BAGABAGA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, TAMALE

USING THE APPROPRIATE STRATEGIES TO EXAMINE

THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ABSENTEEISM ON
STUDENTS OF KALADAN E/P JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

MOHAMMED ABDUL HALIK

2022

1
 BAGABAGA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, TAMALE

USING THE APPROPRIATE STRATEGIES TO EXAMINE THE

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ABSENTEEISM ON STUDENTS OF
KALADAN E/P JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

BY

MOHAMMED ABDUL HALIK

BBCE/JHS/18/0336

PROJECT WORK SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

SOCIAL SCIENCES EDUCATION, BAGABAGA COLLEGE OF
EDUCATION, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE IN
EDUCATION

OCTOBER, 2022

2
 DECLARATION

CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this project work is the result of my own original work and that no

part of it has been presented for award of certificate in the institute of education or

elsewhere.

Candidate's Name:

…………………………………………............................. ..................................

Signature:…………………………………………………

Date: ………………………………………………………

SUPERVISOR'S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the project work was supervised

in accordance with the guidelines on supervision of project work laid down by the institute

of education, university of cape coast.

Supervisor's Name: ................................................. ....................................................…

Signature:………………………………………………...........................

Date: …………………………………………………….......................

i
 ABSTRACT

Absenteeism is one of the most practiced ways of life in the country in all fields of work.

However, this practice has fundamental effects on the people who practice it and others at large.

In this project work, the writer tries to find out the effects of absenteeism on the academic

performance of pupils of KALADAN E/P J.H.S Form One(1). The writer identified that lack of

knowledge of its effects and others are the causes of this problem in the school. Also, the writer

identified some of the effects as poor performance in class which leads to demotion and causes a

lot of social vices. A lot of discussions have been held and a number of suggestions have been

made to help address the problem. The methodology employed in obtaining the data for the study

entails the research design, the research instruments, the data collection procedures and analysis

of the data collected. After diagnosing the problem the researcher advanced some intervention

measures to solve the problem. These intervention measures included the organization of parent-

teachers meeting, inspection of pupils’ attendance registers, checking of pupils’ performance

through exercise, follow-up and motivation.

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My profound gratitude goes to Allah for the life and health given to me. I am also grateful to Mr.

Abdulai Salifu Izudeen of Bagabaga College of Education for his efforts in guiding me with his

rich experience through the various steps involved in this research work. To the teachers and

pupils of KALADAN E/P J.H.S, I owe you mountains of gratitude for your co-operation.

iii
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this work to my parents, Inusah Mohammed and Alhassan Sanatu

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION i

ABSTRACT ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

DEDICATION iv

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

CHAPTER ONE 1

INTRODUCTION 1

Background to the study 1

Statement of the problem 3

Purpose of the study 4

Research Questions 4

Significance of the study 5

Limitations 5

Delimitation of the study 6

Organization of the study 6

CHAPTER TWO 7

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 7

INTRODUCTION 7

Overview of Students Absenteeism 7

v
Definition of Absenteeism 7

Causes of Absenteeism 8

Effects of absenteeism in schools 10

Possible Interventions to Absenteeism 11

CHAPTER THREE 13

METHODOLOGY 13

INTRODUCTION 13

Research Design 13

Population and sample selection 14

Research instruments 14

Observation 14

Interview 15

Questionnaires 15

Intervention process 16

Pre-intervention stage 16

Intervention stage 17
Post- intervention stage 18

Data Analysis Plan 18

CHAPTER FOUR 19

RESULTS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

19

vi
INTRODUCTION 19

Presentation and Analysis of Data 19

Strategies to solve Absenteeism 23

CHAPTER FIVE 26

SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 26

INTRODUCTION 26

Summary 26

Conclusion 27

Recommendation 28

REFERENCES 29

APPENDICES 30

APPENDIX A: 30
APPENDIX B: 32

vii
 LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: An Intervention Plan

17

Table 2: Causes of pupil’s absenteeism

19

Table 3: Effects of absenteeism on pupils

21

Table 4 Strategies to solve absenteeism on pupils 24

viii
 LIST OF FIGURES
Representing the causes of pupil’s absenteeism 20

Showing the effects of pupils in school 22

Representing strategies to solve absenteeism in schools 25

ix
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Over the years, educationists have embarked on ways to improving the educational

standards in Ghana. Researchers in particular, are putting in effort to improve the

educational system with emphasis on how teachers can address the attendance of pupils to

school whilst also paying attention to whatever is going on in the teaching and learning

process. Parents are urged by educationists to play a key role in the character formation of

their children.

