongst parents and children in terms of absenteeism from school. This 'neighbourhood factor' seemed to influence the extent of occasional absences taken as well as the level of persistent absenteeism in the local school.

The NAO in its 2005 Report stated that action by schools today to counter a local culture which does not value education highly is a critical factor in reducing absenteeism. According to the NAO, schools wishing to improve attendance therefore need to 'focus on changing their own culture towards attendance first' (presumably as a means of influencing children's and parents' attitudes). The longevity of these local cultural influences over families' and children's behaviour suggests they are difficult to change and that they will continue to act as a powerful corrective to the efforts of the state and schools in socially or economically deprived areas to achieve high levels of attendance.

Methods of enforcement

The system for enforcing school attendance has, like the cultural factors outlined above, also demonstrated significant continuity over the past century. Shortly after the introduction of the universal provision of elementary schooling in 1870, legal sanctions were introduced in the Education Act of 1876 enabling local authorities to employ attendance officers who would follow up absentees, visit homes and pursue prosecutions of parents. From the start, the range of penalties included fines, attendance orders and in extreme cases the removal of children from the parental home. The legal framework for enforcing attendance has remained substantially unaltered from that time to the present, save for the fact that the age of children covered by compulsory attendance has been increased at regular intervals - under acts of 1893, 1899, 1918, 1944 and 1969, so that it now covers all children aged 5-16.

Another element of continuity has been the nature of the enforcement agencies developed to deal with truanting children and their parents. Initially, local authorities had hoped to employ middle-class 'lady visitors' who would gently remind parents of their responsibilities. Very soon, however, the policing role came to dominate activity as in the 1880s and 90s recalcitrant parents were targeted for attention by largely male attendance officers. 'Truancy sweeps' were well-known, especially in poor parts of towns and cities and some authorities employed attendance officers to specialise in 'street work', sometimes working with a specially appointed policeman. Their role, like today, was to question children not in school, note their home and school details and return them to school if it was clear they were truanting. In most cases, a warning was given to parents and prosecution was used only as a last resort. In 1887 for instance, the lone Attendance Officer for the city of Oxford made more than 6,000 visits to children's homes and schools, from which more than a thousand warning notices were issued, but only 128 parents were actually taken to court. The fact that the Oxford School Board consistently outperformed similar authorities, such as York, in terms of school attendance suggests that their relentless pursuit of truants and their parents had concrete results.

The reason for the reliance on persuasion and official warnings was the inadequacy of the legal process as a remedy for truancy. From the start, parents were aware that court prosecution was a last resort, as it was expensive, lengthy and subject to the whims of magistrates who might side with the parent. Fines were low and once it was known that family possessions could not be seized to pay them off, often ignored. Many local authorities had years of unpaid fines outstanding in the late nineteenth century. Even when the courts imposed attendance orders, children might return to school for a short while and later fall back into habits of non-attendance.

Behind all this activity by local authorities and their attendance officers was pressure from respectable ratepayers to curb the nuisance of anti-social behaviour, such as insistent begging or vandalism thought to be linked to the numbers of unsupervised children hanging around in urban streets. Bradford School Board was not alone in publishing in its regular reports a comparison between falling juvenile crime rates and the rise in attendance in its schools. At the same time, they published details of violent attacks by parents on attendance officers which had been subsequently prosecuted through the courts. It was a tough policy for a tough problem.

Change in the twentieth-century: the flawed evolution of the Education Welfare Service

The introduction of local education authorities (LEAs) by the Balfour Act of 1902 spread effective practice into rural areas, standardised the role of the attendance officer and improved their ability to monitor and track children who had poor attendance. The most efficient authorities, such as Birmingham, completed an annual census of their working-class neighbourhoods, recording every family and its young children ready for follow-up when they reached school age. By 1910, average absence rates by schoolchildren had declined to around 10%, a highly-creditable figure given the incidence of infectious illness amongst the under-14s at the time.

