FACTORS AFFECTING ABSENTEEISM AMONG GRADE 11 AND 12

TVL STUDENTS OF LUCIANO MILLAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Millan National High School

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Education is a fundamental human right and a critical tool for economic and social

development. It enables individuals to acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to

live productive lives and contribute to society. However,one of the challenges that schools

and educators face is student absenteeism.

Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10% of days in a school

year without any valid reason (Kelly, 2014). Absenteeism has been shown to be an alarming

problem for education policymakers, and the rates are highest in high school, according to

data collected by the civil regents in 2013-2014.Absenteeism has been shown to be an

alarming problem for education policymakers, and the rates are highest in high school,

according to data collected by the civil regents in 2013-2014.(U.S Department of Education,

2016).

According to Tyrone Howard stated in his email, that absenteeism is an indication of

a serious problem in the student's family.(Zinshteyn, 2016). However, the graduating high

school seniors had joined a national campaign to encourage high school students to avoid

absenteeism and complete their education. (Shamlin III, 2016).

Absenteeism is a major and on-going issue in the country’s academic community. It

has a significant impact on student learning because the more absences students accumulate,

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Millan National High School

the fewer lesson they receive. Students would be able to participate in class, which would

also imply that there would be fewer and more disjointed concepts of learning. Students who

are frequently absent are more likely to drop out of school at a young age and will not

continue their education, potentially leading to unemployment, low average incomes, and

poverty in the future. Absenteeism is a persistent issue in many educational settings and has

been linked to negative academic outcomes.

School absenteeism is now a growing and on-going issue in secondary schools (Demir

& Akman-Karabyoglu, 2015; Reichenberg & Lofgren, 2019). Reasons for absenteeism and

disinterest in school result from learner’s lack of interest and motivation, as well as a lack of

resources and parents’ desire to send their children to school.

Student absenteeism is one of the most alarming problems in public high schools.

Dealing with children who are uninterested in their academics presents a problem for school

officials, instructors, parents, and the community at large. A persistent absence from class is

referred to as student absenteeism. Stanca (2006), on the other hand, emphasized the

importance of regular attendance at school for students' education, mental ability, and social

competence. Students who are constantly absent are usually in a difficult situation, both

socially and academically. Students who are chronically absent will miss out on critical

stages of social interaction and development with their peers.

Absenteeism of students will have a negatively impact to their academic progress and

it definitely results to low self-esteem, social isolation and dissatisfaction. Absenteeism in

school is the habit of staying away from school without providing a genuine or any reason

for not attending classes. Absenteeism is a truant behaviour that negatively affects the

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

performance among students (Keter, 2013). Student absenteeism become a large problem

with students today and received lesser attention due to the abundance of other issues and

priorities that social workers and other service agencies are faced with (Teasley, 2004).

Absenteeism also has been described as a multi causal and complex phenomenon (Johns &

Nicholson, 1990; Nicholson, 1993).

The worrisome issue of student absenteeism at school affects not just the students but

also the teachers, parents, and society at large. Peer relationships suffer when absences are

not acknowledged, which may lead to absence. The following effects of absence on children

have been seen by teachers, according to some researchers: academic under-performance,

difficulties forming friends, which may result in boredom, and loss of confidence. Long-term

absences might also be harmful to the child's development. The biggest risk of dropping out

of school early is among students who are chronically absent from class.

Student absenteeism has an impact on their academic performance, particularly when

they work in groups or on projects together. Because grouping would enhance the students'

cooperation and capacity for sharing and learning from one another, the group members will

also lose the chance to learn from the missing students. (Kopsenhaver, 2003).

The ability of teachers to communicate class material in a linear and orderly manner

is also impacted by absenteeism. All of the class's participants' advancement may be

impacted by this. In order for the student to catch up, teachers may need to modify their

lessons.

Schmidt claimed in 1983 that being absent from class makes it harder for pupils to perform

well on tests, which can lower marks or result in a failure that forces a student to retake a

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

grade level. Attending lectures or classes has a large, beneficial impact on how well students

perform. Students who participated had higher grades and test scores than the student.

Families of frequent absentees may likewise experience hardship. That could mean

continuing the poverty and unemployment cycle that may continue in the family, which

exacerbates family disputes for the poor family.

The society suffers as a result of the school-age youngsters loitering in the streets.

They can be seen wandering aimlessly. They turn to minor offenses like stealing other

people's possessions and property since they have nothing better to do. Some might turn to

drug abuse and other socially destructive behaviors. As a result, if the youngster misses

school for an extended period of time, he may develop into a liability for his neighborhood

and his country as a whole.