In view of this, parents must be interested in everything that concerns their children

including their attendance to school. Salaga Islamic primary school is one of the basic

schools in the East Gonja District and it is situated at the Central part of Tamale. The

people of Salaga where the school is situated belong to different ethnic groups, many of

which are of the northern ethnic groups. Some of these people are; Gonjas, Mamprusi,

Dagombas, Bimobas, Asantes and Kussasis.

Though, the school is in Salaga, interactions between the researcher and some of the

students' parents revealed that children from different places within the Metropolis also

attend this institution. These include pupils from Ngomallam,Mimpeasam, kapeter, and

other places.

The most widely spoken language in Salaga and its environment is Gonja, though other

languages like Twi, English, Dagare, Mamprusi and others are also spoken. Pupils from

Salaga and its surrounding areas predominantly speak Hausa at home, whiles in school the

only means of communication is the use of English Language. In view of this, parents are

1
encouraged to introduce English language to their wards at the early stage, so as to help

them in their formal education.

Teaching cannot be limited only to impacting of knowledge, but also it must include the

total development of the child personality to enable him or her live a full, meaningful and

resourceful life as to contribute his or her quota towards societal growth and development.

As teacher trainee, there are numerous problems that are encountered in the classroom

when exercising one’s professional duties. There has been a public outcry about the ever

increasing rate of absenteeism and attendance consequence among pupils in school

especially as in the case of some students of Salaga Islamic primary school.

According to the advance learner English Dictionary absenteeism “is the act or habit of

frequently being away from work or school without a good reason.”

Absenteeism according to Will Kenton (17 February, 2022) refers to the habitual non-

presence of an employee or a student at their job or school. Habitual non-presence extends

beyond what is deemed to be within an acceptable realm of days away from the office or

school for legitimate causes such as scheduled vacations, occasional illness, and family

emergencies.

This situation usually leads to the poor performance of pupils. This is a source of constant

worry to all concerned people including the researcher of this project work.

The issue of absenteeism was identified at Salaga Islamic primary school during out-

programme when the researcher went on Supported Teaching in Schools. This problem

was observed during the first four weeks when the researcher was tasked to handle Basic

five (5) pupils in the above mentioned school.

2
 The situation of absenteeism in Salaga Islamic primary school was noted when a

number of students of Basic five (5) class were always absent from class. Even though

absenteeism occurs in School sometime, the situation in Salaga Islamic Basic five (5)

class is rather serious. During intervention and enquiries as well as personal contacts the

researcher speculated the following factors which may account for such absenteeism

among some of the pupils. They are:

(i) Child labour

(ii) Parent teacher neglect

(iii) Peer group influence

(iv) Illiteracy

(v) Health problems

(vi) Inadequate motivation

1.2 Statement of the problem

During the researcher’s Supported Teaching in Schools at Salaga Islamic primary school,

it was observed that some basic five (5) pupils in the school constantly absented

themselves from school. As a result of this, the academic performance of such pupils in

the school was seriously declining. This problem therefore prompted the researcher to

investigate into the causes of absenteeism of the pupils in Basic five (5) and to find

appropriate ways and methods of solving the problem. The researcher observed that in

order for this problem to be effectively dealt with, there is the need to adopt the action

research model as a research technique to carry out the investigations.

This research aims at restoring the interest of pupils as the cause of this problem

and its effects on pupils’ achievement as far as their education is concerned.

3
1.3 Purpose of the study

Observation based on pupils’ attendance to school during the recent Supported Teaching

in Schools at Salaga Islamic primary School revealed that pupils have no interest in

coming to school regularly. Many attempts have been made by the school head teachers to

overcome this problem yet the worse still happens.

Also, the issue of absenteeism has been discussed generally in the media of late indicating

how this problem affects School children and the ways of solving it. It is against this

background that the study is designed to assist in investigating the causes and effects of

absenteeism on pupils’ class achievement in education. It is also the wish of the researcher

to provide information that will help solve the problem identified in the study.

Research Questions

(i) What are the possible causes of absenteeism of Basic five (5) pupils of Salaga

Islamic primary School?

(ii) What are the effects of absenteeism on pupil’s educational achievement,

particularly Basic five (5) pupils in Salaga Islamic primary School?