Since the 1870s, schools had been held accountable by school inspectors for the monitoring of pupils' attendance and treasury grants had always depended in part on the attendance of children as well as their examination results. It was this direct relationship between school income and attendance which explains why the Victorian system focused so much on attendance. Some authorities even linked teachers' pay directly to school attendance. However, from 1919 onwards block grants to local authorities meant that school attendance was no longer directly linked to school income at all, thus removing a major incentive for schools and LEAs to improve attendance. It is not surprising therefore that schools and local authorities turned their focus elsewhere in the following decades.

By the 1920s, the enforcement role itself was under considerable challenge from alternative ways of approaching truancy. Partly this was due to the fact that persistent truants were a small minority of children, typically those from very poor homes or with special needs. Truancy was sometimes seen as a symptom of emotional disturbance best treated by therapy in a child guidance clinic. Alternatively, it was ascribed to extreme family poverty which would be best addressed by social and economic improvement. These explanations left attendance officers with a more limited policing role yet also appeared to place on them a broader responsibility for child welfare which was impossible to fulfil, given the resources available at the time. Some saw their role as child protectors, whilst others tried to act as a conduit for charity aid and welfare support to poor families.

Nonetheless, the legal framework and policing obligation of the attendance officer remained, contributing to a period of confusion and disillusionment. During the 1920s and 30s, attendance officers complained that local authorities did not support them against recalcitrant parents. Some thought their local expertise was being ignored in favour of female child welfare professionals. Delineations of professional expertise became more complex over the succeeding fifty years as new areas of social support were carved out which employed qualified social workers. During that time, education welfare officers (as attendance officers were titled from 1939) had neither a clear career structure nor any requirement for professional qualifications. The work came to be seen as primarily social work, but it never lost its policing element. The role was weakened by its lack of professional authority, but while there was little attention being paid to the use of punitive approaches, it was a workable if half-hearted approach to truancy.

Tackling truancy in the twenty-first century: the long shadow of history

The roots of renewed interest in truancy and school attendance lie in the 'Great Debate' about education initiated by Prime Minister, Jim Callaghan, in 1976, and was sustained during the following years of Conservative rule. The desire of the Thatcher governments to make public services more accountable paved the way for league tables and targets for school performance. The waste of resources implied by unnecessary absence was an obvious focus for attention from those wishing to see a more efficient use of public money. Children who had truanted and either failed to sit exams or performed poorly brought down school success rates and pushed truancy up the agenda for both local authorities and schools.

By the late 1990s, the truancy issue was seen as urgent by the Labour government since thousands of children were leaving school with no qualifications and potentially swelling the ranks of unemployed or delinquent youth. However, increased attention to school attendance highlighted several weaknesses in the system of enforcement which had not been addressed because attendance levels had been deemed 'satisfactory' in the recent past. These weaknesses related to the relationship between schools, educational welfare as a service and the attendance enforcement process.

Most noticeable was the isolation of local education welfare departments from other services designed to support families with problems. Rather than integrating them within local government children's departments, they had largely remained within local education departments. Despite this, the work of the education welfare services was often not closely integrated into that of local schools. The education welfare officer (EWO) might be 'attached' to a group of schools but essentially worked apart from the everyday life of the school and the teaching staff.

Effective enforcement depended on good communication between all the parties concerned - the school, the EWO and the home - which was difficult to achieve if education welfare officers were not based on school premises. Complaints about poor communication and lack of cooperation had been common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries at a time when raising attendance was a priority for schools and local authorities. Now they re-emerged under the pressure of meeting targets for improving school attendance at the end of the twentieth century.

Problems of communication stretching back to before 1900 suggest there was a structural problem in the way in which the service had been set up in the first place. Headteachers had often complained that attendance officers were failing to chase up persistent truants regularly enough or let them know the outcomes of enquiries. The legal process, once embarked upon, seemed to stretch out for many weeks, whilst schooling was being missed. Frustrations had long been just as apparent on the attendance officers' side. Sometimes they complained that schools did not give them information on serious truants early enough, or contrastingly, that names had been supplied when absence had not reached a serious level, or that cases were referred when the reasons for absence were already known. Problems of cooperation and coordination between the attendance department and the school over truancy could in rare cases degenerate into a serious dispute.

