CHAPTER ONE

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Education can be viewed as the training of a man and
creation of awareness in man to understand the current changes
and reforms around him to enable him behave in conformity with
and to the originality of self-standards and values of the society to
prevent cultured lag for creativity, responsibility, and spontaneity
(Ajere 2008). However, education is about future oriented growth
and development. It involves the activities that stimulate thinking
and faster learning. The roles of education in our modern society
cannot be over emphasized in the sense that its illumination
leads to civilization and advancement in all field of human
endeavors and to the well-being of any individual or group of
people. In education, academic performance is defined as the
scholastic standing of students at a given moment. It refers to
how an individual (students) is able to demonstrate his or her
intellectual abilities.
The scholastic standing could be explained as the grades
obtained in a course or group of courses taken (Daniel Owoyemi

1
1970). Many surveys have revealed that the academic
performance of many students has been menaced by a
phenomenon called truancy.
Truancy according to the Department of Education is the
first sign of trouble. The First indicator that a giving person is
giving up and losing his way. Truancy is also defined as act of
being absent without permission according to the American
Heritage Dictionary of the English language in (2000).
According to Morris (1977), truancy deals with the negative
reaction of students on the situation in term of attending the
school programmes. Truancy is considered as a deliberate act
formed by unwilling student coupled with educational system in
the school such as dodging specific tests and lessons in the
school, roaming about the street during school hours.
When young people start skipping school, they are telling
their parents, school officials and community at large that they
are in trouble and need help if they are to keep moving forward in
life.
Truancy is seen as any intention and unauthorized absence
from school. Factors associated with truancy include level of

2
parental education, illicit drug use, financial difficulties, family
instability, improper class placement, inappropriate role models.
It has been submitted that truancy in childhood may be
associated with adverse social and health outcome later in life.
The resultant effects in every facet of the society, causes and
remedy will be the crux of this piece

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study seeks to find out the causes and effects of truancy
among Secondary School Students in Ejigbo Local Government
Area of Osun State. The problems to the topic of the project have
been discovered by the researcher
1. Has truancy exhibited by students been as result of their
un-seriousness?
2. Does family instability cause truant behavior among
children?
3. Do parents care about the illicit absence of their wards in
school?
4. Has the school administrator been non-chalant about the
truancy behavior of the students?

3
5. What are the steps that can be taken to minimize or
eradicate truancy among Secondary School Students?

1.3 HYPOTHESIS FORMATION

The following hypotheses were formulated for verification.
1. There is significant difference between academic
performance of students who skip school/classes and the
regular ones.
2. Bad peers could encourage truancy among secondary school
students.
3. Parents do not care about the truancy of their children.
4. Family instability among other problems could encourage
children to engage in truancy
5. The non-challant behavior of School Administrator could
increase the rate of truancy among Secondary School
Students.

1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to identify the causes or factors
that are responsible for the exhibition of truancy among

4
secondary school students and the effects of this phenomenon on
the academic performance of the students.
The study aims also at reducing significantly the threatening
act of truancy among secondary school students by providing
appropriate measures that will help students to be aware of what
truancy means and how it can affect adversely their academic
performance. It will also help school administrators, teacher and
parents to be aware of the evils of truancy.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be of great importance because it will create
a great awareness on the part of students in the sense that this
study will enlighten students on the evil of truancy and it's
adverse effects on their academic performance and their future.
Students will be aware of bad peer group since it is one of
the factors causing truancy.
Parents will realize their responsibilities and role as first
educator of their wards in order to prepare a brighter tomorrow
for them. Through this study, the school administrators will
notice the need for getting truancy uprooted among secondary

5
school students in order to make sure that their effort will be
viable and result oriented.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The essence of the study is to look critically into the causes
and effects of truancy on the academic performances of
Secondary School Students in Ejigbo Local Government Area of
Osun State.
The study will cover four [4] Secondary Schools in the Local
Government Area. The Schools were selected by simple
randomization method.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

The study is limited to Ejigbo Town in Osun State owing to
financial constraint and time factor. The research, therefore, was
carried out through the use of questionnaire to both students and
teachers of Secondary Schools in Ejigbo Local Government Area
of Osun State.