(iii) What are some possible solutions to the problem identified?

1.4 Significance of the study

The issue of absenteeism has gained much attention in most Ghanaian basic educational

institutions and it adds up to causes of low interest and performance of pupils in the

various Schools in the country. The result of this study will be of great benefit in the

following ways:

4
 (a) Finding possible solutions to the causes of absenteeism of Basic five (5) pupils of

Salaga Islamic School.

(b) Complement the diverse ways made by educational stakeholders to improve upon

pupils’ achievement in education as a result of absenteeism.

(c) It will be of immense Significance to students and researchers who are eager to

undertake studies in related fields.

1.5 Limitations

The potential weaknesses that may affect the progress or the successful completion of this

study are as follows:

(i) Pupils may not give correct information or good reasons why they keep

absenting themselves from school.

(ii) The researcher may find it difficult to do individual home visit due to the

number of pupils involved in the study.

(iii) Parents Teacher Association meeting are not regular enough to create awareness

on the causes and effects of absenteeism on their wards education and the role

they should play in order to help solve this problem.

(iv) Teaching and writing of lesson notes.

1.6 Delimitation of the study

The scope of the study in the case of absenteeism will cover only Basic five (5) pupils of

Salaga Islamic primary School. The finding may not wholly represent causes and effects

of absenteeism in other schools and locations in the country.

5
1.7 Organization of the study

It is obvious that no research work can be successful without designing a laid down

procedure as to how it should be carried out. The researcher has therefore organized the

entire research work in to five main chapters.

Chapter one forms the introductory part of the research and discusses the background to

the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, significance

of the study, limitations of the study, delimitations of the study and organization of the

study.

Chapter two which is the review of related literature intends to provide support to the

study by reviewing both primary and secondary information and summarizes major

findings of the literature reviewed.

Chapter three which forms the methodology provides the research design, population and

sample selection, research instrument, intervention process and data analysis plan.

In chapter four, the researcher provides results and findings of the research. Here the

discussions present results and findings of the research questions.

Finally, the last chapter which is chapter five deals with the summary, conclusions and

recommendations to the entire project work.

6
 CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction

This aspect of the study brings to light the good work done by previous researchers on

student absenteeism. Under this chapter, the researcher wishes to break the discussion

under the headings below:

 Overview of students’ absenteeism

 Causes of students’ absenteeism

 Effects of students’ absenteeism

 Possible intervention to absenteeism.

2.2 Overview of Students Absenteeism

Many educational reforms failed to achieve their stated objectives due to the numerous

problems faced by schools including students’ absenteeism. Pupils’ absenteeism is one of

the major problems facing Ghanaian schools and consequently it is becoming a

contributory factor to the falling standard of education in Ghana particularly in the

Northern Region.

2.2 Definition of Absenteeism

Absenteeism according to Will Kenton (17 February, 2022) refers to the habitual non-

presence of an employee or a student at their job or school. Habitual non-presence extends

beyond what is deemed to be within an acceptable realm of days away from the office or

school for legitimate causes such as scheduled vacations, occasional illness, and family

emergencies.

7
In our school situation the phenomenon may be explained as a situation where pupils stay

away from school or the classroom without permission from school authorities.

2.4 Causes of Absenteeism

Dondieu (2003) is of the view that inadequate transport arrangement to take pupils to and

from school results in absenteeism of pupils to school. He also opines that girls are

overburdened with household chores which lead to tiredness, hence it results in

absenteeism of pupils.

Absenteeism is negative attitude and Adjei (2001) highlighted that peer pressure makes it

difficult for pupils to change their negative attitudes. Most pupils tend to their peers in

everything they do. They may attend to other activities which are not important instead of

going to school. It may be difficult for them to change since they readily succumb to their

peers always.

Gyekye Kwame (2003) is of the view that, character development is an important aspect

of a child upbringing. He says that constant effort should be made to teach children the

values of society. He buttresses his point with a maxim that “absenteeism” does not bring

up a child from the above, it has been seen that a child absent from school can be caused

by parents. This is because parents fail to inculcate the values of the school in children in

order to help them live a satisfactory life. The child may resort to practice that goes

contrary to the virtues of the school.