The underlying problem in the relationship between the school and the enforcement process concerned the separation of responsibility from accountability. The key responsibility for tracking truants and ensuring their return to school lay with the attendance office, which was organised centrally by the local authority. Although attendance officers visited a group of schools which drew their pupils from the district, school choice (just as important an issue then as now) meant that there was no strict correlation between the pupils of a particular school and the attendance officer responsible for chasing them up when absent. Neither did school staff have any control over the efforts of the attendance officers to get pupils back into school beyond supplying the initial information. Yet it was schools who were (and are still) held accountable for the attendance of their pupils by central government inspectors and in national league tables. This division of responsibility and accountability has remained essentially unchanged into the twenty-first century.

The persistence of absenteeism at a rate of about 10% for most of the twentieth-century and the relatively modest gains in levels of attendance in recent years, despite the large amounts spent on the problem, suggest that truancy is unlikely to go away as an issue in the long-term. There appears to be a 'hard core' of families and children who, for various reasons, have significant resistance to the supportive, persuasive or punitive efforts of the state. The historical context shows that truanting has always been more common amongst those who value education least but that the particular 'local culture' does have an impact on family behaviour. It seems that we tend to take our cues from our neighbours about what is acceptable and what is not. This would point to the value to schools in having a mix of children from different socio-economic backgrounds. This ensures that the children from less supportive backgrounds can benefit from a more aspirational school culture which positively reinforces good attendance. At present, trends are heading in the opposite direction with reports of increased social segregation in schools at both primary and secondary level - this is likely to make it more difficult for schools and education welfare services to achieve improvements in attendance.

The seeming intractability of truancy might suggest also that strategies for enforcement of the law on compulsory attendance are likely to have a limited impact. Evidence from the past suggests progress can be hindered if systems and procedures fail to work effectively and promptly. The tension between the enforcement of the law on compulsory attendance and the welfare role of supporting families remains a problem, as does the challenge of mediating between schools and 'hard to reach' families. The state's insistence on compulsory attendance has not changed and it is this which forms the bedrock of schools' relationships with parents and children. However, if all parts of the system - schools, education welfare and other support services - work to achieve a common and clearly understood objective, it is possible to reinforce good attendance and deter absenteeism. The challenge of making the system work in this way, despite the structural 'gaps', is just as great today as in the past, though circumstances of families and society may have changed.

In some areas of the country, the critical weaknesses in the system are being addressed by locating education welfare staff in schools where they work alongside other social work professionals and teachers to ensure a coordinated approach. However, until the division between those responsible for attendance enforcement and those accountable for its outcomes is ended, there will always be scope for a lack of understanding between schools and education welfare services. A fruitful way forward has been proposed in a report on 'social pedagogy' recently published by the Thomas Coram Research Unit. This recommends a flexible professional qualification for all types of child care social work and the integration of a 'holistic' approach to child and family welfare within the education system. In Germany and Scandinavia, social pedagogues are employed by schools as permanent members of their staff, alongside and with the same status as teachers. It remains to be seen whether the Government will have the courage to throw aside the historical baggage of over 130 years of school attendance work, based on legal enforcement and extra-school structures, to embrace a new model of the child welfare professional services integrated across education and family policy. It would be the logical culmination of the 'Every Child Matters' agenda and the 'single plan' for children, but would require a recognition that previous initiatives have been hamstrung by inherited structures and need to be rethought from the bottom up.

Establishing the 'reality behind truanting' is both challenging yet enticing, to the historian as much as to the present day educationalist. History certainly cannot offer ready made remedies, though it is all too popular for politicians to return to the policies of their predecessors, especially where the problem of anti-social behaviour is concerned. The difficulty of understanding aberrant child and family behaviour remains but the way in which it has been treated in the past is an important starting point for understanding why we are where we are today and what needs to be changed in the future.

