THE EFFECT OF ABSENTEEISM ON THE ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE OF THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF

ASSUMPTION ACADEMY

A Research Paper Presented to

JACQUELINE CHULIPA

ASSUMPTION ACADEMY OF MAYOYAO, INC.

Onagol, Poblacion, Mayoyao Ifugao

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements in

Practical Research 2

By:

PADIANGAN, ZYNEAH FRANCES

ATLUNA, FRITZY ANNE

AWATAN, VANESA

MANGILI, BETHEL JOY

LAG-OY, LIGAYA

HU-AG, J-NA

JUGUIAD, AERON KHANE

BAYAONA, CALVIN

NGAYAAN, ELIJAH

GUMAAD, DENVER

August 24,2022
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

Background of the Study------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-2

Statement of the Problem------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2

Objectives of the Study--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

Research Hypothesis ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2-3

Scope and delimitation of the study ------------------------------------------------------------ 3

Significance of the Study------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

Review of Related Literature-------------------------------------------------------------------- 4-12

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework--------------------------------------------------------11-13

CHAPTER TWO

Research Methodology----------------------------------------------------------------------------14-16

References-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16-17

CHAPTER Ⅰ

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Background of the study

The study of absenteeism is very important for every student. Student absenteeism is

defined by Teasly (2004) as a period of time when a student does not attend school has

become major and continuous problem among student. Absenteeism occurs when some

student fails to attend school regularly and their absences affect their academic performance.

Absenteeism has typically been associated with students’ refusal to attend school or with

truancy (Cooper, 1986)’ (Balcazar and Keys, 2003: 916). Absenteeism in one angle view

point is one of the most common causes of degrading performances of the students. George
(2013) in his research discovered that absentees, due to their absence from school usually

repeat classes. Few of them(absentees) manage to struggle in school and they are more likely

had a lack of knowledge for so many things. The World Bank on the February 23 rd, 2011

released a report on Ghana’s education system identifying the high rate of student’s

absenteeism is a major problem in the sector of education. Students who skip schooling will

most likely be unable to meet up the curriculum set for them by the school. In regarding

relationship between student absenteeism and academic achievement, Epstein and Sheldon

(2002) stated that student with absenteeism miss opportunities to learn the material that

enables them to succeed later in school and fall behind in their academic achievements.

School absenteeism is an alarming problem for administrator, teachers, and the

society in general. Therefore, we take responsibility to investigate and find a solution to this

problem from continuing to happen. At the same time, we can know the accurate information

about these problems and can be able to cope up with these problem from the root.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to investigate the factors of absenteeism among the Senior high

school students of Assumption Academy.

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

1.What are the factors that influenced students of not attending school?

2.How often do students commit absence in school?

3.What is the effect of absenteeism on the academic performance of Senior high school

students of Assumption Academy?

Objectives of the study

Based on the research problem, the objective of the study is:

  To find out the reason behind the absences of the Senior high school students of

Assumption Academy

 To be aware of the common factors of being absent

 To find out the possible ways to reduce the rate of absenteeism

 To give suggestions and solutions for further improvement towards absenteeism.

Research Hypothesis

The writer proposed two Hypothesis in this research: Null Hypothesis (Ho) and the

Alternative Hypothesis (Ha).

1.Ha: There is significant relationship between academic performance and absenteeism of the

Senior high school students of Assumption Academy.

2.Ho: There is no significant relationship between academic performance and absenteeism of

the Senior high school students of Assumption Academy.

Scope and delimitation of the study

This study focused on the Effects of absenteeism on the academic performance of the

Senior high school students of Assumption Academy. Out of 200 Senior high school students

of Assumption Academy, 40 students were used as a sample in conducting the survey.

This study limits its coverage on the Senior high school students only. The main

purpose is to investigate the common problems of the students regarding on their absences

and to propose possible solutions on the said problems.

This study considers every aspect of students’ personal information that has an impact

on their academic performances such as their parents educational background, parents

financial, home location and the current situation we are facing right now. Each of the
respondents are given same questionnaires to answer. And this study is focuses on the current

Senior high school students of the present school year, 2022-2023.

Significance of the Study

This study will be undertaken to establish the understanding about the perceived

effect of absenteeism of students in their academic performance.

The study could be beneficial to the following;

Students- this study will be a guide to get them informed about absenteeism and to gain more

research about this in order to provide a deeper understanding of why school attendance is so

important.

Teacher- this given data would help and guide the teachers on what to do with the students

who are always absent and to administrate the class for a better presence of students.

