Factors Affecting Truancy Problems Among School Students in Malaysia

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Factors Affecting Truancy Problems Among School Students In Malaysia

Article · March 2023


DOI: 10.35631/IJEPC.849011

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Volume 8 Issue 49 (March 2023) PP. 150-163
DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF
EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY
AND COUNSELLING
(IJEPC)
www.ijepc.com

FACTORS AFFECTING TRUANCY PROBLEMS AMONG


SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Bibi Noraini Mohd Yusuf 1* , Razinda Tasnim Abd. Rahim2 , Syagul Yuhanis Mohd Yusof 3
1 Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis, Malaysia
Email: bibinoraini@kuips.edu.my
2 Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis, Malaysia
Email: razindatasnim@kuips.edu.my
3 Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Santan, Perlis, Malaysia
Email: rba0029@mou.edu.my
* Corresponding Author

Article Info: Abstract:


Truancy among school students, both in primary and secondary
Article history:
schools, is a common main discipline problem faced by any
Received date: 05.01.2023
educational institutions. The problem is not only confined
Revised date: 01.02.2023
domestically but is a global phenomenon facing the educational
Accepted date: 24.02.2023
institutions, which needs to be concertedly addressed by the school’s
Published date: 09.03.2023
management, community, educationist, and the government. The
To cite this document: primary aim of this research is to understand the factors causing
truancy problems among school students in Malaysia. The pivotal
Yusuf, B. N. M., Rahim, R. T. A., &
approach is to review on past research studies from established and
Yusof, S. Y. M. (2023). Factors reliable journal databases, research articles, and online news related
Affecting Truancy Problems Among
to this topic. There are five (5) main factors and causes of truancy
School Students In Malaysia.
problems, these being student’s attitude, peers influence, parents,
International Journal of Education, teachers, and lastly mental disorders. The results of this study can be
Psychology and Counseling, 8 (49),
taken as useful guidelines in understanding truancies in Malaysian
150-163.
schools, thereby enabling all stakeholders, educationists, and non -
educationists, to collaboratively articulate proper plans to manage
DOI: 10.35631/IJEPC.849011
and address future truancy problems not only in schools but also in
This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0 the educational fraternity.

Keywords:

Factors Affecting Truancy, Student’s Attitude, Peers Influence, Parents,


Teachers and Mental Disorders.

Copyright © GLOBAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (M) SDN BHD - All rights reserved
150
Volume 8 Issue 49 (March 2023) PP. 150-163
DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011
Introduction
Truancy, such as skipping classes or early dropping out among students, do occur in any
educational institutions, be it schools, colleges, or universities. If this is not addressed properly,
it could escalate into unfavorable implications on the learning process of the students’
themselves. Truancy is one of the typical disciplinary problems faced by any educational
institutions, whether these are in the city or outside the city. The term “truancy” is defined as
the act of not attending a class without a reasonable reason. Symptoms of truancy ought to be
given serious attention because this problem also has an impact on student’s achievement with
negative ramifications upon reaching adulthood or the society. Past research studies have
identified three (3) main factors that have caused truancy, these being student’s attitudes,
family relationship factors, and the environment in the school itself (Baker, Ariffin, Ridzuan,
Sallehudin, Liaw and Mohd Zainol, 2020). Besides this, there are other factors that also affect
skipping school symptoms, such as the negative influence of their peers who skip schools (Mat
Nor, Hamzah and Junus, 2012) and that of Vidyakala and Priya (2015), who cited financial
problems, poor school environment, transportation problems to school, and lastly concerns of
the community that differ according to different community, as being factors that have caused
truancy symptoms among school students.

There are umpteen statistical data regarding truancy problems among school students in
Malaysia. The Johor State Education Department (Daily News, 2019) reported a total of 3,992
cases of truancy involving primary and secondary school students in the state; The Director of
the State Education Department, Negeri Sembilan (Daily News, 2019), reported a total of
10,154 cases of student discipline problems and out of which, a total of 7,709 cases involved
truancy cases in Negeri Sembilan for the year 2019. Meanwhile in Kedah, the Kedah State
Education Department registered a total of 14,000 primary and secondary school students
skipping school classes in the state in 2019 (Sinar Harian, 2020). Skipping school means
running away from responsibilities without permission. This phenomenon occurs not only
involving male students but also of female students in schools nationwide. There are two broad
categories of truancy in schools, firstly it refers to truancy of not attending school at all and the
second category is truancy of attending school but not attending class, even when the teacher
is teaching.The causes or factors of truancy may vary from individual to individual and need to be
understood before articulating the most effective means of controlling truancy. Although
researchs in this area are increasing, most findings are confined to small scale studies or limited
geographical coverage, which are not representative of the overall Malaysian school’s
population.