6
1.8 Definition of Terms
Facts: Parts or aspects of something.
Truancy: The practice of staying away from school without
permission.
Awareness: Knowledge or understanding of a practical subject
or situation.
Evils: Very harmful or unpleasant influences or effects.
To Skip: To do something that you don’t usually do or you
should not do.
Instability: Uncertainty in a situation that is caused by the
possibility of sudden change.
Non-Chalant: Behaving calmly and seemingly not to worry or
care about anything.
Host: To provide place and everything that is needed for
an organized event.
Remediation: A way of dealing with a problem or making an
unsatisfactory situation better.

7
 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Young people who skip school routinely represent diverse
groups. Some have personal issues that make regular school
attendance difficult for them; some of these are chronic physical
or health problems. Others face economic challenges which
saddle them with the responsibility of contributing extra income
to the family or helping out with younger siblings.
The third group of students is the truants. Truancy is an
educational or social problem. Truancy is the result of one or
more factors in a child's life which prevent regular school
attendance. The review of available related literature to the
subject of this essay will be carried out under the following broad
titles:
(a) Causes of truancy
i. Home
ii. School/peer group
iii. Community
(b) Effect of truancy on academic performance
(c) Remedies of truancy
8
2.2 Causes of Truancy
Many terms have been developed to explain the causes of
truancy. The possible causes are numerous and diverse. They
must be recognized and an attempt to resolve them must be
made.
Truancy is a three-fold problems; These are factors
originating from home, school and community.

2.2.1 Home
Different writers and researchers have undertaken a lot of
works and agreed on the fact that student's home background
(broken home, polygamous home and the likes) has significant
impact on the student's behaviors.
Mandel Sherman (1964) pointed out that children who come
from large families, and broken homes are more problematic in
behaviors.
Downing (1960) while discussing the contribution of the
home to the truant behavior of a child, said that financially
insufficient families are likely to be insufficient social units. He
went further to say that a poverty stricken family, for instance,

9
has more than average obstacles to overcome in order to be
effective in its child rearing tasks, thus the inability as a family to
provide the educational needs of the child, may likely encourage
the child's truant behaviors.
United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) (1970) reports, based on materials
collected from countries all over the world, have shown that
between 80 and 90 percent of all juvenile delinquents like truants
have come from homes in which there has been lack of normal
parental care, love and humanity.
Therefore, the ineffective parenting such as lack of parental
control, love and supervision has led many children to engage in
truant behavior.
Bowlby's (1953) in his original work of truancy, said
separation in the home which is characterized by discontinuity
and unfamiliarity as well as chaotic environment, may lead to
truant behavior.
In conclusion, home is known as the first place a child
becomes acquainted with, therefore, the home can either make or

10
mar the child. Some parents, accuse the school as responsible for
truant behavior of their children.

2.2.2 SCHOOL/PEER GROUP

Allah (1975), enumerated the fact that the school is the
social agency that directly has impacts on every child. Not only is
education important and compulsory but the child must spend a
relatively large share of his time in school attendance and related
activities. According to him, the school possesses enormous
potentiality for influencing the behavior of the child and it
seconds only to the parents as a major agent of socialization. As a
result of this unique position, the school is the prime institutional
force for identifying the child's problems and correcting them as
well as motivating law abiding behaviors of among the children.
Brewer et al (1946), emphasized that the type of decision
made by a particular teacher in the class matters a lot on the
truant behavior of a child in the sense that during any single
school day a teacher obviously must take hundred of decisions
about individual pupil and about the class as a whole. The
decision greatly determines the adjustment of the students in the

11
classroom and in the school as a whole. The study made it clear
that it is the teacher who is most responsible for different climatic
conditions in the classroom; If the classroom climatic condition is
not in good term with the students, they may decide to stay away
from school hence students engage in truancy.
Konnin et al (1961), talked about the influence of the
teachers method of teaching on a child truancy. They said a
teacher who uses punishing approach in teaching will have his
students engaging in truancy while a teacher who uses non -
punishing approach influences his students to behave in a
desirable manner. From the fact just stated, we can say that the
poor student teacher relationship could motivate students to
exhibit truants behavior.
Crow and Crow (1954), said that in school, the
attractiveness of the room, the adequacy of the heat the light and
ventilation are important as they affect the behavior reaction of
the occupants. Equally important is the length of time that pupil
is expected to remain quiet, the activities of the pupils, the topic
under consideration, the relative degree of teachers or students
participation and the extent to which pupils have prepared their

12
home assignment. The enthusiasm of the teacher and many other
elements inherent in the classroom have a tremendous influence
on the Behavior of the members of the Group (Students).
Peterson et al (1966) in his view of peer group as a factor in
truancy behavior, Indicated that delinquent peer group usually
reinforce the deviant behavior of the members.
A particular student who is moving with a truant group
usually influenced by his peer to develop truant behavior.
Definitely, the school is held responsible because of some
lapses in responsibilities which the school is expected to perform
towards the formation of the students for being useful and
acceptable members of the community.