Every school strives to reduce, if not completely eliminate, student absence. Finding

the reasons why students skip class is one strategy for solving this issue. It is possible to

execute particular activities and steps once they have been written out, comprehended, and

analyse. As a result, students, teachers, and the school as a whole will eventually perform

better.

The quality of a student's attendance may determine how well he or she learns. The

absence rate of a student may also be influenced by the faculty and administration of the

school, therefore the administration and the institution as a whole are impacted by the

absentee population.

Depending on the respondent's circumstances, the root of absence might bear a variety

of fruits. Thus, this research will be carried out. The problem of absenteeism is complicated

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

and encompasses a variety of actions, such as persistent absences from school, skipping class,

and truancy. It is important for schools to investigate the patterns and underlying causes of

non-attendance so that appropriate strategies can be implemented to address the specific type

of absenteeism. There is no quick and simple solution, nor a “one-size-fits-all” approach, to

address absenteeism. Schools are encouraged to work with parents and the local community

to develop a strategy that best fits the needs of the students and the context of the community.

From one perspective, absenteeism is one of the main reasons why pupils' grades

suffer. Absenteeism creates a considerable loss and may lead to giving up a desired

employment, especially for those who are enrolled in the advanced intelligence program. In

large classes with lots of students, it can also lead to social repletion. When significant

amounts of money are involved, this behavior may put the school administration in a difficult

situation and harm the academic performance of the institution.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of the study is to show the factors affecting the absenteeism of Grade 11

& 12 TVL students. Specifically, it aims to answer the following question:

1. What is the demographic profile of the students in terms of:

a) Age

b) Grade level

c) Sex

2. What are the factors behind students choosing to be absent rather than go to school?

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

3. What are the effects of absenteeism as grouped according to:

a) Students Learning Performance

b) School Performance

Significance of the Study

Teacher

The teacher would be able to identify different motivational techniques/strategies on

how they can influence students to lessen or eliminate act of absenteeism. 

Student

Knowing the consequences of such absenteeism, students will notice negative effects

in their academic performance. It will inform this individual of the scope of their abilities and

the proper way to direct things, especially when they realize the impact of habitual absences

on the school body.

Parents

The parents' attention will be drawn to this research project, which may encourage

them to pay attention to their children and ensure that they frequently attend school. The goal

of this research study is to increase public awareness of student absenteeism. Children are

more likely to perform well in school and develop socially and emotionally when their

parents are involved in their education. Student achievement, self-esteem, and behavior all

increase when parents are involved. Also, it fosters a sense of partnership between parents

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

and their child's school.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on the factors affecting absenteeism of the Grade 11 & 12 TVL

students in Luciano Millan National High School. The researchers are interested about this

study in finding the factors affecting the absenteeism of the TVL students specially the Grade

11 & 12 students to their academic performance.

Definition of Terms

Absenteeism-is the unjustified absence from a task or commitment on a regular basis.

TVL - stands for Technical- Vocational- Livelihood, it is intended to help students gain skills

that will be useful in their future careers and technical projects.

Education- is a process that accelerates learning and the acquisition of knowledge, values,

and virtue.

School- it is an institution for educating children.

Factors- are variables that experimenters control during an experiment to see how they affect

the response variable.

CHAPTER 2

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Foreign Literature

Attending school regularly is a vital factor in school success for both students and

teachers. Excessive school absenteeism is often linked to poor school academic achievement,

so school attendance by both teachers and students plays an integral role in the success and

educational advancement levels of any academic institution and all students enrolled.

Successful schools cannot survive without physically present students. According to

the “Excessive Absences Intervention” research by author Linda L. Williams, excessive

absenteeism by students may result in unlearned course material from fewer hours of

instruction, and a disruption of class instruction for teachers who have to administer

remediation for the absent student when he returns to school. This problem also causes low

standardized test scores because absent students are not present to learn key concepts and

skills that are assessed on standardized exams.

Student absenteeism can lead to an increasing disinterest in school and academics in

general. According to author Jason A. Schoeneberger’s “Longitudinal Attendance Patterns”

study, student absenteeism increases the chances of a student eventually dropping out of

school, which can lead to long term consequences for these students, such as lower average

salaries, higher unemployment rates, and a higher likelihood of incarceration. According to

(Schoeneberger, n.d.), students who drop out of school are more likely to fall into poverty

because they are unable to find good-paying jobs due to a lack of education and resources.