Parents- this study will provide information to the parents for them to be aware and guide to

discipline their daughter/son in not attending classes.

Future researcher- this finding of the study will support further researchers concerning of the

effects of absenteeism to expand their understanding. They can use it as their basis and

pattern for it to have strong foundation.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Absenteeism is complex problem that is influenced by many factors involving the

child, parent, peers, school and the community. In order to understand the impact of

absenteeism, one must look at the problem with a social, psychological, economic, and

political perspective. Within this literature review, the term “absenteeism” is defined.
Research and data concerning the scope of absenteeism is explored. This chapter presents the

relevant literature and studies that the researcher considered in strengthening the claim and

importance of the present study. This literature review explores factors that influence

absenteeism, the theoretical and conceptual framework to fully understand the research to be

done.

Understanding Absenteeism

“Absenteeism in schools is a community, city, district, state, and nation’s problem”

(Mahoney 2015). Absenteeism, according to Merriam-Webster means chronic absence. It is

the habitual or intentional failure from going to school and an ongoing problem in many

universities and phenomenon that is also on the rise in universities worldwide. Absenteeism

is a major problem faced by schools across the country. In New York City, an estimated

150,000 out of 1,000,000 students are absent daily (DeKalb, 2000). Similarly, the Los

Angeles Unified School District reports that 10% of its students are absent daily, and only

half return to school with written (DeKalb,1999). Based on research (Marburger) states that

the absences create a dead tiresome, unpleasant classroom, environment that makes students

who come to class uncomfortable and the lecturer irritable. Absenteeism disturb the dynamic

teaching learning environment and adversely affect the overall well-being of classes (Segal,

2008). Absenteeism is a waste of educational resources, time, human potential and also

causes rework and wasted time for lecturers.

Due to absenteeism, teacher have to reteach the lesson which takes instructional time

away from the students who attend regular classes. They spend extra time over absentee

extra homework and class assignments. It is beyond the planning period of lectures and time

needed to provide individual assistance to students (Weller, 1996). Student miss valuable

information when they are absent from classes. They also missed the interaction, lecturer and
benefits of specific examples which are used to clarify the difficult concepts. They valuable

information cannot be repeated when teacher re-teach lecture to absent students. (Williams,

2001) states that the absences create a dead, tiresome, unpleasant classroom, environment and

adversely affects the overall well-being of classes.

High rates of unexcused absences have been linked to “school disengagement” and

interest in learning more about what chronic absenteeism is, what is known and what can be

done to reduce it will be as high as it has ever been. That makes this an important volume, as

current knowledge and understanding of chronic absenteeism is low. Attendance has been

recorded and reported ever since schooling became universal. Students typically receive

report cards that list total days absent to date, and states have had compulsory school

attendance laws on the books for over a hundred years. It was not until 2016, however, that

the US Department of Education released the first data it ever published on chronic

absenteeism.

How parental involvement in reducing learner Absenteeism

Parents can be a way to reduce student’s absenteeism. According to Garcia and

Thornton (2014) current research shows that the involvement of family in learning helps to

improve student performance, reduce absenteeism and restore parent’s confidence in their

children education. Learners with parents or caregivers who are involved in learners’

education, earn higher grades and test scores, have better social skills and show improved

behavior. Which is something that we as a community and the world at large are in need of,

as it would highly contribute in reducing crime and poverty. Ideally it would help to have a

greater percentage of parental involvement in their children’s education . Parental

involvement in school was deemed unimportant in terms of giving support and monitoring

their children's attendance and performances in school. The findings revealed that parental
involvement in school had a strong negative relationship with absenteeism. This meant that as

parental involvement decreased, absenteeism among students increased. There was a

significant relationship between parental involvement and absenteeism both at home and in

school. Conversely, there was no significant difference on how the students and their parents

perceived parental involvement. As gleaned in the data, both parents and students considered

parental involvement as one of the important factors that enabled the students to pursue their

studies. This study concludes that parental involvement in school and at home is correlated

with absenteeism of the students. Parental involvement at home enables the parents to take

good care of their children and show support in the learners' academic endeavors. Parental

involvement in school also provides a big impression to the students. The presence of the

parents in school boosts self-esteem and self-worth among their children.

Parents can totally be involved by means of follow-ups with their children's subject

teachers in order to identify areas where the children are facing challenges (Clinton & Hattie,

2013:324). Where children fail and got absences parents go to the extent of contacting their

teacher or teacher will be the one to contact, thus, building and strengthening the teacher and

parent relationship which would show their commitment towards their children's learning.

