ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE 1

A PHEMENOLOGICAL STUDY ON SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM

AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

MARY JOY CAÑETE

IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

IN THE SUBJECT ENG 168

(LANGUAGE RESEARCH)

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

MAJOR IN ENGLISH

JULY 2019
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Chapter I

Introduction

Background of the study

Students are being prepared to become a successor in any field. In

which their responsibilities to carry out their duties won’t take much

supervisions among the teachers. Parents at home expected that when

their children comes to school, they acquire knowledge in which these will

become their tool to seek for a bright a future. But due to the nature of

environment in which the students is taken to, their discipline in terms of

their duties and control of their wants are tested. Resulting to a critical

factor that affects their psycho-social development and cognitive stability

which is referred to, as absenteeism.

Absenteeism pertains to the number of unattended class schedules in

which the students are expected to report. When a student tends to miss

a day in school, he or she may be left behind in terms of the lesson which

causes his or her academic performance to suffer, thus when he or she

continually to do so, he or she may eventually be dropped out from the

school. As a result, she he or she might live a life of poverty,

unemployment, or worst involved in a crime.

Attendance has been a compulsory in schools, specially elementary

and secondary levels. Still, there are students for some reasons who

violate this compulsory attendance law. However, there are considerations

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in this law which is the illness and family crises that is excluded from

being absent. But the unjustifiable and un-explainable types of absences

which is referred to as truancy is unaccepted in which this count as a

student absences. In addition to that, if the student comes to school or in

classes at late hour, still the student will be marked absent. Which is

mostly happening now a days as well as the chronic truancy absences.

Absenteeism has a far reaching consequences which are some has

been stated above. Therefore if we won’t take any action to uncover the

reasons of this problem, it may create huge effect not just on the part of

the student but for those that awaits in their future. In particular, this

study is conducted to uncover the possible reasons of absenteeism in

Santa Maria National High school and find out how it was developed and

evolve in the learner as well.

Conceptual Framework

This study focuses on how school absenteeism developed and evolved

among high school students. Therefore the researchers aims’ is to

uncover the possible root causes of why the high school students commits

absences. This includes the student,himself, regarding to his own issue,

the environment, pertains to which the student is taken account, the

community, and the family status.

Therefore the researcher make her own conceptual framework of this

study. In this diagram it shows what are the connections of each

variable. The student is been place at the center because, he or she is the

one who makes school absenteeism. There are three variable which is

dependent to the independent variable (student), which are the

environment, community, and family. In this framework it shows the

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relationship of the three dependent variables to the independent

variables, that could cause schools absenteeism.

Schools
Environment

Family status Community

Student

absenteeism

Figure 1. a conceptual framework

Statement of the Problem

This study sought to determine how school absenteeism evolved and

developed among high school students.

Specifically, this study seek to answer the following the questions:

1. What are the common absences done by the student?

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2. What influences does lead the student to commit absences?

3. Why does the student keep on committing absences?

4. What do they feel when they’re not in their class?

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study focuses on how school absenteeism evolves and develop

among the Grade 10 students of Santa Maria National High School with

20 respondents who has a record of 4-5 absences and who are presently

enrolled in A. Y 2019-2020. This study will also cover the reasons of

students absenteeism to further analyze how school absenteeism occurs

among the high school students.

Importance of the Study

The result of this study will benefit the following:

Researchers. For the researcher, this helps her to build her knowledge

on the chosen topic. This study will serve as a basis for the following

related literature for the next researchers who’ll take the same study.

Students: This study will serve as a tool in which the students comes to

know the reasons of students Absenteeism as well as for them to be

aware on the possible effect of committing absenteeism.

Teachers. With the use of this study, the teachers would be able to

identify different motivational techniques or strategies on how they can

boost the students willingness to learn and lessen the act of absenteeism.

Parents. Them, being the direct and baseline of communication in

relation to the child’s absenteeism, this study will provide awareness on

the reasons or influences that might have cause these students

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absenteeism. Furthermore, they will be at their concern in convincing their

child to attend school and protect them form the possible consequences

of their wrong acts.

Definition of terms

Absenteeism- is the regular absences of the child in a school

Environment- it pertains to a place where the formal learning happen

Community- in the study, this pertains to the people who are involve in

the learning

Family status- refers to the level of life were the student is into

Review of Related Literature

The following related literature’s served as the springboard of the

researcher to support the research work.

On the research done by Cameron (2004 cited in Clores 2009) on

school absenteeism at the primary and secondary levels, it suggest that it

is a phenomena with no single cause and effect relationship. Therefore if

we seek for the root causes of absenteeism, we may come up with

different thoughts.

To further discuss the cause and effect of absenteeism, here are the

following researchers done. Kamla- Raj qouted in his article in 2011,

Absenteeism affects the abilities of students which can be reason of

decreasing the grades and as a result of this, students may get failed

and they have to repeat same year level. In addition to that ( Khalid

and Mehmood 2014), the performance of students becomes prominent

and effective when they attend the classes on regular basis.

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Furthermore, students that attend class regularly are more likely to

remember well the information and apply the knowledge effectively

throughout their life ( Crede, Roch and Kieszczynka, 2010). Therefore,

good attendance is maybe the most important and direct sign of the

student’s perception of the effectiveness and usefulness of the lectures

delivered (Khalid and Mehmood 2014) and teachers with good teaching

skills deliver lectures which are organized and structured; have good

communication skills which attract students and shows higher

attendance rates (Hafeez 2014, Indiana: and Achievement 2014).