For the teachers, Kwaku Annah (1995) made some contributions to the causes and effects

of absenteeism in pupil’s education. He observed that, pupils absent themselves in school

only when they are not motivated. He cited that parents and guardians as well as teachers

8
should motivate pupils both physically and emotionally if possible so as to enable them

develop interest in attending school regularly.

In addition, he noted that teacher absenteeism also promotes pupils absenteeism and for

that matter teachers in schools should desist from absenting themselves from class, so as

to solve the problem of absenteeism and rather serve as role models for pupil to emulate,

he lamented that most teachers in our schools in this country report to school late or even

absent themselves from school without any tangible reason. That is, if pupils who are yet

to come to the realization of the importance of education, come to the school regularly

only to find out that their teachers come to school late, pupils could absent themselves

from school as they see and copy this bad habit of their teachers which will go rather to

increase the problem of absenteeism that will impede progress in education.

Another cause of pupil’s absenteeism is health. He stated that health is one of the major

causes of the problem of absenteeism. He had it that some pupils may absent themselves

from school for no other reason than health related issues such as malaria. As he has

identified health as a problem, he suggested that health education in our various Ghanaian

schools should be encouraged, so to enable pupils practice good health habits. He

concludes by saying that parents and guardians should take the education of their wards as

priority to cut down the illiteracy rate in the country.

Finally Dosoo (1998) contributed to the problem of pupil’s absenteeism maintained that

children perform better when parents show interest in their education. She asserts that

pupils absenteeism mainly come about when parents neglect their responsibilities. She

claims that if a child realizes that his or her parents do not show any interest on him/her

9
education, the interest of child education will be affected. This trend goes a long way to

make children not regular in school.

2.5 Effects of absenteeism in schools

Research finding shows that, absenteeism of pupils to school has so many devastating

effects on them include the following:

First and foremost, pupil’s absenteeism to school has led to their poor academic

performance and low achievement in other subjects. Gyekye (2003) in his book also says

pupil’s absenteeism to school has serious effects on their cumulative records and

attendance. This is because pupils who come to school late and sometimes absent

themselves from classroom do not do regular exercises. These children lateness to school

automatically affect their academic performance for instance if they are tested on what

was taught in their absence, they are bound to fail.

According to Delake J.T (2006), Pupils absenteeism results in future unemployment.

Pupils will not be able to acquire the best of teaching if they practice absenteeism and will

therefore lack the required requisite knowledge or qualification needed for future

employment in the system.

According to Helley and Micheal Dikot (1972), pupils’ absenteeism brings about the

occurrence of deviant acts in our society. Pupils who practice the behavior have the

greatest tendency of including themselves in many social vices such as prostitution,

smoking, robbery etc. They also stated that pupils’ absenteeism may result in parent-child

conflict. This is where parents will see their wards as complete deviants and will have to

treat them badly. When that happens, the children will see their parents to be their enemies

which result in misunderstanding between them.

10
Siayiri Charlotte (2005) explains that pupil’s absenteeism result in mass illiteracy in the

country. According to her, if pupils become victims of the phenomenon, there is the

likelyhood that they will stop schooling along the line and become school dropouts and

many will not be able to read and write.

2.6 Possible Interventions to Absenteeism

According to Delaka J.T (2006) teachers who practice absenteeism for pupils to emulate

should be advised by school heads and circuit supervisors to live up to expectation. She

also explained that teachers should be in a position to vary their teaching methods and

techniques to promote pupils interest.

In the opinion of Macharia and Wario (1979) keeping of records of daily attendance of

pupils is one of the intervention activities that help to solve the problem of pupils’

absenteeism. They assert that the keeping of records of the daily attendance of pupils in

every school is one of the regulations laid down by the ministries of education in countries

where education is compulsory. An attendance register helps the class teacher or the head

teacher to trace to the attendance records of each child. School authorities can obtain

information which they need to assist in solving the child attendance register. The head

teacher can know which parent he/she would talk to concerning the poor attendance of any

particular pupil. The suggestion made by these scholars should be taken seriously by the

teacher to help solve the problem of pupils’ absenteeism.

Also, Dosoo (1998) said that parents and guardians should have interest in their children

education by visiting the school in order to know their children performance as well as

attending parents teacher association meeting (P.T.A) to be aware of their wards attitudes.

11
Dondieu (2003) advocates that transport arrangements should be made to take pupils to

and from school, it can help address the problem of absenteeism of pupils to school. Also

he spell out that when girls are not overburdened with household chores they will have

enough time to attend school and also to study after school.