2 . 2 .3 COMMUNITY.
Stott (1977) emphasized that development in behavior is a
function of the process of interchange between the living
Organism and the environment. The environment is represented
by the Community, those who care for, protect, comfort and
generally handle the child. Thus if a child perceives that the
environment (Community) in which he lives is not advantageous

13
to him in terms of inadequate provision for transportation which
makes him to trek some kilometers before getting to school,
proliferation of criminal activities due to insecurity in the
community, he (Child) may be exhibiting truancy behavior.
Aminu (1996) said that for a child to achieve a higher
educational standard in Nigeria, it takes the sacrificial inputs of
all including teachers, managers, governor, Local, State and
Federal governments Official, parents, the mass media and the
Community as a whole. This shows that the community itself has
huge responsibilities or roles to play in the becoming of a child.
So, failure to accomplish them may encourage the child to exhibit
truancy.
In Conclusion, the causes of truancy encompass a wide
range of possibilities.
They result from problems in home (Family), the school and
in the community. If a reduction in truancy is to be made, the
participation of the family, school and community will be required
in the remedial efforts.

14
2.3 EFFECTS OF TRUANCY ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.
There is a saying that "idle hands are devil's workshop".
Truancy is detrimental to student's achievement, promotion and
graduation. Clearly, Students who miss School fall behind their
peers in the classroom.
Robins and Ratcliff (1988), in longitudinal study of African-
American males, found that “of those students who were often
truants in elementary school and truant in high school, seventy
five (75) percent failed to graduate”. This failure to graduate, in
turn, is associated with diminished earning potential in
adulthood and other poor outcomes.
The most obvious potential outcome of truancy is school
dropout. Its consequences are quit negative and far reaching for
young people and society. According to Umon (1996), drop out
could be described as "termination of education before the
completion of high school". School dropouts are: therefore
persons who leave schools or college before the completion of
their study duration. Many students are found to have dropped
out of school. Truancy is one of the major factors responsible for
dropping out of School.

15
 Tryerman (1984) suggested that truancy represented a form
of maladjustment which likely lead to dropping out of school.
According to him, truancy is the earlier stage of dropping
out.
Cyril Burt (1992), described truancy as the first and most
obvious cause of failure in school. He claimed that in his enquiry
in London, that among many as eleven percent of backward
cases, the chief cause of the child's lack of progress was truancy.
MC Daniel (1976) stressed that a child who does not see the
relationship between school and work, may show dislike for
school work and may eventually drop out. This explanation
emphasizes that fact that truancy can lead to the completion of
the study duration.
Truancy affects negatively the performance of students
which results to poor academic performance. Poor academic
performance means performance state that does not reach the set
standard of performance at a given examination.
The performance of a student is said to be poor when the
marks he or she obtains fall below the set passing mark. Poor
performance therefore leads to low academic achievement and

16
academic failure. Poor academic performance in school has been
witnessed due to student's poor attitude to learning which has
been a result of truancy.
In conclusion, owing to the depth of the research done by
scholars on what the causes of truancy are, they definitely came
about the effect of that phenomenon on the academic
performance of students. We have discovered that truancy affects
negatively the academic performance of students which results to
poor academic performance, even to dropping out of school.

2.4 REMEDIES OF TRUANCY.

It would be necessary to take a cursory look at some of these
solutions. On this, the National Association of Secondary school
principals made some recommendations concerning attendance
policies.
They are as follows;
(i) Participation in the formulation of the attendance policies
should be broadly based.
(ii) Attendance expectation as well as consequence of good and
poor attendance should be specified in writing.
(iii) Policies should be well publicized
17
(iv) Policies should be consistently enforced at every level by
teacher, counselor and principal.
(v) Absence should be followed up by a telephone call or a
letter (sighted in Bartlet and others 1978).
Solutions, however, can be classified into four (4) broad
categories.
(i) Strict laws and regulation.
(ii) In-school Programmes
(iii) Computer technology and;
(iv) Community solution, (Gulatt and Lemoine 1997).