According to Hornby and Lafaele (2011) parental involvement is a significant element in

education and can also be achieved through home-based parental involvement like listening

to the child as they read, helping them in completing their homework as well as school-based

activities, which include attending parents meeting and education workshops. According to

Labahn (1995) parents should also be involved in children’s academic concerns, as this

would improve achievements and serve as motivation.

Learners whose parents are involved, are active and ready to learn, they learn to be

punctual from young age, they learn to be persistent as the parents would be continuously

enquiring about their progress and they would not want to disappoint them. Taking
responsibility becomes a part of the nature of such children as they plan ahead and are able to

do their work according to their schedule, which is the quality of being organized (Sapungan

& Sapungan, 2014:45). Through this, parents can be able to make sure that their children

succeed in school (Hornby & Lafaele, 2011:37). Other include those that are highlighted by

Lemmer (2007:218) which include improved self-esteem, high rate of school attendance and

positive social behavior. Sivertsen (2015) adds that parental involvement is linked to

improved behavior, low levels of absenteeism and optimistic attitude.

Causes for Absences

This review of the literature centers on the causes of students’ absenteeism was

conferred under certain categories. Etsey (2005) stated the causes of students’ absenteeism

could be categorized into four. They are family reason, academic reason, community reason,

and personal characteristic of the student. The first cause of students’ absenteeism is family

reason. In this case, students are not attending their class because their parents are not

permitted them to the class. Their family has several reasons not to permit their children to

the class because they want to go for vacation, attend their family wedding party, or attend

funereal ceremony as well as financial problem. These reasons on the explanation above are

in line with Thornton, Darmody, & Mc Coy (2013) who stated that sometimes Irish family

are not ask their children to go to the class because they want to go holiday. The following

cause of students’ absenteeism is academic reason. This reason involves the teacher,

university administrator or even the atmosphere in the class. In their research, Shute and

Cooper (2015) stated that students attend to the class but they left some activities during the

meeting or left whole meeting. Moreover, Pehlivan (2006) found that the reasons given by

students for non-attendance at lecture were bored at the class, dislike of lessons,

encouragement of friends, and lack of expectations about education. Both of researchers

explained that the finding shows that liking the teacher and their subject also has importance
to the student motivation to attend the classroom. Bad atmosphere of the university and the

class could also become the cause of students to absent the class. This matter could be

happened because of less numbers of supporting facilities in the class, limitation of books in

library, and the internet connection. The level of students’ satisfaction of their university

system and facilities could increase their motivation to not attend the class (Gomleksiz &

Ozdas, 2013). This statement is in line with the statement from Aküzüm, Tan, Yavaş, & Uçar

(2014) that the condition of being dissatisfaction of facilities also becomes the cause of

students’ absenteeism. The next category is from the community of students. The relationship

among one student to their friends also affects students' absence in their class. In this case,

the student will not attend the class because the student get influence from another student. It

is in line with the statement from Altinkurt, that is students want to get internet access on the

cafe, or get influence from another absent student could be affect student to be absent from

their class. The last discussion is the cause of students’ absenteeism because of students’

personal reasons. In this case, students are absent from their class because of several reasons.

Health problem could be the biggest cause of students’ absenteeism. Sometimes students'

health problem makes the student absent from their classroom. Moreover, Teasley (2006)

noted some factors that contribute to student absenteeism such as family health, low income,

transportation problems, and community attitudes towards education. Another cause is, the

distance from students' home to their university and bad condition of the (Ozbas, 2010). In

this case, students could not attend the class because of the difficulty to access their

university, the limitation number of transportations, and bad condition of the weather.

Consequences of Absenteeism

Much like the causes of absenteeism, the consequences are extensive. The

consequences of Absenteeism are far reaching and detrimental to an individual’s personal,

educational as well as employment outcomes. If a student has multiple unexcused absences,

or if absences have a negative effect on a student’s academic achievement, the parents may

be called. Students who have frequent unexcused absences are subject to lower grades, loss of

possibility of not being promoted to the next grade, school service detention. Students who

are frequently absent tend to perform poorly academically, have a difficulty making up

missed assignments, and some have to repeat a grade level. Absentees tend to have a lower

academic aspirations and a lack of connection to the school as well as have difficulty finding

employment without a diploma.. Many schools often punish students for non-attendance

through detention, suspensions, and expulsions (Stone & stone, 2012). Teachers cannot teach

students who are not in attendance” (Mahoney, 2015).