Lastly, Gyekye Kwame (2003) spells out that when parents make constant effort to instill

in children the values of society, it can help address the negative attitudes in children.

Hence when parents instruct children to leave for school and even do follow ups,

absenteeism of children will be a thing of the past.

12
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter describes the procedures employed in obtaining data for the study. The

chapter therefore entails the research design, the research instruments, the data collection

procedures and analysis of the data collected.

3.2 Research Design

There are many research designs such as the survey, pure research and action research,

among others. However, this study was conducted using the action research design.

The action research design was considered because it aims at solving problem that

emerges from particular situations.

Also, the focus of the design is to find solutions to Absenteeism in order to bring about a

positive change.

Moreover, action research improves the professional status of research and promotes their

personal development and professional practices. The action research design has some

strengths and weaknesses.

The strengths of this design are stated below;

Action research helps the teacher to be familiar with what actually goes on in teaching and

learning situations.

Secondly, it helps the teacher to evaluate his / her teaching effectiveness by equipping him

/ her with various methods or approaches that best suit the pupils.

13
Moreover, findings from this design provides opportunity for teachers to acquire a better

understanding of all aspects of their own practice, be it relation to the subject, content and

curriculum or the methods appropriate to the pupils in class.

3.3 Population and sample selection

The participants in this study are entire students of Kaladan E/P Junior High School basic

seven (7). However, due to the restriction of factors such as time and resources, the

researcher grouped those who come to school regularly and those absent themselves from

school.

The researcher then selected pupils who absent themselves from school quiet often. The

researcher sampled pupils in order to conduct this study. This was to ensure that he/she

worked within his or her limited time and resource and also gather valid and accurate

information of the study.

3.4 Research instruments

The researcher used three research tools in collecting data on the problem under this study.

These tools are discussed as follows:

3.5 Observation

The observation method of collecting data employs vision as its main means of data

collection. The strength of this instrument is that; it requires less complicated and less time

consuming procedures in administering. It offers data when respondents are unable and

unwilling to offer information and it is relatively inexpensive.

However, this tool cannot opinion our attitudes directly, it cannot provide information

about past, further or unpredictable events cannot be used when large groups are studied.

14
The observation was used to identify the problem and was used to bring to light the

actions and attitudes of pupils under the study. The researcher observes that during

lessons, some particular group of students are often absent. When the researcher cross

check the class attendance register, it confirmed that these group of students are perpetual

absentees. As a result of this behavior, these students also perform poorly in class. This

negative impact as a result of absenteeism has prompted the researcher to undertake this

study.

3.6 Interview

This tool requires a face to face encounter of the interviewer and the interviewee. The

strength of this tool is that:

It is flexible and can be adjusted to many diverse situations. The administration of

interview is easy since it does not require respondents to read and offer an opportunity for

the interviewer to observe non-verbal behaviour of the interviewee.

On the other hand, the limitation of interview is that, it is mostly costly and time

consuming. It is also more inconvenient than other methods such as questionnaire and it is

also less effective than other methods when sensitive issues are discussed. The researcher

organized an unstructured interview on pupils, parents and teachers in order to elicit

responses from them so as to identify the cause of pupils' absenteeism to school with

particular reference to pupils of Kaladan E/P JHS 1.

3.7 Questionnaires

Questionnaire consists of a list of questions or statements relating to the aims of the study.

Questionnaires can be completed at the respondents’ convenience. It provides a wider

coverage of respondents than the other tools and ensures uniformity in question.

15
On the contrary, this tool is limited to literate population since it cannot be administered

on those who cannot read or write. It lacks the opportunity to collect additional

information from respondents and it does not offer opportunity for motivating the

respondents to participate in the survey. The questionnaires for this research were

therefore prepared for pupils, parents and teachers.

3.8 Intervention process

It is a set of strategies that the researcher planned and implemented to solve the problem.

It involves a step by step procedure which was constantly monitored over a certain period

of time and through usage of a variety of mechanisms. The process includes pre-

intervention stage, intervention stage and post intervention stage.

3.Pre-intervention stage

The researcher identified absenteeism in Kaladan E/P Junior High School when he arrived

at the school to fulfill the obligation of Supported Teaching in Schools. It was identified

through observation that most pupils were always absent from school. Also a test

conducted revealed that pupils who absent themselves from school failed to understand

what was taught when they were absent. The table below shows an intervention plan that

the researcher came out with.

