Student absenteeism in secondary schools has received international academic attention for quite some time. Absenteeism has been linked to diminished academic outcomes and is one of the leading causes of high school dropout. Although absenteeism is a serious concern for educational scholars, the definitions of absences and their subtypes are…

This paper has been written specifically from two perspectives. First, because of the research and professional activity carried out by the author in the field for over forty years. Second, as a consequence of the author chairing the National Behaviour and Attendance Review (NBAR) in Wales and writing the subsequent Report (NBAR 2008), as well as…

Unauthorized absence from school, commonly labelled truancy, absenteeism, and dropout, is a problem that has been increasingly noted in recent years by the National Agency for Education, county councils, communities, and media in Sweden. It is also a prioritized issue in Europe and worldwide. Many students leave school without credentials or a…

This paper presents new evidence obtained from an empirical study which used three distinct groups of professionals engaged in the attempt to "brainstorm" reasons for pupils' non-attendance. The evidence suggests that the "causes" of pupils' non-attendance can be sub-divided into three main fields: pupils who dislike coming to…

This paper suggests that rather than criminalising or pathologising truancy as a "deviant" behaviour in need of either treatment or punishment, truancy should be considered as a rational enactment of dissatisfaction with State educational provision. It should be of little surprise that attempts to "solve" the truancy…

This paper explores the way in which truancy levels are structured by individual social class and the social mix of the school within the Republic of Ireland, where limited research is available on the relationship between truancy and student outcomes. Drawing on a national survey of young people, truancy levels were found to be higher among…

Examines four models of explanation for truancy and suggests that the three that rely upon individual or social pathologies are too simplistic. States that a new approach to truancy that gives attention to the schools' contribution and that recognizes the opinions of parents and truants is required. (NRJ)

This study describes the truancy and disciplinary problems of high school bullying victims in the USA. Analyses are based on data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, a nationally representative sample of 10th graders (students aged 14-15) in the USA. Being bullied is found to be positively associated with increased risk of being…

Self-identity dimensions of 22 adolescent school refusers (non-attendees whose parents are aware of the situation) and 45 disruptive truants are described and compared. The way these absentees perceive parents and teachers and how they feel these individuals report to others are shown to be important factors in the management of school…

In this study, the data suggest that rising unemployment increases pupil motivation and thereby acts as an instrument of social control in schools as well as in the labor market; less equivocally, the data challenge current arguments alleging the demotivating and demoralizing effect of unemployment on school pupils. (Author/CT)

Twenty-six teachers from 10 special teaching units in Southeast England completed a questionnaire indicating that (1) they clearly distinguished between school refusers and truants and (2) teacher ratings of students' self-esteem, stability, attitudes, and other characteristics differed from self-reported ratings of school refusers and truants.…

Questionnaires administered to 190 children, ages 9-14, including persistent absentees, measured students' anxiety levels and relationships with parents, teachers, and peers. Academic-ability and parent-status data were gathered from school records. A multiple regression analysis was used to determine the predictive efficiency of these variables…

Mean attendance and truancy rates for 879 Glamorgan pupils were 91.95 and 1.72 percent, respectively. Sex differences were insignificant, but both rates varied seasonally, with Autumn term the best attended. A 'day of the week' effect occurred, with absenteeism rising toward Friday. Other English data are compared. (Author/SJL)

Describes a pilot project for pupil tutoring in which six "persistent truants" (aged 15 plus) were placed in a primary school to tutor 12 children ages five through eight who had been identified as "slow learners" by their teacher. (Author/CT)

Using 1976-77 data on truants aged 14 and under in Sheffield, England, this study examined characteristics of poor attenders and compared the effects on subsequent school attendance of three intervention strategies: calling parents before a school attendance board; prosecuting parents in magistrates court; or taking action through juvenile court.…