2.4.1 STRICT LAWS AND REGULATIONS.

According to Wilson (1993) in "Student Truancy" said that
tough approaches adopted by schools which are embedded in the
school's laws and regulations would go a long way in reducing
unexcused absenteeism (truancy). Some schools adopt a hard
line approach. This is enacted as a means of breaking the truant
to criminal evolution. There is imposition of penalties on parent
and even students. Some even go to the extent of taking truants
and their parent to court.

18
 In some school, course credit may be denied if the student
misses class a specified number of times, ranging from 5 to 20
times per term. It depends on the school.

2.4.2 IN- SCHOOL PROGRAMMES.

It is obvious that peers have influence in student's decision
to become truant. One study reported that eighty four [84]
percent of interviewed truants said their friend skip schools.
Rohman [1993] said that after school sports or programmes,
conducive learning atmosphere, arrival of the teacher on time,
giving student frequent praise, Interaction with the entire class,
minimizing verbal reprimands and other form of punishment and
unhealthy competition in the class, are all important to student
performance.

2.4.3 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

Gullatt and lemoine [1997] in "Student Truancy" said that
the osiris School Administration programme, a software package
that allows administrator to maintain accurate, up-to-date,
detailed information on each student, is being adopted nationally.
The programme contacts parents of absent students on daily

19
basis. After the fifth and ninth absence warning, phone calls and
computer general messages are sent to the concerned parents.

2.4.4 COMMUNITY SOLUTION

Naylor [1987] affirmed that there is extensive career
exploration and related career education before and during high
school for developing educational goals and setting time lines for
actualizing those goals.
In some community based programmes in conjunction with
schools, mentors from different companies interact with students.
Students are now acquainted with the world of works during
excursions to those companies. As an incentive to graduates,
students are guaranteed jobs after the completion of their
studies.

20
 CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter focuses attention on the methodology and the
procedure for carrying out the study. It shows the method
employed in the collection of relevant data in carrying out the
research. The research was designed to investigate the causes
and effects of truancy among secondary school students.

3.1 SUBJECTS OF THE STUDY.

For the purpose of this study, the subjects were randomly
selected from S.S II students in Four (4) different schools in
Ejigbo local Government Area. All the schools are public Schools
namely:
1. Isoko Community High School, Ejigbo
2. L.A Grammar School, Ejigbo
3. Ajoda Comprehensive High School, Inisa
4. Masifa Community High school, Masifa Ile
One hundred students were selected in the investigation,
twenty five from each school.

21
3.2 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
The instrument used in this research is questionnaire
developed by the investigator.
The questionnaire is designed to elicit relevant responses so
as to determine the causes and effects of truancy among
secondary school students. Necessary correction was made by my
supervisor

3.3 VALIDITY OF INSTRUMENT

The questionnaire, after being drawn, was submitted to the
supervisor for correction and validation. Through this the
validation of the questionnaire is guaranteed.

3.4 RESEARCH METHOD

Copies of the questionnaire were taken to the schools during
the week so as to meet the teachers, students and the principals
from whom the researcher got the permission before they were
administered. In doing this, the principles guiding test
administration were strictly adhered to. Also, the researcher
wrote down the scores of students in 2021/2022 examinations.

22
 The responses were collected immediately to avoid loss of
some of the data and the invalidation of the information.

3.5 DATA ANALYSIS

The researcher made use of percentage to analyze the data
collected. The copies of questionnaire were arranged and analyzed
according to the research questions formulated. The analysis of
the responses helped to determine the causes and effects of
truancy among secondary school students.

23
 CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This Chapter deals with analysis and interpretation of the
data collected. Percentage method and T-test method were used
to analyze the result collected into the inventory designed for the
study. Three (3) research questions were tested as well as
hypothesis using the information gathered.
TABLE 1: Shows student's attitude towards learning
STUDENT'S
S/N ITEMS RESPONSES
YES % NO %
1.1 Do you have a friend? 98 2
1.2 Do your friends usually skip class? 35 65
1.3 Do you belong to any social club in 45 55
your school?
1.4 Do you stay away from school 20 80
because you don't want to be
different from friends?
1.5 Do you usually prefer staying away 28 72
from school to avoiding your teacher?