16
 Table 1: An Intervention Plan

Week /Day /Month Activities Remarks

1 Observation The observation that was made revealed that pupils who

perform poorly in class were mostly those who absent

themselves from school.

Pupils, parents as well as teachers were interviewed to

2 Interviews solve the problem.

Pupils, parents as well as teachers were made to complete

3 Questionnaires questionnaires that helps the researcher to identify some

factors as the main problem of absenteeism.

3.9 Intervention stage

After diagnosing the problem, the researcher advanced some intervention measures to

solve the problem. These intervention measures included the organization of parent-

teachers meeting, inspection of pupils’ attendance registers, checking of pupils’

performance through exercise, follow-up and motivation.

Pupils, parents as well as their class teachers were interviewed and were also made to

complete questionnaires. The researcher identified some factors as the main problem of

absenteeism to the school. The researcher therefore advanced some recommendation to

17
pupil’s behavior in order to effect a positive change in their behavior towards attendance

to school.

3.10 Post- intervention stage

After parents adhered to the recommendations by the researcher, the researcher also

counselled pupils and made a close monitoring of their behaviors. The observation after

the intervention revealed that pupils were now very punctual to school. This new attitude

of pupils improved their performance in class.

3.11 Data Analysis Plan

The data was analyzed using tables, simple frequencies and percentages. This is to be

captured in chapter four.

18
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 Introduction

This chapter deals with the results/findings and discussions based on the outcome of the

research instruments employed in the conduct of the study.

4.2 Presentation and Analysis of Data

The information gathered from the observation conducted brought to light that the

subject for the study (Basic seven (7) pupils in Kaladan E/P Junior High school) were

always absent from school. Also the researcher conducted interviews with pupils, their

parents and teachers in order to gather information about the reason of absenteeism of

pupils to school. Additional questionnaires were completed by teachers and parents to

determine the effects of absenteeism on the academic performance of pupils.

The study sought to gather data on the cause of absenteeism by pupils and the

results are presented in Table 2.

Table 2: Causes of pupil’s absenteeism

Cause Frequency percentage

Child labour 38 76

Peer group pressure 50 100

Health related 40 92

Inadequate motivation 46 100

Total 50 100

19
 From Table 2 above, it is observed that peer group influence scored the highest

frequency on the graph which is 50 responses for “yes” and O scored for “No” from the

teachers.

Again, 46 was the second highest frequency on the graph against 4 responses for

“No”.

It was therefore agreed that most of the victims were always influenced by their peers. 46

respondents were of the view that inadequate motivation also causes absenteeism and 4

responses disagreed to the fact. 38 respondents revealed that the pupils’ absenteeism to

school was caused by child labour while 12 respondents disagreed to that assertion.

From the above analysis, the causes of pupil’s absenteeism are largely due to peer

group influence, than health related problems, inadequate motivation and child labour.

The results are further displayed in the bar graph below labeled as figure 1.

A bar graph representing the causes of pupil’s absenteeism

Fig. 1

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
r e s n
bou enc lem atio
la flu ob oti
v
ild in pr m
Ch up ed te
gro le at ua
er r eq
h
Pe alt In
ad
He

20
KEY Child labour Peer group influence

Inadequate motivation Health related problems

In view of the above bar graph, 38 respondents agreed that child labour is a cause

of pupil’s absenteeism from school and 12 respondents said no to the question. 46 of them

agreed that inadequate motivation is also a cause of pupil’s absenteeism from school. All

the respondents agreed to the fact that peer group influence is a cause of pupils’

absenteeism from school.

Also, 40 of them agreed that health related problems also result in absenteeism in

school.

The researcher through face to face interview with twenty –five parents and twenty five

teachers also gathered information on the effects of absenteeism on pupils. The results are

presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Effects of absenteeism on pupils

Effects Frequency Percentage

Poor academic performance 45 90

Child crime delinquency 35 70

Wastage of instructional time 40 80

Total 50 100

21
 From the table above in relation to the interview conducted, 45 (90%) mentioned

that pupils academic performance can be low as a result of their absenteeism from school.

40 (80%) agreed that instructional time will be wastage as a result of pupils’ absenteeism

from school while 35 (70%) people agreed that students may commit crime if they do not

regularly attend school. Based on the results from the table, it is quite clear that low

academic performance has high negative impact on pupils as a result of absenteeism.