Sheldon, Nicola

About the author

Nicola Sheldon is a researcher on the History in Education project at the Institute of Historical Research . The project, which is funded by The Linbury Trust, will review the teaching of history in Britain over the last 100 years. Dr Sheldon is examining the period from the 1960s to the present day, from the onset of comprehensive education via the still-continuing debates on the national curriculum. She was previously a Post-doctoral Research Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, where she specialised in historical research into policies on school attendance. She has been chair of governors for an Oxford secondary school and formerly worked in senior management in further education for 16 years. [email protected]

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Truancy: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions

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Introduction

Truancy refers to the deliberate and unauthorized absence from school, whether it be for valid reasons or not. In this case, a student misses classes on their own free will. It does not include legitimate excused absences that could occur due to situations like illness or tragedy. In many states, absenteeism is clearly defined in the handbook of policies and procedures that guide the operation of institutions. There are several consequences of engaging in truancy, the most common being the inability to graduate and the denial of credits for certain classes. Absenteeism has many causes, including schools, parents, and youth-related situations. It has serious personal and legal implications if not mitigated early. Potential solutions include mentoring, community-based interventions, communication training, and the involvement of law enforcement.

Several factors are responsible for truancy, and in many instances, multiple factors can be identified in individual cases. The environment at home and school, parental involvement or absence, and youth-related issues are common causes. Understanding the cause of absenteeism is important in the implementation of prevention strategies.

Schools are responsible for creating safe and peaceful learning environments for children. In that regard, learners might miss classes if the learning environment does not support their physical and mental safety. Administrators should track student attendance and performance, communicate frequently with parents, and ensure that students understand what is expected of them (Garcia & Weiss, 2018). Schools cause truancy in several ways, including failing to meet the needs of students, ignoring learners’ mental health challenges, and allowing students to struggle with learning difficulties without receiving professional help. Bullying is a serious challenge that many children encounter. If teachers do not take action and make victims of bullying feel safe, then they are likely to skip school (Garcia & Weiss, 2018). Truancy is an issue that has been debated widely and that has caused controversies. Administrators blame parents and home life while parents and learners fault the education system, citing reasons like boring classes, bullying, and poor teaching methods.

Hostile environments can also be cited as major causes of truancy. Students who do not have friends or who are bullied are likely to skip school to avoid the pain of being regarded as social outcasts. This is problematic for students who dress differently or whose sexual orientation contradicts that of the majority (Gubbels, Van der Put, & Assink, 2019). Moreover, peer pressure also plays a significant role in the development of the delinquent behavior. Administrators should ensure that bullying due to one’s sexual orientation, race, or gender does not take place. Otherwise, students will choose to stay at home rather than go to school and face ridicule.

Parents or guardians have a responsibility of creating a safe environment at home that will cater to the needs of their children. They should send children to school on time, monitor their activities, and talk to them regularly about their performance (Garcia & Weiss, 2018). Parents cause truancy in many ways: poor parenting, placing little value on education, abuse and neglect, and inability to supervise children (Gubbels et al., 2019). Students whose parents are usually absent and who place little value on education are likely to skip school because they do not have role models to show them the importance of education. Moreover, children who are abused and neglected are likely to become truant.

There are numerous factors in a child’s personal or home life that could lead to truancy. For instance, if the parents use drugs or abuse alcohol, then the risk of absenteeism increases. In this case, the guardians are less likely to care about their children’s academic progress or mental health. Other factors such as divorce and physical abuse have been cited as common causes of absenteeism (Gubbels et al., 2019). Studies have shown that a family’s socioeconomic status has a direct correlation with truancy. In that regard, children from lower income families are more likely to skip school when compared to children from higher income homesteads.

Youth-Related Factors

Students have a responsibility to attend school, follow the directions of parents and teachers, work toward creating a safe learning environment, and talk about issues that affect their wellbeing. Truancy could be avoided if students reported issues that affect them to their teachers (Kerase-McCastler, 2019). However, in many cases, they struggle to solve challenges on their own, and if they cannot get solutions, skip school to avoid encountering them again. Youth related factors that are involved include peer pressure, bullying, pregnancy, lack of interest, mental health issues, low self-esteem and poor academic performance (Gubbels et al., 2019). Others include drug and alcohol use, a poor social life, and participation in gang activities.