Truancy accounts for the highest student discipline problems among schools throughout the
year. Students who are involved with truancy problems need to be properly counselled as
they are prone to, or it is feared that they will be involved with negative and bad elements
outside of school (Kearney, 2019). It could also expose students to criminal cases, as for
example, the State of Perlis recorded a total of 36 criminal cases involving school students
in 2015, with 73 criminal cases recorded in 2014 (Bernama.com, 2015). As a result of an
increased and wide-spread number of cases, parents are always advised to closely monitor
their children's activities, especially in terms of attendance in schools. The parental role of
parents on the importance of their children's education is the main factor that motivates and
influences a student's attitude at school. According to the statistics of one of the primary
schools in Perlis, Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Perlis, out of the total number of 800 students

Copyright © GLOBAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (M) SDN BHD - All rights reserved
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DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011
ranging from Years One to Six, an average of 50 students have been found to be absent from
attending the said school every day (Astro Awani, 2016).

The problem of truancy in Malaysian schools recorded the highest for the year 2017. Table
1 highlights the country’s matrix on ten disciplinary misconducts of school students for 2017
and the highest misconduct recorded was truancy involving 67,053 students (1.40%) out of
nearly five (5) million students from the data base of both primary and secondary schools
nationwide (Astro Awani, 2017).

Table 1: Misconduct of School Student Disciplines in 2017

In a previous study conducted by Mohamad Amin et al. (2019), it was observed that there was
an increase of 16.8% (1,365 students) in the number of students truancy in the State of Perlis
involving teenagers, from 8,116 students (2012) to 9,481 students (2017). Most of the students
involved in truancy came from schools located in the suburbs, where students who lived in the
suburbs often faced problems in terms of poor living environment, family socioeconomics and
socializing between friends. Most of these parents were from the low-income category with
many supporting school-bound children and thus, financially could not provide adequate
expenses to support the large number of children. One of the options available to ease the
financial burden borne by their parents, was that these students were willing to quit schools
and work on part time basis to earn money to meet their daily expenses (Smerillo et al., 2018).
The problem of truancy is not a new phenomenon in the education sector in Malaysia. This
problem has never subsided despite been discussed regularly by educationists, school
management, and parental groups from time to time. The gravity of such problem has been sub
dued but remains as totally unsolved and is getting more serious. Reports of students leaving
classes while studying are bad news since today's generation of students are the country’s future
leaders and those being the country's catalyst for development.

Literature Review
Skipping school is one of the main disciplinary problems that is becoming more apparent over
the years and a myriad of factors that cause students to skip classes can be narrowed down to
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three (3) crucial parties, from teachers, from the students themselves (such as attitudes and
peers), and lastly from parents (greatly influence the students involved in the symptoms of
school truancy). Symptoms of truancy usually occur due to peer factors, family factors,
teachers’ attitudes, personal factors, and school facilities (Baker, 2020; Gase et al, 2016). In
addition, poor school environment factors, ineffective school management and inadequate
school infrastructures can also cause students to be involved in the symptoms of truancy. It has
been the teachers’ perception that laziness as being the main factor causing students to skip
schools. Counseling sessions and motivational camps are often being held, such as the
“Skipping Zero” program, to overcome the problems of skipping schools. Healthy and
beneficial school activities need to be developed in schools for students to rejuvenate their
interest towards attending schools. Students are indeed easily influenced by activities that they
are not used to doing in the past. Most students easily feel stressed and having no specific idea
on what to do next when they are alone at home or at schools. In overcoming these problems
and as a way out, they prefer to be on their own, being seclucive, or prefer to be in solitary
confinement, which may prompt them to run away from the school atmosphere or to engage in
activities that are not beneficial to or those that are harmful to them. In addition, there are also
students who prefer to spend time hanging out and socializing with teenagers who have
dropped out of schools (Santibanez and Guarino, 2021).