24
1.6 Do you have any subject you dislike? 64 36
1.7 Do you stay in class when such a 82 18
subject is being taught?
1.8 Do you have a teacher that you 28 72
dislike in your schools?
1.9 Do you stay in class when the teacher 75 25
teaches you?
1.10 Do you play football during school 20 80
hours?
1.11 Do you perform well in school? 68 32

In the over leaf analysis, we can deduce that 98 of

students have friends who can influence them positively or
negatively. This investigation shows that 35 of students skip
classes for one reason or the other.
In the analysis, we realized that 20 of students stay away
from school because they don't want to be different from their
friends that they want to imitate their friends who are truants.
They did not want to break the tradition, the contract with their
clubs. 45% of students belong to a social club in their school. The
clubs comprise of students with the same understanding whish
25
agreed to come together for a purpose, may be to smoke, drink or
skip classes. Happening in other clubs and societies could
influence students from being regular at school.
Therefore, we can deduce that peer groups are factors which
pressurize students to engage in truancy behavior that affects
negatively their academic performance.
28% of students said that they stay away from school to
avoid their teachers. Maybe for the fact that they have not
completed their assignment or to avoid a punishment in one way
or the other. From the item 1.6 of our table above, we could see
that 64% of students had a subject that they disliked. This could
be as a result of laziness on the part of the student or bad
method of teaching used to disseminate knowledge in that
particular subject. The analysis showed that this disinterest in a
particular subject led 18% of students not to stay in the
classroom when this particular subject is being taught.
28% of the students disliked a particular teacher while 72%
of students seemed to have a cordial and good, relationship with
their teacher. We also realized that 25% of students preferred not

26
to attend the class of the teacher they disliked. 20% of students
engaged in the game of football during school hours.
At the end of the days, this resulted to the fact that 32% of
students performed woefully in their academic pursuits.
In conclusion, we can deduce that students could be held
responsible for their own doom since their poor academic
performance has been as a result of their lack of seriousness and
the impact of peer groups,

TABLE 2: Shows student's impression about their parents.

STUDENTS
S/N ITEMS RESPONSE
Yes % No %
2.1 Do you always go on errand during 18 82
school hours?
2.2 Do you live close to the school? 43 57
2.3 Do you usually get to school on foot? 60 40
2.4 Are your parents divorced? 15 85
2.5 Do your parents often quarrel at home? 45 55
2.6 Are your parents living together? 78 22
2.7 Do your parents check your home 27 73

27
 assignment?
2.8 Do your parents scold you? 66 34
2.9 Do your parents pay for all your school 55 45
materials?
2.1 Do your parents pay your school fees in 56 44
0 time?
In the analysis over leaf item 2.1, 18% of the students
affirmed that they have been going on errand during school
hours. This shows that some students might be hawking during
school hours since most of them are faced with economic
challenge that pose obstacles to attendance, such as
responsibilities for helping out with younger siblings or
contributing extra income to the family due to poverty or
negligence on part of the parents. Therefore, this could give
avenue to such student to be exhibiting truancy behaviour which
affects negatively their academic performance.
The analysis revealed that 57% of students did not live near
the school while 60% of students got to school on foot. This
shows that the far distance and the non- provision of transport
fare for such students by their parents could be seen as factors
militating against their academic progress since these factors
28
might encourage students to engage in truancy. 15 % of students
confirmed that their parents are divorced and 45% of Students
also said that their Parents often quarrel. This revealed that
family instability and parental discord could have negative impact
on the academic performance of the students since students
living in such home could be psychologically troubled and be
exhibiting deviant behavior such as truancy. Our analysis
showed that 73% of students have parents who did not bother
about their home assignment whether they are done or not. This
shows that most of the parents are non-chalant and negligent as
far as their ward's study is concerned.
Table 2, steps 2.9 and 2.10 revealed respectively that 45% of
students said that their parents did not pay for all their school
materials and 44% of them said that their parents did not pay
regularly their school fees.
In conclusion, parents could also be pointed at as
responsible for poor performance of their wards since they failed
in one way or the other to confront some expected
responsibilities, which gives avenue to students to venture in
truancy.