Effects of Truancy

Studies have shown that absenteeism can have adverse effects on students and the community. This is evident from statistics that have shown that approximately 9 in 10 prisoners are high school dropouts (Kerase-McCastler, 2019). The short-term effects on students include involvement in criminal gangs, poor academic performance, and quitting education (Kerase-McCastler, 2019). Long-term effects include increased risk of incarceration and addiction, poor mental health, and poverty. Other adverse effects include unstable relationships, social isolation, failure to graduate, falling behind in school, and unemployment (Kerase-McCastler, 2019). Chronic truancy is directly correlated with low wages, unemployment, and a low quality of life due to poverty.

Communities and families are affected too due to increased crime, poverty, unemployment, and poor mental health. The long-term effects of truancy include marital instability, adult criminality, violence, and job insecurity. Surveys have shown that two of the most adverse effects of absenteeism are an increase in crime and the population of incarcerated individuals (Kerase-McCastler, 2019). The behavior has been linked with high rates of delinquency (McGee, 2018). Adult criminal activities such as vandalism, burglary, and auto theft are commonly reported among people who dropped out of school.

Historical Issues

Truancy has existed for many decades, and permanent solutions have not yet been found. Two key features that have not changed over the past century are economic circumstances and social welfare. There is a direct link between absenteeism and social class. Certain working-class groups do not value education highly and children from low-income families are likely to become truant. Schools can mitigate this challenge by conducting stricter monitoring. However, it is difficult in areas where education is not valued. Another issue is the lack of change in the legal framework for dealing with the problem. Many initiatives have been implemented to mitigate absenteeism. However, little progress has been made. It is imperative for federal and state governments to stop their overreliance on local authority education services for the enforcement of anti-truancy laws.

Current Status

Some researchers have shown that the increase in absenteeism in the past two decades has been insignificant. A study conducted by Maynard et al. (2017) revealed that there was no considerable increase between the years 2002 and 2014. The results of the study revealed that truancy levels were 10.8% in 2002 and 11.1% in 2014, thus the increase was insignificant. The incidence was higher among older youth and females. The relationship between absenteeism and alcohol and marijuana use was similar among all racial ethnic groups. Numerous efforts aimed at mitigating the problem have been implemented. However, it remains a serious issue that requires urgent mitigation. One of the criticisms leveled against school districts is that they are not keen on implementing education policies aimed at curbing truancy.

Other surveys have shown that absenteeism has been on the rise in the past five years. A report released by The Education Trust showed that 16% (approximately 8 million) of K-12 students were chronically absent during the 2015/2016 school year (Maynard, Vaughn, Nelson, Salas-Wright, Heyne, & Kremer, 2018). This number was 2% (2 million) more than that reported in the 2013/2014 academic year. The rates of truancy vary from one state or district to another. Detroit reports the highest rates of absenteeism in the state of Michigan. For instance, in the 2016/2017 year, approximately 56.3% of students were frequently absent from school, representing a 2% increase from the previous year (Maynard et al., 2018). In some states, cases of truancy are misrepresented and students graduate without fulfilling all the requirements. Teachers in states like Ohio, South Carolina, Vermont, Wyoming, New York, and Pennsylvania have criticized certain districts for promoting and graduating students who were chronically absent (Maynard et al., 2018). This trend has led to the inclusion of chronic absenteeism into federal accountability plans in order to curb the behavior.

Impact on Education System

The main impacts of truancy on the education system are poor academic performance and higher number of dropouts. Students who frequently skip school suffer negative consequences that include lower achievement, course failure, increased risk of dropping out, and disengagement from academic matters (McGee, 2018). A recent trend has emerged that involves school districts graduating students who were chronically absent. For instance, in 2018, 34% of graduates in Washington, DC received their diplomas even though they had missed many school days (McGee, 2018). The education system is losing its credibility because poorly-prepared students are graduating without completing the required curriculum.

Widespread policy violations have led to criticisms of states’ education systems and the quality of graduates. For instance, in DC, more than 900 students in public institutes graduated, although they had missed months of school in 2018 (McGee, 2018). Examples of contraventions reported included the inappropriate use of credit recovery, failure to follow district attendance policies, and insufficient oversight (McGee, 2018). Administrators cover up chronic absenteeism by violating attendance policies and allowing students who miss several classes without authorization to graduate. The main goal is to make certain institutions look good, despite the aforementioned violations. On the other hand, teachers act out of fear that they could receive negative evaluations if they do not comply with requests from school administrators (McGee, 2018). Allowing chronically absent students to graduate ensures that teachers receive positive evaluations and appraisals.