Students Attitude Factor


Student attitude is one of the main factors causing truancy in schools. Among the reasons cited
by students for not attending schools are due to waking up very late in the morning, worrying
about being late to school, not obtaining a doctor's medical confirmation letter for the illness,
and not being able to fully focus during learning sessions at schools. Skipping school has a lot
of negative ramifications on students and opens space for other negative behavior attributes
such as smoking, drug abuse, bullying, and other negative elements to seep into their minds.
The problem of skipping schools will also cause problems with the quality of learning
outcomes for the students, they are prone to being drop-outs towards later stages, and failure
in sitting for school exams. In addition, a previous study by Ungar et al. (2019) states that a
factor of students skipping school is due to the family's poor economic situation. The
unwavering economic environment and sub-par social conditions in the family expose a high
risk of students and great tendency in skipping schools.

Peer Factor
The peer factor is a factor that influences the symptoms of school truancy among students.
Things that are new for a student usually have a connection with the actions of other friends.
If a student does not concur with the behavior of their friends, the student will feel worried and
may not be well accepted by their friends. So being an accepted member of a group is a way to
achieve the student's objective. The consequences of dropping out of school midway will make
it difficult for students to find a steady job or a prospective career elsewhere and will eventually
increase the unemployment rate in the country. However, a study by Nosiah (2014) also looked
at other factors that caused students to skip schools, such as student attitudes, peers, family,
school atmosphere, teachers, environment, and student discipline management skills.
According to Muhammed Sharif Mustaffa et al. (2012) the primary cause of school truancy
among students is the peer factor, followed by other secondary causes, such as family
relationships, personal, teacher’s attitude, and school infrastructures.

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Parents Factor
The findings of this study show that most of the respondents came from family backgrounds
with low to moderate socio-economic status. Most researchers admit that the main factor that
causes truancy among students is caused by family factors (Wulandari, 2018). The results of
previous studies have discussed that parent as being one of the several factors that influence
the occurrence of the problem of skipping school behavior among teenagers. In referring to the
study by Ting Len and Muhamad Sidek (2007), the problem of truancy is often associated with
parental factors, teacher's teaching, lesser interactions between teachers and students,
classrooms that are not conducive, negative influences from the environment, and the
composition of too many students in the classrooms.

Teachers Factor
Nawawi et al. (2017) has linked both Emotional Conditioning Theory and Social Learning
Theory (ECSLT) with the symptoms of school truancy. Based on the ECSLT, students will
react with various fearful emotions whenever they see their disciplinary teachers publicly
punishing students who skip schools. The effect of these emotional fears will cause students to
refrain from attending schools for fear of facing similar punishment or facing the disciplinary
teacher. Teachers and students should have a close interpersonal relationship. The method of
reprimanding students who are involved in disciplinary problems, especially truancy, needs to
be reviewed by the teachers and the school (Md Akhir, Matderis and Kamaludin, 2019). The
teacher's teaching style in the classroom is a component or element that ensures the existence
of a desire to learn more among students. There are studies proving that moral problems that
exist among students are linked to the effectiveness of teachers' teaching in schools. In
Asmawati Suhid, Abdul Rahman Md. Aroff and Norliana Kamal (2012), the teacher's factor is
one of the reasons for student truancy. Based on the teacher's influence, respondents explained
that the teaching method was boring and ineffective, recording the highest mean value
compared to other factors. A teacher who is ill-prepared, ill-equipped with proper teaching
materials or incompetent to teach will create a sense of boredom among students and the
teacher's unattractive teaching style will cause students to be less interested in learning. The
prospect of absenteeism is high and without suitable qualifications may exacerbate concerns
on their employment opportunities in the challenging and dynamic, but yet dampening,
economic enviroment. In addition, a study by Ainonmadiah et al. (2016) showed that the
teacher's teaching style in the classroom is an important component that ensures the existence
of an interest in learning among students. There are empirical studies proving that moral
problems, such as truancy among students, are directly linked to the effectiveness of teachers'
teaching at school.