29
Table 3: Shows the Opinion of Students about their Teachers and
School.
STUDENTS
S/ ITEMS RESPONSE
N Yes % No %
3.1 Is your school environment beautiful 63 37
and conducive for learning?
3.2 Do your teachers come to class 87 13
punctually and regularly
3.3 Are your teachers harsh toward you 8 92
students?
3.4 Have you been counseled as regard 27 73
truancy?
3.5 Do they discipline truants in your 72 28
School?
3.6 Do they regularly check the student’s 98 2
attendance in your School?
3.7 Do you have any School programme 42 58
apart from Sports?
3.8 Does guidance and counselling unit 38 62
work normally in your School?

30
3.9 Is your School compound fenced? 50 50

Table 3
In table 3, step 3.1, 63% of Students confirmed that their
School environment were beautiful. This shows that School
environment was conducive and could not constitute a barrier to
the academic progress of students. But 37% of students did not
subscribe to that fact for the reason that their school might be
situated near Motor Park or a market which may distract the
attention of students and allow them not to concentrate on their
studies.
In our analysis, 87% of students affirmed that their teachers
did come to class on time and 92% of students also said that
their teachers were not harsh on them. This reveals that the
teachers are playing well their expected roles as instructors. 98%
of students revealed that the school made sure that students
attendance were checked regularly and 72% of students also
revealed that truants in their Schools were normally dealt with.
This shows that on this matter of truancy, the School
Administrators have taken the cow by the horns.

31
 But 73% of the students unveiled that they have not been
counseled as regards truancy and 62% of them also emphasized
that the guidance and counseling unit is not normally working in
the school. This shows that in spite of all the effort of the School
Administrators to curb truancy, we still have some lapses.
50% of Students said that their schools were not fenced.
This problem allows truants to proceed in their wayward attitude
since they could easily sneak in and out of the School's
Compound without any interruption.
Table 4: Shows means, Standard Deviations and T- test
Comparison between the academic performance of non-truants
and truants.
There is not significant differences in academic
performances of non- truants and truants.

ISSUE N MEAN S.D DF CAL- TABLE- LEVEL OF REMARK

VALUE VALUE SIGNIFICANT

Non Truant 10 69.5 10.5 18 5.86 2.10 0.05

(X 1)

32
Truants 10 47 9 18 5.86 2.10 0.05 Signific
(X2) ant

Degree of freedom, DF= N1 + N2-2= 10+10-2= 18

ΣFX 1 695
Means, X1 = N = 10 = 69.5
ΣFX 2 470
X2 = N = 10 = 47

33
 CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 SUMMARY OF THE INVESTIGATION.

The purpose of this study was set out to investigate on
causes and effects of truancy among secondary school students
in Ejigbo Local Government Area.
The research questions were formulated and tested against
the results obtained from the analysis of data collected and
percentage method was used for the analysis.
The successful completion of the study compiled though
analysis of research data collected present a concrete background
on which the following conclusions and recommendations were
based.

5.2 RESEARCH FINDINGS

From the data, it was shown that students (peer group)
could be held responsible for the negative impact on their
academic performance since they promote truancy among
themselves. Some students did not want to be different from their

34
friends; they want to imitate their friends. They did not want to
break the traditions or the contract with their club.
Parents also have their own part of responsibility in the poor
performance of their wards since they failed as first instructors to
play their expected roles. Some parents are nonchalant towards
anything concerning the study of their children.

5.3 CONCLUSIONS
Having visited those selected schools under study and with
the results obtained, the researcher is made to believe that
truancy has unconvertible influence on student's academic
achievement mainly through peer group influence. Firstly,
students themselves have the greatest blame because they
themselves only know about their movement between the school
and home. School and home know nothing until these children
got home or school.
We cannot do without mentioning the parents among the
causes of truancy because home (parents) is the first place a
child becomes acquainted with, therefore home can make or mar
a child.

35
 The Holy Bible says "Instruct your child and he will give you
rest". So the parents become immediately responsible when they
fail to play very well their roles.
It is hoped that this study would be of help to students,
parents, teachers, school administrator and the government to
know the necessary steps to be taken in reducing or eradicating
this deviant behavior (truancy) so as to help students to perform
very well in their academic work. This study would also help
future researchers to carry out the same research at State level
even at National level.