Possible Solutions

There are several strategies that can be applied in combating truancy. Instructional, community-based, and behavioral interventions have been effectively implemented in many cases to lower rates of absenteeism. Each of these strategies focuses on specific factors, and their effectiveness differs significantly.

Behavioral Intervention

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) are examples of commonly used interventions that focus on behavioral adjustments. PBS incorporates various practices that are either universal or individual-based. FBA focuses more on individual behavior and involves the collection of information with regard to the function of a student’s behavior (Ramberg, Laftman, Fransson, & Modin, 2018). The process includes self-evaluation, self-monitoring, and positive reinforcement, and the main goal is to teach learners to take responsibility for their behavior and academic performance.

Community-Based Interventions

Community-based interventions are effective in mitigating absenteeism and improving attendance rates. Examples of such projects include the Abolish Chronic Truancy Now (ACT Now) and Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program (TRDP). ACT Now comprises three main elements that are interconnected. The first is the enforcement of mandatory school attendance legislation that holds parents responsible for their children’s actions (Maynard et al., 2018). The second is a diversion program that helps parents and students to find potential solutions. The third is the implementation of sanctions for students who fail to complete the diversion program (Maynard et al., 2018). The two interventions include monitoring, case management, welfare restrictions, and mentoring. The involvement of the entire community (parents, law enforcement, instructors, and social services) ensures that truancy rates decrease and the youth learn about the value of education.

Parental Involvement

Research has shown that parents are a critical component in the fights against truancy. In that regard, parents should play an active role in their child’s education. For example, they should make sure that they complete their school work and projects in a timely manner (Maynard et al., 2018). It is important for them to talk to their children about the importance of class attendance. Children whose parents do not talk to them about the importance of education are likely to skip school and fail to do their assignments (Ramberg et al., 2018). Parents can also teach their children about the importance of education by volunteering to work on class projects together. They should also monitor their feelings with regard to aspects such as socialization, homework, and tests (Maynard et al., 2018). Maintaining communication with teachers is also necessary so that they can discuss about issues that affect academic performance or that could lead to delayed graduation.

Truancy can be defined as the unauthorized absence from school. This is a serious problem that has adverse effects on students, communities, families, and the society at large. It has numerous causes that range from the environment, parents, and youth-related issues. The learning environment is a key indicator of whether students enjoy the experiences or not. For example, an environment in which bullying is condoned creates a lot of pressure on some students, who prefer to stay at home rather than go to school. Parents who use drugs and alcohol, or who physically and verbally abuse their children increase the risk of truancy. They are uninterested in their children’s education and they rarely talk to them about the value of education. Youth-related factors such as peer pressure, bullying, and mental health issues also cause absenteeism. Potential solutions include therapy, parental involvement, and community-based as well as behavioral interventions. Parents should talk to their children about their academic performance, the value of education, and why it is important to attend classes.

Garcia, E., & Weiss, E. (2018). Student absenteeism: Who misses school and how missing school matters for performance . Web.

Gubbels, J., Van der Put, C. E., & Assink, M. (2019). Risk factors for school absenteeism and dropout: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 1 (48), 1637–1667.

Kerase-McCastler, G. (2019). Transforming truancy: Exploring factors and strategies that impact truancy among youth . Conneaut Lake, PA: Page Publishing Inc.

Maynard, B. R., Vaughn, M. G., Nelson, E. J., Salas-Wright, C. P., Heyne, D. A., & Kremer, K. P. (2018). Truancy in the United States: Examining temporal trends and correlates by race. Age, and gender. Child and Youth Services Review 1 (81), 188–196.

McGee, K. (2018). In D.C. 34 percent of graduates received a diploma against district policy . Web.

Ramberg, J., Laftman, S. B., Fransson, E., & Modin, B. (2018). School effectiveness and truancy: A multilevel study of upper secondary schools in Stockholm. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 24 (2), 185–198.