Mental Health Factor


Based on previous studies, mental disorders are also one of the causes of absenteeism in school
among students. Yong Kang Cheah, Chee Cheong Kee, Kuang Hock Lim and Mohd Azahadi
Omar (2021) pointed to positive relationships between the possibility of truancy with
symptoms of severe anxiety and depression, suicidal ideation, grade level, male, having a single
parent, rural areas, smoking, drinking, and using illegal drugs. The increasing percentage of
mental disorders among school students has also increased arising from changes in times and
lifestyles. According to the Institute for Public Health (2012-2017), the percentage of students
experiencing emotional stress has increased from 17.7% to 18.3% for the years 2012 to 2017
respectively. Students experiencing mental disorders indeed have a significant relationship
with school’s failure. This is evident from previous reports stating that students with mental
Copyright © GLOBAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (M) SDN BHD - All rights reserved
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DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011
disorders tend to skip schools several times compared to students who are mentally and
physically healthy (Burton et al, 2014 and Gubbles et al, 2019). The numbers of studies
regarding the relationships between mental health and truancy rates among students are still
lacking. This is reinforced when previous studies have only studied a few specific topics and
the scope is focused to limited topics. For example, the study by Kaur et al., (2014) only
examined factors related to mental health disorders, while the study by Mahmud et al. (2019)
focused on the factors that cause truancy symptoms but did not involve studies on mental
disorder variables.

Theoretical Framework
There are a myriad of theories linking the problems of truancy among students. In relation to
this research paper, the Researchers will discuss only two theories, firstly the Social Structure
Theory, and secondly the Choice Theory. In Social Structure Theory (Shaw and McKay, 1969),
it assumes that a child whose life involves a disorganized structure fosters the occurrence of
juvenile delinquency. Among the indicators of disorganized structures are high poverty rates,
high ethnic heterogeneity, and high mobility. The Choice Theory, as discussed by Ruohollahi
(2016), touches on external psychology where people try to obtain what they want from other
people every day. A typical example is the need for freedom, one of the five basic needs built
into the human genome, leading to a vicious circle of force on the one hand and resistance on
the other. The Choice Theory was initially introduced by William Glasser in 1999, where the
most important needs that every person should possess are affection, love, and belonging.
These needs are desired so that anyone can meet their needs. It can simultaneously help
everyone to have certain closeness or feeling of connection with family, friends, and
acquaintances they love as well avoiding them from falling into negative elements.

Discussion and Recommendation


There five (5) main factors that cause students to skip schools, namely student’s attitude, peer
influence, parent factors, teacher, and mental disorders. In facilitating wider public interests
and reader's understanding, the researchers summarizes down below the results of the previous
study as in Table 2.

Researchers/Titles/Year Findings
Jos´e-Julian, Escario, J. Ignacio Gim´enez- • Cyberbullying and parenting styles play
Nadal, Anna V. Wilkinson. (2022). Predictors of important roles in students' decision on
adolescent truancy: The importance of truancy.
cyberbullying, peer behavior, and parenting • Peers play an important role in
style. Children and Youth Services Review. 143 influencing students to skip schools.
(2022) 106692.

Abdul-Aziz Seidu, Francis Arthur-Holmes, • There is a highly significant relationship


Ebenezer Agbaglo, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah. between truancy and mental disorders,
(2022). Truancy: How food insecurity, parental including being involved in smoking,
supervision, and other factors influence school drinking alcohol, getting involved in
attendance of adolescents in Seychelles. fights, being bullied, going hungry, and
having been attacked by peers.
Children and Youth Services Review. 135 (2022)
• Parents who do not monitor their
106377.
children's activities may lead to truancy
among students.
Copyright © GLOBAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (M) SDN BHD - All rights reserved
155
Volume 8 Issue 49 (March 2023) PP. 150-163
DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011

Stephen Filkin, Dara Mojtahedi, Dominic • Tired of attending classes where the
Willmott. (2022). Motivations for adolescent teacher's teaching methods are not
offending and truancy from school: retrospective interesting.
interviews with adults recently released from a • Peer influence for truancy.
custodial prison sentence in England. Heliyon 8 • Mental disorders leading to involvement
(2022) e09762. in crimes, such as drinking alcohol,
robbing, smoking, and selling drugs.

Derrick Nyantakyi Owusu, Kenneth Owusu • Truancy is synonymous with mental


Ansah, Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey, Henry Ofori disorders, being bullied in schools.
Duah, Pascal Agbadi. (2022). Bullying and
truancy amongst school-going adolescents in
Timor-Leste: results from the 2015 global
school-based health survey. Heliyon 8 (2022)
e08797.