When frequently absent students return to the classroom, they are often met with

irritated teachers, who must dedicate extra time to catch them up to the rest of the class. Other

students who regularly attend may resent this “preferential treatment” the absentee receives

and thus treat the absentee poorly. This behavior may cause the absentee to feel alienated,

which in turn motivates them not to attend. Absenteeism can contribute to a student’s

retention or even social promotion. Social promotion without adequate skill development can

lead to an increase in dropout rates and absenteeism. Absenteeism is prone to risky behaviors

such as drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and/or criminally involved- more so than students

who attend school consistently. Absenteeism has also been identified as one of the leading

precursors to students dropping out of school, which is one of its commonly cited and grave

consequences (Outhouse, 2012).

A cycle of absenteeism can easily emerge, where a student missed the class, and

suffers the consequences related to being absent from school, which in turn, further

aggravates the absenteeism behavior. Many absenteeism may become locked in this pattern

and slowly disengage from their schooling, which may result in leaving school before

graduation.
Solutions to Absenteeism

Considering the serious consequences of absenteeism, there have been a number of

solutions proposed to reduce absences. These strategies include; promoting possible measure

to students’ absenteeism, parental involvement and participation, developing students’

guidance and counseling program, encourage good communication among the school

community and reward students with regular attendance. To curb the problem of students’

absenteeism, principal, teachers, students and families need to have shared understanding of

their education and work as cohorts to meet their anticipated goals.

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the faucet theory, students enhance their skills through

frequent exposure to schooling, and they stop making educational gains once the exposure is

turned off. Hence, students who receive fewer hours of instruction during the school year are

disadvantaged in their learning, receive lower grades, perform more poorly on exams, and are

more likely to drop out after compulsory schooling. Support for this argument comes from

empirical studies showing that more time spent on instruction in the classroom is associated

with better academic achievement. Students frequently absent from school may also feel less

integrated into their class and struggle to participate in classroom activities and interactions

with peers and teachers, which is harmful to their learning. While missing out on school, peer

interactions and directed learning and instruction are crucial for understanding negative

associations between school absence and academic achievement, it is also important to

consider why students are absent from school. Investigating specific reasons for absenteeism
may help us understand whether other mechanisms are at play in accounting for these

negative associations as well as motivating them.

Previous research studies by De Leonibus (1978) suggest that student absenteeism

and lack of motivation are intertwined. Educators have begun to investigate the theories of

motivation in order to apply them to create policies in an attempt to reduce the problem of

student absenteeism. Motivation is usually considered as being related to human needs, which

in turn motivates behavior. Ames (1990) views motivation as a process aimed at creating

motivational thought patterns that contribute to self-regulating action. Students are motivated

for different reasons. Motivation isn't synonymous with achievement, but a positive feeling of

self-worth that is a strong motivational construct. Ames defines self-worth as an expectation

or belief that one is capable of performing a specific task, organizing and carrying out

required behaviors in a situation.

 CHAPTER II

Research Methodology

This chapter represents the research design, respondents of the study, sampling

techniques, instrumentation, data analysis and procedure and Ethical consideration.

Research Design

This research was conducted through mixed-method research. The researchers

intended to study the problem in-depth covering all aspects of the phenomenon. For that the

best design includes both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data were collected

through descriptive research design. Since the researchers strived to explore the possible

factors of absenteeism, this descriptive research was more into exploratory design.

Samples and Sampling Procedure

Among the 200 population of the Senior High School students coming from Grade 11

and 12 who are currently enrolled in Assumption Academy for the A.Y 2022-2023, the

researchers selected 40 respondents who often experienced absences in the school using

simple random sampling. This research applied through asking question from the respondents

and searching some information form the internet.

Research Environment
 The locale of this study is in Assumption Academy Mayoyao Inc. which is located in

Poblacion, Mayoyao, Ifugao. The respondents interviewed to their respective classroom. The

study conducted in the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023.

Data Analysis and Procedures

The data gathering procedures to be used in the study are the following:

1. Questionnaire form. This instrument was structured to determine the evidences on the

effects of absenteeism to school and individual performances and also its causes whether it

would be a self-inquiry or family problem were also listed in different sets.

2. Survey Questionnaire. This instrument will be used to determine the performances of the

student who has frequent absences to his classes and his contribution to school performance.

The collected data by different tools were analyzed and interpreted qualitatively and

quantitatively. The results of this study were based on literature review and the response

collected from students through questionnaires. The response rate was appropriate in order to

analyze the data. This has been done by the help of descriptive statements and through in-

depth explanation based on the response of the respondents.