The results are further displayed in the pie-chart below, labeled as figure 2.

90
Poor academic performance = x 3600 = 1350
240

70
Child crime delinquency = × 3600 = 1050
240

80
Wastage of instruction time = × 3600 = 1200
240

Pie Chart showing the effects of pupils in school

Fig. 2

Child crime
delinquency
105 Poor academic
29% performance
38%

Wastage of in-
structional time
120
33%

22
KEY

Poor academic performance

Child crime delinquency

Wastage of instructional time

In view of fig. 2 above, 135 is the highest degree which shows that, poor academic

performance has high impact on pupils as a result of absenteeism than any other effect.

This is followed by wastage of instructional time represented as 120. Finally it promotes

child crime delinquency represented as 105.

4.3 Strategies to solve Absenteeism

The researcher after finding out effects of absenteeism, decided to find out strategies to

solve the problem of absenteeism. He involved the teachers, some parents and also some

of the students. The results were then tabulated as shown below:

23
Table 4

Strategies to solve absenteeism on pupils

Strategies Frequency Percentage

Constant marking of register 15 30

Love from teachers and parents 10 20

Providing comfortable transportation 15 30

Teaching of moral subjects(RME) 10 20

constantly

Total 50 100

From the table above 15 respondents supported constant marking of register which was

30% of total frequency. 15 respondents said providing comfortable transportation can

solve absenteeism which is 30% as shown from the table. Finally, 10 said teaching of

moral subjects (RME) constantly can curb the problem of absenteeism which is 20%. The

researcher finally concluded that when all these strategies are put together simultaneously,

it will curb the problem of absenteeism.

The results are further displayed in the line graph below, labeled as figure 3.

24
A line graph representing strategies to solve absenteeism in schools

Fig. 3

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
er nt
s n
nt
ly
gist re atio ta
re a t
f p or ns
go an
d
nsp co
ts
kin
er
s tra jec
ar ch bl
e
su
b
m a a
nt te r t al
sta m fo or
n fro om
of
m
Co ve gc g
Lo in n
id hi
ro
v
eac
P T

KEY

Constant marking of register

Love from teachers and parents

Providing comfortable transportation

Teaching of moral subjects (RME) constantly

In view of the line graph above, respondents supported constant marking of

register can solve the problem of absenteeism, 10 respondents supported love from

teachers can solve it better.

Also, 15 respondents said providing comfortable transportation can solve

absenteeism. And finally 10 respondents said teaching of moral subjects (RME) constantly

can curb the problem of absenteeism.

25
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with the summary, conclusions and recommendations of the study.

5.2 Summary

This study was guided by the hypothesis that pupils absenteeism contributed to low

achievement in education. Its practice does not improve pupil’s performance as far as

education is concerned.

Most schools today have varying degrees of children whose rate of absenteeism is

significant enough to have a measurable effect on their learning achievements. The reason

for children’s absenteeism is many and usually taken in various forms.

Most stakeholders of education and local authorities have made arrangements to keep such

children in touch with education. This study also look at children whose attendance

records were scanty and revealed long absence from school. It can largely be felt that

absenteeism has contributed negatively to pupil’s interest and performance in education.

So this study makes a modest contribution in order to complement the diverse effort made

to improve upon pupil’s low achievement in education by other known measures.

To investigate absenteeism, the study went through certain interventional activities in

order to bring about some solution to the problem. These interventional activities are

organization of parent-teachers meeting, inspection of pupils’ attendance registers,

checking of pupils’ performance through exercise, follow-up and motivation.

26
 1. The study revealed that the causes of pupils’ absenteeism are: child labour, illness,

parental negligence, class teacher absenteeism, peer group influence and

inadequate motivation. The effect is; low achievement in education, reducing

pupils interest in education and poor performance.

2. The study also revealed that checking pupil’s attendance is part of the teacher’s

classroom management duties. One of the teacher’s duties is to keep an eye on

each child’s attendance and to refer appropriate authorities any worrying cases.

Finally, the study renewed the contributions made by various scholars of educations on the

issue of absenteeism. Most of these scholars maintained that the cause of pupil’s

absenteeism stem from issues ranging from illness, parental neglect, child labour and

inadequate motivation, among others.

5.3 Conclusions

The researcher identified this problem at his school of attachment and uses the following

strategies to arrive at a final solution. These strategies included the identification of the

problem, finding the causes of the problem and effects of the problem on the pupils under

study.