Dropouts who lack education and resources are more prone to engage in criminal behavior,

which leaLocal Literature The study showed that being absent for three days in a month

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

strongly correlates with poor performance. As educators, it is important to know the

threshold. Drawing policies on school intervention regarding absenteeism requires guiding

information on where to draw the line. Policies cannot be simply drawn out of thin air Three

days in a month, that number, a result of research, is a useful guide for teachers and school

administrators. The study as described by the article is only an initial analysis of the data.

Ongoing research will continue to unravel further the underlying factors that result into

absenteeism. This is an important task since this information likewise is necessary to design

the interventions that are relevant (de Dios, 2010).ds to jail.

Foreign Studies

For more than a century, school districts all around the country have worked on

lowering the rate of student truancy and absenteeism. Surprisingly, very little study examines

what schools may do to enhance and maintain students' daily attendance, and even less

research looks at how families, schools, and communities can collaborate to achieve this aim.

Despite the lengthy history of concern over student attendance, Corville and Smith (1995)

note that "educational researchers have paid relatively little attention to the issue." rather than

concentrating on student attendance. The majority of study has been on kids who leave high

school without graduating. Even though there is a lot more data on students falling out of

school than there is on truancy, research on students who drop out of school shows that

truancy is typically detected in their lives before they leave school. According to Finn (1989),

Newman, Wchlage, and Lamborn (1992), "dropping out of school, although defined by a

single event, reflects a long process of disengagement and withdrawal from schooling and

educational institutions."

Researchers should first look into the early warning signs in students' conduct before

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

it escalates to students actually leaving school in order to understand and lessen the problem

of kids dropping out of school. Studies on pupils who leave school early reveal long-term

trends of those who may be facing challenges at home or at school from a very young age.

According to research, students who eventually leave school miss more days than other

pupils, even as early as the first grade. The student's patterns of absence from school worsen

as they age. Therefore, efforts to reduce high school dropout rates might be better focused on

finding early warning indicators of absenteeism in elementary and middle schools. Poor

attendance indicates school abandonment, and persistent absences can harm both the student

and the institution. Lack of attendance prevents students from learning and from receiving the

preparation they need to succeed in both school and in life. According to studies on truancy

and absenteeism, "students with better attendance score higher on achievement tests than

their more frequently absent peers" (Lamdin, 1998). If schools nationwide are struggling to

meet the state-mandated requirement of making enough yearly progress, then more programs

are required. The James P. Timilty Middle School has identified pupils with five or more

absences to address the issue of truancy. The identified pupils' prior and most recent test

results will be examined. Concerns about attendance were found with 41 kids in the sixth,

seventh, and eighth grades. A conference will be arranged to let students know about

attendance issues and grade concerns. The forty-one students will sign a contract, and they

will talk about weekly positive rewards for arriving at school each day on time. After the

conference, parents will receive a call or letter to discuss the attendance issues.

Weekly scheduled student check-ins will be held to discuss attendance in addition to

daily monitoring of the student's attendance. A yellow card will be filed, alerting the

attendance officer, and violators will be informed of the penalties of missing school. My

building has historically been sluggish to file yellow attendance cards, which has led to

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

numerous students with attendance difficulties going unnoticed.

It is my hope that the procedure may be completed quickly with the help of

monitoring kids and frequent calls home to notify parents of a student's absence from class.

Schools have traditionally held truant students responsible for their actions. According to

Corville-Smith (1995) and Hoyle (1998), "truant and chronically absent students were

considered deviants". In many cases, schools didn't get in touch with families until the issue

was so serious that the student was failing courses. Additionally, studies demonstrate that a

single student's attendance issues can have an impact on the learning environment of the

entire school. The number of students who regularly attend their schools determines how

much money most schools receive. Low attendance rates in districts and schools increase the

risk of budget cuts to educational initiatives and resources. Studies looking into family

practice have suggested that "not all parental involvement activities are associated with

attendance" (Lee, 1994), for instance: parent involvement that requires "checking homework

and reading with a child is associated with improved report card grades". According to

reports from other researches, "specific family involvement practices such as parental

monitoring, parent-child discussions, and parent participation at the school PTA membership

are linked to student attendance" (Astonc & McLanahan, 1991: Ducwork & Dejong, 1991

Lec, 1994, McNeal, 1999). According to research, some parent activities have a higher

propensity than others to influence attendance. Furthermore, research indicates that in order

to enhance daily attendance, schools must get in touch with parents and collaborate with them

to foster parental involvement in a variety of methods. To combat this truancy epidemic,

innovative schools recognize the necessity of creating strong relationships between the

school, families, and the community. Over 90% of the school districts they investigated had

at least one policy that supported parental involvement, according to Kesler-Sklar and Baker's