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are made with belief that if
strongly adhered to, truancy will be greatly reduced.
I. Counseling of students if properly designed and
effectively handled may help to reduce truancy in schools.
Professional testing services should be made available for all
children at early age. An evaluation of physical, intellectual
and social qualification of each student through
professional services after three (3) years within the school

36
 system should be made available to the parents of all
students. Adequate counseling service must be available to
all age group.
II. Students, who are seen roaming along the street during
school hours, should be challenged to know the reason of
their presence there.
III. There should be opportunity in the curriculum for more
stimulating and motivating activities or programme like
debates, cultural activities and so on as more students will
be enticed to come to school.
IV. The classroom teacher should report regularly to the
principal or school administrator all cases of unjustified
and unexplained absence.
V. Adequate medical facilities should be provided in school.
This will go a long way to ascertain first aid treatment for
absenting themselves from school.
VI. Government should give school authority power to deal
with parents who willfully keep their children at home or
send them on errand during school hours.

37
 OSUN STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
ILESA, EJIGBO PROGRAMME CENTRE
Department Of Agricultural Science.
Questionnaire on Truancy among Secondary School
Students in Ejigbo Local Government Area.
This questionnaire is designed to gather data on the causes
and effects of truancy among Secondary school students in Ejigbo
Local Government Area.
INSTRUCTION
You are to provide necessary information and return it.
Please tick (√ ) appropriately as applicable. Do not tick two (2)
columns for a statement.
SECTION A
Name of your School: ___________________________________________________
Sex : _____________________________________________________________________
Class:_____________________________________________________________________

SECTION B
S/ ITEM YES NO
N
1. Do you have a friend?
2. Do your friends usually skip class?

38
3. Do you belong to any social club in your school?
4. Do you stay away from school because you don't
want to be different from friends?
5. Do you usually prefer staying away from school
to avoid your teacher?
6. Do you have any subject you dislike?
7. Do you stay in class when such a subject is
being taught?
8. Do you have a teacher that you dislike in your
school?
9. Do you stay in class when this teacher teaches
you?
10. Do you play football during school hours?
11. Do you perform well in school?
12. Do you always go on errand during school
hours?
13. Do you live close to the school?
14. Do you usually get to school on foot?
15. Are your parents divorced?
16. Do your parents often quarrel at home?

39
17. Are your parents living together?
18. Do your parents check your home assignment?
19. Do your parents scold you?
20. Do your parents pay for all your school
materials?
21. Do your parents pay your school fees in time?
22. is your school environment beautiful and
conducive for learning?
23. Do your teachers come to class punctually and
regularly?
24. Are your teachers harsh towards you students?
25. Have you been counseled as regard truancy?
26. Do they discipline truants in your school?
27. Do they regularly check the student's
attendance
28. Do you have any school programmes apart from
sports?
29. Does your guidance and counseling unit work
normally in your school?
30. Is your school compound fenced?
Bibliography
40
Barry T: Truancy (Robert Maclehose & Co. Ltd, Glasgow 1974)
Blair, Jones and Simpson: Educational Philosophy (New York,
Collier Macmillan, 1967).
Cadenas, Jose A etal: Valued Youth Programmes Drop out,
Presentation strategies for At Risk students. (American
Education Researsc Association, Chicago, USA).
Crow and Crow: Introduction to Education (Us American Book
company, 1954).
Cyrill: The causes and treatment of backwardness. (University of
London Press Ltd, 1992).
Gullat and Lemoine: Student Truancy (Kid source.com, New York,
USA 1996)
Morris, E: Psychological Foundation of Education (Inc USA,
1964).
Siziga et al: Prevalence and Correlation of Truancy Adolescent in
Swaziland. (Global school-Based Health Survey, Swaziland
2007).
Tryerman. M: Truancy (University press Ltd. 1984).

Websites

41
http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/restorative/justice
Title: restoration justice-wikipedia the free encyclopaedia
http://parenting teens.about.com/es/troubled
teens/a/truancy.htm.
Title: Truancy Introduction.
http://www.the freedictionaire.com/truancy
Title: definition of truancy by the free online dictionary, thesaurus
and encyclopedia

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