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The Role of Class Teachers

The Family Factor

Peer influence and bullying, strategies for curbing truancy.

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COMMENTS

What Causes Truancy in Schools?
The failure in class causes shame or feelings of inadequacy and a student may develop a poor self-perception and result to truancy (Kyriacou, 2003). Poor people skills may also cause some students to skip school because they are unable to develop relationships with their fellow students hence feel socially isolated.
Understanding Truancy: Causes, Consequences and Solutions for Improving
Truancy is defined as a repeated pattern of unexcused absences from school, usually exceeding a particular number set by the state law in a calendar year. But wait, there's more. Truancy extends beyond just an absence from school. It's also about why the student is absent. There are many underlying causes that contribute to truancy.
Truancy in Schools
Truancy refers to the habit of students staying away from school without permission. There is a growing concern over the increasing number of truants, despite the millions of dollars invested to improve school attendance. Get a custom research paper on Truancy in Schools. 185 writers online.
Bridging the Gap: A Comprehensive Guide to Combating Truancy in Schools
Truancy, a symptom of the broader issue of absenteeism in schools, poses significant challenges to educational institutions and societies at large. It is a multifaceted problem that requires a nuanced understanding and a strategic approach to address effectively. As educators and school leaders grapple with increasing rates of absenteeism, it becomes crucial to dissect its […]
PDF Truancy Reduction: Keeping Students in School
Truancy Reduction: Keeping Students in School. Myriam L. Baker, Jane Nady Sigmon, and M. Elaine Nugent. Left unaddressed, truancy during the preteen and teenage years can have sig- nificant negative effects on the student, schools, and society. It is important to identify promising strategies to intervene with chronic truants, address the root ...
(PDF) Truancy: The Concept, Causes, Types, Implications and
It may also refer to students who attend school but do not go to classes. Truancy is nonschool attendance behavior. It is an irregular attendance of school. Truancy is a delinquent and anti-social behavior which has been caused by many factors like family negligence, school hash punishment, peer group influence, among others (Huizinga, 2005).
'School
The most common definition of truancy seems to be absence from school without approval from parents and school. Truancy implies an active decision of the student to skip lessons. One such decision can be a first sign in a series of antisocial behaviours that can lead to negative personal outcomes (Baker et al., Citation 2001; Teasley, Citation ...
Full article: School effectiveness and truancy: a multilevel study of
Introduction. Truancy is a problem of paramount importance within the educational and teaching sector, both in Sweden and internationally (Claes, Hooghe, & Reeskens, Citation 2009; Swedish Schools Inspectorate, Citation 2015).To reduce the level of truancy is an important part of the EU 2020 strategy, aiming at lowering the number of early school leavers (European Commission, Citation 2013).
Essay On Truancy
Essay On Truancy. 2351 Words10 Pages. Truancy and absenteeism is not something that happens just occasionally but this problem has been a common problem in schools throughout the world. Firstly let's take a look at the definition of absenteeism and truancy. Absenteeism can occur in many forms, absent from particular lessons, absent from ...
Understanding in-school truancy
He is coauthor of Fixing Truancy Now: Inviting Students Back to Class (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012). Bruce S. Cooper ( [email protected]) is a retired professor of education leadership at Fordham University, New York, N.Y. The usual view is that truants are lost and troubled juveniles with psychological problems.
PDF School Truancy: A Case Study of A Successful Truancy Reduction Model In
I. Introduction. Unexcused school absenteeism, truancy, is not a new problem, but a historically present problem that has over the last decade received newfound attention as the lack of school attendance and its link with student delinquency has become more clearly identified. In 1993, "more than two-thirds of all school absences [nationwide ...
PDF Truancy: a look at definitions in the USA and other territories
Jangmin Kim, PhD Student IU School of Social Work 902 West New York Street, ES 4162 Indianapolis, IN 46202 [email protected]. This is the author's manuscript of the article published in final edited form as: Gentle-Genitty, C., Karikari, I., Chen, H., Wilka, E., & Kim, J. (2015). Truancy: a look at definitions in the USA and other territories.
Band 7: In many countries, truancy* is a worrying problem for both
In most countries, school absence have become a significant affair in the community. Causes includes laziness and the fear of getting bad grades. In longer term this can lead to community underdevelopment and child illiteracy. Firstly, truancy can occur due to child unmotivated to go school. As a result, they might accused for being lazy […]