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

(2000) research. In order to create programs fostering school, family, and community

collaborations, Epstein and her colleagues have been collaborating with schools, school

districts, and the state department of education (Epstein, Coates, Salinas, Sanders, & Simon,

1997; Sanders & Epstein, 2000). In conclusion, research provides a wealth of pertinent details

regarding student attendance. Finding students who consistently exhibit absenteeism is a

predictor of early warning indicators of student dropout. Although absenteeism is a

significant problem in middle and high school, maybe students should be discovered and

watched over from an early age in elementary school. The necessity for a solid collaboration

between home and school must be communicated to parents by educators in new ways so that

students can succeed. Students must understand the importance of arriving at school on time.

Every day matters. When dealing with schools that have attendance issues, educators may

need to go outside the school's walls and into the community to engage families and

collaborate.

Local Studies

Students are at risk of dropping out for a variety of reasons across gender groups,

academic levels, and places. While some of these characteristics apply to all dropouts, some

are more closely related to certain groups. Regardless of whether they are male or female, in

elementary or secondary school, at the lower or higher school level, or living in urban or rural

areas, the negative impact of poverty on children's involvement in school is evident in all

dropouts. Rural residents are particularly vulnerable in two ways. First off, owing of their

parents' meager and erratic income, the children frequently do not have enough money to

cover school-related costs including school allowance, transportation, uniforms, and class

needs. A study that supports carlier research (Capili. 1992) shows that families with low

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

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financial resources prioritize their expenses, allocating whatever little money they have to

more essential family necessities like food. The only time parents can afford to pay for school

expenses and supplies is when they have a significant income. Second, due to their financial

circumstances, children from rural areas are compelled to perform home chores and work that

generates revenue. Boys from rural areas, regardless of their age, assist their parents in

generating income by working in a variety of jobs, from menial jobs like weeding to

physically taxing jobs like farming and fishing. This result is consistent with a previous

study. Boys from rural areas, regardless of age, assist parents in earning money by working

odd jobs like weeding or physically taxing jobs like farming and fishing.This result is in line

with a previous study that showed a sizable proportion of young boys were working as

children (National Statistics Office & International Labor Organization, 2001). On the other

side, young girls are frequently required to look after smaller siblings and, when necessary,

sick parents; older females, meanwhile, find jobs as either housemaids or agricultural help.

Even while parents see education as a key tool for escaping poverty, they are forced to take

their kids out of school anytime it is more financially advantageous for the family. Along

with money issues, school-related issues like boredom and lack of desire are also linked to

dropping out. Boys in particular are especially affected by the teacher factor.

For older males, peer pressure and family issues have a significant impact on their

attendance at school as well as their academic success. Due to the intricacy of the dropout

phenomena, numerous coordinated solutions are needed. When poverty negatively affects

education, parents, schools, and communities can collaborate to lessen the effects on young

students. For instance, the inability to pay for school-related expenses can be remedied with

donations and help from charitable organizations, private businesses, and local residents. The

effectiveness of providing services like transportation, breakfast programs, book loans,

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Factors Affecting Absenteeism among Grade 11 & 12 TVL students of Luciano

Millan National High School

financial aid, and other types of services has already been shown (Bureau of Elementary

Education, 1992; Petilo, 2006). To implement such programs for students who are at danger,

schools should collaborate with the local administration and community and ask for their

cooperation. Through curriculum preparation and instructor re-tooling, it is possible to

address issues with education such as student anxiety about teachers and poor classroom

management. Community-based treatments, such as daycare services designed for children of

working moms, can address family-related factors including childcare and other domestic

responsibilities. Use of local government health programs and school advice services can

help manage student-related issues like ill health, peer pressure, and low motivation. Students

are at risk of dropping out for a variety of reasons across gender groups, academic levels, and

places. All dropouts share some of these elements. whereas some have stronger ties to

particular organizations. The negative impact of poverty on children's school involvement is

evident in all dropouts, and it takes many different forms depending on whether they are male

or female, in elementary or secondary school, at the lower or higher school level, and whether

they live in urban or rural areas. People from rural areas are more at risk in two ways. First,

due to their parents' low and erratic income, many times they are unable to pay for school-

related fees including school allowance, transportation, uniforms, and class necessities.

Families with limited resources prioritize their spending, allocating what little money they

have to more pressing family necessities like food, according to research on carlier families

(Capili, 1992).

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