Tuomo Virtanen, Kati Vasalampi, Marja- • Skipping schools and not completing
Kristiina Lerkkanen, Jenni Pelkonen, Anna- studies at the school levels are associated
Maija Poikkeus. (2022). Stability of social with social support, which is the
support during school transitions: Associations influence of parents and school friends.
with truancy and not completing upper
secondary education in normative time.
Learning and Instruction. 82 (2022) 101663.

Mat Min, R., Brahim, S. S., Mohd Yusoff, R. A., • Self and relationship with others.
& Ramley, F. (2022).
Truancy among school children: Reasons and
counselling experiences. Journal of
Nusantara Studies, 7 (1), 79 – 99.
http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp79-
99

T.E. Virtanen, E. Raikkonen, M.C. Engels, K. • Symptoms of truancy are related to the
Vasalampi, M.-K. Lerkkanen. (2021). Student student's own attitude, which is losing
engagement, truancy, and cynicism: A interest in learning.
longitudinal study from primary school to upper
secondary education. Learning and Individual
Differences. 86 (2021) 101972.

Baker, R., Ariffin, N.M., Ridzuan, A.A., • Student’s attitude.


Sallehuddin, H. Jessica, O.H.L., and Mohd. • Family relationships.
Zainol, N.A. (2020). Faktor-Faktor Yang • School environment has a significant
Mempengaruhi Gejala Ponteng Sekolah: Satu relationship with the symptoms of
Kajian Di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan truancy among students.
Pengkalan Chepa Kota Bharu, Kelantan.
Persidangan Antarabangsa Sains Sosial dan
Copyright © GLOBAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (M) SDN BHD - All rights reserved
156
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DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011
Kemanusiaan ke-5 (PASAK5 2020) – Dalam
Talian 24 & 25 November 2020. e-ISBN: 978
967 2122 90 6
Dong Ha Kim. (2020). Applying the social- • Absentism from schools by male
ecological framework on the pattern of students is more than female students.
longitudinal trajectory of truancy in South • Students who skip schools are made up
Korean adolescents. Children and Youth of those who have high emotional
Services Review. 119 (2020) 105511. pressure.
• Lack of parental love and poverty,
driving truancy among students.
• Influence of peers who have disciplinary
problems is significant with truancy
symptoms.
• Students who do not observe school
rules, have poor relationships with
teachers, and are less involved in healthy
activities at schools, tend to skip
schools.

Aqeel, M. and Rehna, T. (2020). Association • Good parenting care can enhance
among school refusal behavior, self-esteem, children's motivation to attend schools
parental school involvement and aggression in and avoid truancy symptoms.
punctual and truant school-going adolescents: a • Male students are more likely to skip
multilevel analysis. International Journal of schools.
Human Rights in Healthcare, 13 (5), pp. 385-
404. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-06-2020-
0041.
Lukman Hakim, M.A. (2019). Masalah • Good parenting.
kecelaruan tingkah-laku: Ponteng Sekolah. • Teacher as a tutor.
International Journal of Humanities, • Family problems faced by students.
Management and Social Sciences. 2(1). Pp. 51-
64.
Laurine B. van der Woude, Trudy van der • Truancy has a positive relationship with
Stouwe, Geert Jan J.M. Stams. (2017). unmanaged home conditions and care
Differences between risk factors for truancy and given by parents to children.
delinquency in Dutch adolescents. Children and
Youth Services Review. 73 (2017) 9–14.
Norzawati Yoep, Leni Tupang, Ahmad Nazri Jai, • The factors associated with truancy were
Lim Kuang Kuay, Faizah Paiwai and Noor current smoker.
Safiza Mohd Nor. (2016). • Current drug user.
Prevalence of Truancy and Its Associated • Current alcohol use.
Factors among School-Going Malaysian • Having been bullied.
Adolescents: Data from Global School-Based • Not currently live with both parents.
Health Survey 2012. Psychology, 7, 1053-1060.
Tai, S.S., & Ah, S.H. (2016). The untold truancy • Skip classes, sneak out of the school, stay
stories: a case study in Malaysia. DOI out late.
10.22452/MJSA.VOL12NO1.4 • Look for ways to make money during
school hours.
• Take drugs, steal and rob.
Copyright © GLOBAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (M) SDN BHD - All rights reserved
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DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011
• Break into shops or houses.
• Waste their time hanging around looking
for mischief.