The research instruments used were questionnaires, interviews, test and observation. The

problem the researcher observes is that pupils' attendance to school in their register

revealed that some pupils are not regular to school.

The researcher addressed the problem by finding out the causes and effect of the problem

and made some possible recommendations to help address the issue as it affected the

pupils concerned.

27
5.4 Recommendations

It is a fact that society is dynamic. Things keep on changing day in and day out, and the

fact that this study will be expected to face future challenges; the researcher provides the

following recommendations:

i. Apart from the interventions activities used by the researcher in the study,

symposia should be intensively educate to pupils, parents and guardians on the

consequences of absenteeism and its effects on the rate of pupils achievement

in education.

ii. Future researchers could organize public campaigns to sensitize parents and

guardians on the need for pupils’ regular school attendance.

iii. Also, the researcher recommends the need for head teachers to organize

parents-teachers meetings to educate parents and guardians about the effects of

absenteeism on their wards, so that they (parents and guardians) will desist

from acts that can cause pupils absenteeism.

iv. Then also, the school authorities must be noted that an unexplained

v. absence from school that goes on long than or three days should be

investigated immediately for redress.

28
 REFERENCES

Collins C. (2004). Advanced Learners English Dictionary. Germany: let sprache

publishing Ltd.

Douglas P. (1964). The class Gender and Racial Differentiation, Eric Hole

Department of Education, University of Manchesta, London.

Ebell K. (1962). Introduction to Teaching as a profession. London: Longman group L.td

Farant J.s (1980). Principles and practice of Education. London: Longman group

Ltd

Gerail H. (1990). Managing classroom problems in the primary school. London: Paul

chapman Ltd.

Gykye K. (2003). African Cultural Values. Accra, Ghana: Sankofa Publishing Ltd.

Margaret G. (1978). School Methods with Young children. London: Evans Brothers

Limited.

Macharria and wario, L.H. (1979). Teaching practice in primary School. London:

Macmillan Publishers Limited.

Norval G. (1988). Psychology study. London: Evans Brothers Limited.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/absenteeism.asp

29
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A:

Questionnaire for parents on causes and effect of Absenteeism from school of Kaladan

E/P Junior High School 1. Any information obtained will be kept secret and confidential.

Tick like this ( ) where appropriate and responses in the spaces provided.

1. (i) Are you aware of your ward’s absenteeism behavior?

(a) Yes { } (b) No { }

(ii) If yes, state the measures you have taken to curb the situation.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

2. (i) Have you been engaging your child during school hours?

(a) Yes { } (b) No { }

(ii) If yes then state what you engage him/her during school hours

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

3. (i) Does your ward have any illness that prevents him / her from attending school

regularly (a) Yes { } (b) No { }

30
 (ii) If yes, what illness?

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………

4. (i) Do you encourage your wards to attend school all time?

(a) Yes { } (b) No { }

(ii) If yes, what types of encouragement do you give him/her?

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

5. (i) Are there any marital problems you encounter that impede your ward’s regular

attendance to school?

(a) Yes { } (b) No { }

If yes state the problem.

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

31
 APPENDIX B:

Questionnaire for pupils on causes and effects of Absenteeism from school of Kaladan E/P

Junior High School 1. Any information obtained will be kept secret and confidential. Tick

like this ( ) where appropriate and responses in the spaces provided.

1. (i) Do you absent yourself from school every day?

(a) yes { } (b) no {}

If yes, give reason

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

2. (i) Do you roam with colleagues when you are absent from school?

(a) Yes {} (b) No {}

3. Do you have any reason about your teacher that prevents you from going regularly?

(a) yes {} (b) no {}

(ii) If yes, state it

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

32
4. (i) Do you have any illness that prevent you from attending school regularly?

(a) Yes {} (b) no {}

(ii) If yes, what is the nature of illness?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

5. (i) Do you want to continue your education?

(a) Yes { } (b) no {}

(ii) If no why so?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

6. (i) Do you pay school fees on your own?

(a) Yes {} (b) no {}

(ii) If yes, why so?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

33
………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………

7. Are you staying with both parents?

(a) Yes {} (b) no {}

8. Do your parents engage you during school hours?

(a) Yes {} (b) no {}

(ii) If yes what have you been doing?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………

9. Is your house far away from school?

(a) Yes {} (b) no {}

34