Research Instrument

In this study, the researcher will be using the questionnaire. The questionnaire is a set

of orderly arranged questions carefully prepared to answer by the selected respondents

designed to collect facts and informations. We used Objective response questions and Likert

Scale Method in the survey questionnaires to specify the level of agreement of the

respondents to the statement.

Ethical Consideration
 The researcher will apply the principles of ethical considerations developed by

Bryman and Bell (2007). In regard to the involvement to this study, the participants will not

be subjected to harm in many ways. Prior to the study, full consent will be obtained from the

participants, the Senior Highschool Students of Assumption Academy. In addition, the

protection of the privacy of research participants will be ensured. Voluntary participation of

respondents in the research will be treated very important. Moreover, they have rights to

withdraw from the study at any stage if they wish to do so.

REFERENCES

Elaine Allensworth, Robert Balfanz, Todd Rogers, Johannes Demarzi Harvard

Education Press, 2021

Etsey, K. (2005). Student absenteeism.

Educational Research for Policy and Practice 20 (2), 125-143, 2021.

Teasley, M. L. (2004). Absenteeism and truancy: Risk, protection, and best

practice .implications for school social workers. Children & Schools, 26(2), 117-128.

Cooper, M. (1986). A model of persistent school absenteeism. Educational

Research, 28(1), 14-20.

Gottfried, M. A., Le, V. N., & Kirksey, J. J. (2020). Disparities across time: Exploring

absenteeism patterns between cohorts of students with disabilities. Teachers College

Record, 122(11), 1-32.

Mahoney, J. (2015). Daily, monthly, yearly attendance data charts: Improved

attendance equals improved achievement scores. Children & Schools, 37(2), 125-128.

Mahoney, J. (2015). Daily, monthly, yearly attendance data charts: Improved

attendance equals improved achievement scores. Children & Schools, 37(2), 125-128.

Goldstein, J. S., Little, S. G., & Akin-Little, K. A. (2003). Absenteeism: A review of the

literature and school psychology’s role. The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 127-

139.

Goldstein, J. S., Little, S. G., & Akin-Little, K. A. (2003). Absenteeism: A review of the

literature and school psychology’s role. The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 127-

139.

Segal, J. A. (2008). Encouraging Absenteeism. HR Mag., Oct, 106-108.

Wadesango, Newman, and Severino Machingambi. "Causes and structural effects of

student absenteeism: a case study of three South African Universities." Journal of

Social Sciences 26, no. 2 (2011): 89-97.

 QUESTIONNAIRES

Answer the following questions:

I- Objective response questions

1. What are the common causes of absences done by the students in terms of;

a. Self-inquiry

b. Family Problem

2. What are the effects of absenteeism as grouped according to;

a. Students Learning Performance

b. School Performance

II- Likert scale method

Put a check mark on the corresponding number that rates the common causes of absenteeism
when he is regularly absent on the blank provided.

5 - ALWAYS 4 - VERY OFTEN 3 - SOMETIMES 2 - RARELY 1 - NEVER

C ALWAYS VERY SOMETIMES RARELY NEVER
(5) OFTEN (3) (2) (1)
(4)
A. Physical Factor
1. It’s unsafe to go to
school.
2. Nobody accompanies
me in going to school
since it is far.
B. Health
1. I have a toothache
2. My stomach hurts
3. I have a headache
4. I’m down with
fever/flu
5. I have other diseases
like diarrhea, etc.
C. Personal Attitude
1. I’m not interested in
my studies
2. I feel lazy
3. My friends influence
me to be absent
from my classes
4. I can’t concentrate in
my studies
5.I did not wake up early
6.I did not study/make
my assignment the night
before.
D. Teacher-Related
Factors
1. My teacher scolded
me
2. I can’t understand my
teacher’s lesson
3. I don’t like my teacher
E. Classroom
Atmosphere
1. Our classroom is hot
and uncomfortable
2. It’s noisy inside our
class
3. A
classmate/classmates
bully me
4. I have no friends in
our class
F. Home-Related
 Factors
1. My parents don’t care
about my studies
2. I’m too pre-occupied
with household chores
3. I have no money to
buy snacks in school

5 - EXELLENT 4 – VERY GOOD 3 – GOOD 2 – FAIR 1 - POOR

EXCELLENT VERY GOOD GOOD FAIR POOR

(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

The student’s
participation to oral
discussions

Performance in
group works

Scores in Quizzes

Techniques in
coping up

Social relations
with Teachers

Social relations
with classmates

Contribution to
lesson application

General Average

Speed of analysis
and comprehension