Chronic absenteeism also strongly predicts school drop out net of

other important factors such as academic achievement (Allensworth and

Eston 2007; Balfanz and Byrnes, 2012; Balfanz, Herzog and mac Iver,

2007; Gotfriend, 2011). Aside from that, the students illness or injury

which cause more than 11 days, means that the illness is not a

sufficient to explain absences ( Balfanz and Byrness, 2012). Aside from

this, there re also causes that range. In surveys, low income

adolescents sometimes cite family obligations such as a need to take

care of young siblings (Balfanz and Byrness, 2012; Youth Justice Board,

2013), or difficulty with transportation to school ( Balfanz and Byrness,

2012) as a reasons for absence. In this cases, this is due to the civil

status of the child. Also, some students report on surveys that poor

relationships with school staff and worries about bullying or safety in

school make them less likely to attend (get schooled and Hart Research

Associates, 2012; Youth board, 2013). Ingul , Klöckner, Silverman, and

Nordahl (2012) found that school absenteeism associated with

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internalizing and externalizing behavior, family work and health, and

school environment.

In conclusion, from this related literature’s, absenteeism has a far-

reaching consequences as well as it is broad from its nature. In

addition, causes of absenteeism can be in different ways, it could be

the students’ personal issue, the school issue, the state of living or the

community. With regards to this study, this reviews will serve as

springboard to locate some various reasons and will be one of the basis

for the possible outcomes of the study on how school absenteeism

occurs on the high school students.

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Chapter II

Methodology

Research Design

The researcher made use of qualitative research design to explore

the nature of schools absenteeism among high school students. The

experience of absenteeism were reduced to a central meaning or the

‘essence’ of the experience ( Moustakas, 1994) and how it evolves and

develop. Specifically the researcher uses phenomenological approach

called descriptive phenomenology, specifically the methods of Collaizi

(1978, as cited in Creswell, 2003; Denzin and Lincoln, 2000; Clores 2009)

in seeking for a thorough description of the meaning and process of the

experience of absenteeism by identifying essential themes.

Population and Locale of the Study

In this study, a total of 20 participants who has a record of 4-5

absences were selected among the Grade 10 students and only those who

are willing to participate. The participants must be a current enrolly at

Santa Maria National High School in the A.Y 2019-2020.

Research Instrument

The researcher made use of personal information sheet and a ready

made questionnaires for the interview.

Data Gathering Procedure

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As the researcher finished gathering information’s about her studies in

some related fields, she then start obtaining relevant information’s and

data for the study. But before the researcher do so, she assure that

whatever data that the participants will provide, she will treat this with

very much confidentiality. In which she assures that the answers of every

participant were saved individually and make sure that she will only be the

person who will treat the data as well as make it secured. This is to avoid

any problems regarding to the participants on the data gathering. The

researcher gathers the data through recorded and written interview. For

the written interview, participants will just provide their personal

information’s. Each interview was carefully recorded and transcribed. After

the data is been gathered, the researcher will now study thoroughly the

responds of the participants. After coming up with the results, the

researcher will now seek advice to the experts, who then give, provide or

guide the researcher on the research work.

Data Analysis

In the analysis of the data, the researcher made use of the editing

analysis style ( Crabtree & Miller, 1999). In searching the meaningful

segments of the data, the researchers acts as the interpreter in which she

carefully read and re-read every transcribed audio to achieve its theme.

Once the segments were identified, the researcher will call upon the

participants to review the outcomes for them to verify if the theme was

right or the other way around. After the themes were analyzed and

reviewed, a category scheme and corresponding codes that can be used

to sort and organize data were developed. Then patterns and structures

that connect the thematic categories were searched for in the data.
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Collaizi’s (1978, as cited in creswell, 2003; Denzin and lincoln, 2000;

Clores 2009) method calls for a final validations of the result by returning

to the participants of the study (i.e member checking) to ensure the

trustworthiness of the study. This was done by asking the same

participants to review and comment on the category scheme and thematic

summaries. And for further review for the results, this was presented to

an educational psychologist.
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Questions for the Interview

1. Why do you absent most often?

2. What do you do when your not in class or in school?

3. Where do you spend your time when your out?

4. What do you feel when you’re not attending your class?

5. Who are you mostly with, when your out in the school?

6. What are you doing when your with them?

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Reference

Absenteeism.doc
www. academia.com
Ijsrp-p6922.pdf
Student absenteeism
www.epi.org
Kelly_Sculles.pdf www.google.com
2016.0125.pdf www.estp.com.tr
Ej1130748.pdf
www.google.com
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Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College

Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur
North Cluster
Dear Student,
I hereby humbly ask your voluntary participation for this study
entitled “A Phenomenological Study about School Absenteeism Among
High School. The aim of this study is to uncover the reason of students
absences which occurs to school absenteeism. With regards to the
information that you are going provide, I will assure you that I will
take that with very much confidentiality, in which I will save every
documents I will have from you securely. If you are willing to
participate please fill the needed information at the back so with your
signature.
Thank you for your cooperation and may god bless you.

Yours truly,
Mary Joy Cañete
BSED-III
ENGLISH
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