Table 2: Past Studies Related to Factors That Affect Skipping of Schools by Students.

It has been observed that students are less interested in learning, which leads to them in
skipping schools. This is significant with previous study outcomes by Keppens & Spruyt
(2018) and Krannich et al. (2019), both stating that skipping school classes is positively related
to student’s attitude and interest in learning, and even some students have to repeat
grades/studies because they failed in learning. Previous studies have also associated truancy
with the cognitive level of the students themselves. Mihalec-Adkins et al. (2020) in their study
found that factors such as motivation, implications, and efforts of students to excel in
academics, have a positive relationship with truancy. In other words, students with academic
excellence will always be highly motivated to attend schools. The second factor of students
skipping school, is due to peer influence. The influence of their peers will affect students being
truant and previous studies also found that peer influence is also significant with the number
of days students are truant (Borderias, 2015). Fears of not being accepted by their peers (who
coincidently are also school dropouts) require them to emulate feats or activities of their peers,
where such feats or activities are deemed unbeneficial to them.

Apart from that, parents also influence in escalating truancy problems in schools. Lack of
parental care, financial difficulties, and large family in house are few of the magnitude of
factors in this theme. Next, factor number four, it has been observed that truancy is also
influenced by teacher’s factor. Poor learning methods and the uncomfortable learning
environment at schools do have significant influence for students to skip schools. In addition,
students who are punished, such as from disciplinary problems, also cause them to skip schools.
Disciplinary problems are more associated with male students than female students and this
situation is significant with previous studies stating that male student’s miss classes the most
than their female counterparts (Salzer, 2012; Gubblers, 2019). Although there are studies
stating that more male students skip schools, it does not mean that there are no cases of skipping
schools among female students. Maynard et al., 2017’s study found a positive relationship
between truancy and female students. The last factor highlights that mental disorders have been
known to cause truancy problems among students in schools. Mental disorders are associated
with emotional stress, nervousness to go to school, and being bullied at schools (Pengpid &
Peltzer, 2019; Morin et al., 2018). In addition, a previous study by Askeland et al. (2020) also
echoed the same findings, where students with stress problems are at a very high risk of
skipping schools as this factor is closely related to the student's own mental health.

Conclusion
Truancy is a social disease across a wide spectrum of industries, not limited to education. There
are also truancies at workplaces, at business or non-business organizations or even in our local
communities and homes. Although the types of truancy in each spectrum may differ in forms,
the magnitude of these problems collectively points towards a future troubled society and an
unsafe living environment, if not addressed properly and timely. Truancy in schools could not
be eliminated in its entirety but with proper plans could be curtailed. It is thus our
recommendation that collaborative efforts by educationists and non-educationists, parents,
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DOI 10.35631/IJEPC.849011
teachers, communities, and the government ought to be mustered towards having a concerted
Master Plan in managing truancies in the educational fraternity. There must be a strong will by
all walks of life to muster our efforts to curtail truancies in schools.

Limitations of Research Study


This research study is merely a review with limited scope, where secondary data is obtained
from a multitude of online sources, including online databases of journals, online articles, and
online news bulletins. Future studies should appropriately involve primary data collection
methodology, either qualitatively or quantitatively, and spanning over a wider geographical
coverage of schools in Malaysia. The literature review that has been carried out observed
common factors such as mental disorders, stress, and emotional disorders as having profound
effect on truancy among students in school. As such, expanded studies on how to overcome
these truancy problems need to be undertaken for value-added knowledge in this specific study
scope.

Acknowledgement
This research initiative was greatly supported and financed by Faizuddin Centre of Educational
Excellence (FCoEE), by way of a Short-Term Research Grant Scheme. It is thus our sincere
thanks and great appreciation to FCoEE and Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPs) for the said
grant, as well as to the management and staff of FCoEE, and lastly to the Research Management
and Innovation Centre (KUIPs) for the varied forms of assistance (directly or indirectly, and
supervisory or non-supervisory), guidance’s, inputs, and advice given. These have propelled
us to initiate our research study, helping us in making the proper observations, and finally in
completing the write-ups until we have reached the finishing line. We would also like to take
this golden opportunity to express our utmost gratitude too to other parties than above, directly,
or indirectly, who have greatly helped us in this research, for the completing our study.

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