PDF TRUANCY AND ITS IMPACTS ? ? ? COMPLEX ROOT CAUSES
Student-Specific. Mental health or substance use problems. Poor self-esteem. Learning disabilities. Low reading and math levels. elationshipsLanguage barriersPhysical healthAs the impacts of truancy. extend beyond just the student, so do the causes.Truancy is a complex behavior resulting from interacting stu.
How to Prevent Truancy at Your School
Have a clear attendance policy. Having a clear attendance policy and communicating the importance of being punctual can help students in understanding how beneficial good attendance is. Additionally, this policy should also outline the consequences of not attending school both on a student's personal progression, but in the eyes of the law ...
PDF Finding effective solutions truancy
prevalence of truancy, however, is the significant differences in rates of habitual truancy between schools, with rates at Wisconsin high schools ranging from less than 1% to 75%. Truancy often has immediate consequences for students in terms of reduced academic achieve‐
Truancy
Although school, peer, and family factors contribute to school refusal behaviors, students have certain characteristics and behaviors that place them at greater risk for truancy. Lack of social competence, low self-esteem, poor academic performance, and anxiety can be factors related to school absenteeism. Lack of resiliency is also associated ...
(PDF) TRUANCY AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN: REASONS AND ...
Findings: The findings showed that the reasons for truancy among the school children involve self and. relationship with others. After being in sessions with school counsellors, the children ...
Fisher Digital Publications
According to Zhang, Katsiyannis, Barrett, and Wilson (2007), the causes for truancy. can be positioned within four major categories. These categories include family factors, school factors, economic influences, and student variables. Family factors that may cause truant behavior include, but are not limited to parents'.
Tackling truancy: why have the millions invested not paid off?
Tackling truancy in the twenty-first century: the long shadow of history. The roots of renewed interest in truancy and school attendance lie in the 'Great Debate' about education initiated by Prime Minister, Jim Callaghan, in 1976, and was sustained during the following years of Conservative rule. The desire of the Thatcher governments to make ...
Truancy: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions
Causes. Several factors are responsible for truancy, and in many instances, multiple factors can be identified in individual cases. The environment at home and school, parental involvement or absence, and youth-related issues are common causes. Understanding the cause of absenteeism is important in the implementation of prevention strategies.
An Exploration of Student Absenteeism and Truancy in SMK S.T Xaviers
In conclusion, student absenteeism and truancy pose significant challenges for schools, including SMK S.T Xaviers. Addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach involving teachers, families, and the broader community. By recognizing and addressing the various factors contributing to truancy, schools can create a more supportive and ...
High School English essays
Furthermore, school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, which can lead to financial difficulties in the future. Truancy can also result in low self-esteem and social isolation. While truancy may not seem like a serious problem, it is imperative that measures are taken to prevent it from becoming a larger issue.

Understanding Truancy: Causes, Consequences and Solutions for Improving School Attendance

Key Takeaways

Defining Truancy

Misconceptions about Truancy

Causes of Truancy

Impact of Truancy

Addressing the Issue of Truancy

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the strategies suggested to decrease truancy?

Why is interactive teaching a part of the solution?

How does parent and community involvement help?

What are the benefits of addressing truancy?

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Truancy: The Concept, Causes, Types, Implications and Intervention Strategies for Students with Truancy

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How to Prevent Truancy at Your School

Common reasons for students skipping school

Peer pressure

Family issues

Not liking the teacher or subject

Falling behind

How can schools prevent truancy before it happens?

Intervene early

Positive school culture

Make attendance easy to track

Provide additional support

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Tackling truancy: why have the millions invested not paid off?

Executive Summary

Introduction

Measurement and definition

The persistence of truancy

Methods of enforcement

Change in the twentieth-century: the flawed evolution of the Education Welfare Service

Tackling truancy in the twenty-first century: the long shadow of history

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Truancy: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions

Introduction

Youth-Related Factors

Effects of Truancy

Historical Issues

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