Causes of Absenteeism among Grades V and VI Pupils of Macaingalan Elementary School: A Basis for Project Proposal

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CAUSES OF ABSENTEEISM AMONG GRADES V AND VI PUPILS OF

MACAINGALAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

A BASIS FOR PROJECT PROPOSAL

A Project Proposal

Presented to

DR. MARIAM ESTRABO

Professorial Lecturer

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM

Morong, Rizal

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Course

Analytical Tools & Methods in Educational Management

(Educational Management 506)

Submitted by:

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MR. RICHARD Z. ZONIO

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Student

Second Semester, 2012-2013

I. INTRODUCTION

Absenteeism, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary

means chronic absence. In the context of the school it is

the habitual or intentional failure from going to school. It

cannot be denied that every now and then, pupils may miss

some school activities and lessons. But it becomes a problem

if a pupil will be away from school for many days.

Going to school regularly is crucially important for a

pupil’s education and social skills. Chronic absentee pupils

are placed at a disadvantage both socially and academically.

They miss out on critical stages of social interaction and

development with their peers and at the same time impacts

negatively on their academic progress. This can result to

low self-esteem, social isolation and dissatisfaction that

could well have precipitated non-attendance in the first

place.

School absenteeism is an alarming problem for

administrators, teachers, parents and the society in

general, as well as for the pupils in particular. Unaccepted

absence has a negative effect on peer relationship which

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could cause absence. According to Malcolm, Wilson, Davidson

and Kirk (2003) teachers identified effects of absenteeism

on children as: academic under- achievement, difficulty in

making friends which could lead to boredom, loss of

confidence. Also, prolonged absence can have deleterious

effects for the child in later life. Pupils who are absent

from school are at the greatest risk of dropping out of

school early.

Absenteeism also affects the teacher’s ability present

class work in a sequential and organized way. This can have

an effect on the progress of all the pupils attending the

class.

The families of habitual absentees can also suffer. For

a poverty-stricken family, it may mean a continuation of the

poverty and unemployment cycle that may run in the family.

This also contributes to family conflicts.

The society also suffers as the children of school age

hang around in the streets. They can be found just

gallivanting around. Since they have nothing to do, they

resort to petty crimes like stealing other people’s

belongings and properties. Others may resort to drug

addiction and other behavior that is detrimental to society.

Thus, if the pupil keeps on being away from school for too

long, he may grow up to be a liability of his community and

of his country as a whole.

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It is the aim of every school to lessen, if not

eradicate absenteeism among its pupils. One way of

addressing this problem is to identify the causes why pupils

become truant from school. Once they are singled out,

understood and analysed, specific actions and measures can

be undertaken. This will eventually redound to the better

performance of the pupils, teachers and the school in

general.

It is in this context that this research proposal will

undertaken, that is, to identify the causes why the Grades V

and VI pupils in Macaingalan Elementary School absent

themselves from their classes.

II. RATIONALE

One of the most annoying, if unavoidable experiences of

teachers like me is dealing with pupils’ absenteeism. We

prepare lesson plans with the objective that 100% of the

class will learn from the day’s classroom activities. And it

is most satisfying when all pupils are present on that day

and the days thereafter to ensure maximum learning.

Sadly, it is very difficult to achieve a perfect

attendance among my pupils. No matter how interesting and

well-prepared my lessons and teaching materials are, there

are bound to be pupils who miss out the day’s activities,

willingly or unwillingly. This is particularly true to those

of us teaching in the public schools. We all know that

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almost half or maybe majority of our pupils come from

poverty-stricken families or from families whose meager

income is just enough to put food on their tables.

Absenteeism among my pupils is one of the problems

which I would like to minimize, if not eradicate completely.

That is why I will conduct this research proposal for my

fellow teachers to understand them better why pupils are

absent in the class. I don’t want to rely on the reasons or

causes I read in magazines, books or the web. This would

provide me with a more accurate analysis of why some of my

pupils are perennial absentees. This would help me formulate

plans, projects and programs to minimize their absences. I

hope that it would also enlighten you the readers. Even if

you may not be part of the school system, who knows, you

might be of help in one way or another to solve pupils

absenteeism.

Student absenteeism is a perennial problem of all

teachers. Every curriculum year, it is one of the problems

that they have to contend to. It is not only the teachers

who are concerned with this problem but the school

administrators as well.

This research proposal will examine the causes of

absenteeism of the Grades V and VI pupils of Macaingalan

Elementary School for the school year 2013-2014. When they

were in Grade IV and V, they were the grades level which has

the most number of absentees every day. This will be gather

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from the data contained in the daily attendance record (Form

1) being passed around and kept by the teacher-leader’s

office every day and is regularly filled up by the teachers

in each grade level for the whole year. Now that they are in

Grades V and VI, some of them may still frequent absentees.

It is for this reason that this research will be undertaken.

It has the end in view of understanding and correcting such

undesirable pupil behavior. Based on the findings,

methods/strategies shall be recommended to minimize, if not

eradicate absenteeism or truancy.

III. DESCRIPTION

This study will use the descriptive survey method. A

questionnaire shall be used to determine the causes of

absenteeism among the pupils where they rated each

situation/reason/cause presented.

All the data gathered from the respondents will be

organized, tallied, tabulated and presented in a series of

tables and graphs. Frequency counts, percentage weight

values and weighted mean will be used in the analysis and

interpretation of data.

The responses of the pupils will be analyse using a 5-

point Likert Scale with the following equivalent:

1 – Never

2 – Rarely

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3 – Sometimes

4 - Very Often

5 – Always

It is be to be noted that the questionnaire given to

the pupils shall be given in their native dialect in order

for them to understand better what they are answering, thus,

giving more chances of accurate responses.

The rounding of figures will be done to signify

classification of responses. The measure of central tendency

specifically the mean shall be used to determine the average

value of response or response average of the pupils.

IV. OBJECTIVES

One of the problem triggered to pupils’ performance in

Macaingalan Elementary School is the pupil’s lack of

interest in schooling which often results to absenteeism.

Going to school regularly is crucially important for a

pupil’s education and social skills.

This study aimed to determine the causes of absenteeism

among the Grades V and VI pupils of Macaingalan Elementary

School. Specifically, it sought to answer the following

questions:

1. What are the common causes why pupils are absent from

their classes?

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2. Which among these causes is the most prevalent?

a. Physical factors

b. Health factors

c. Personal Attitude

d. Teacher-related reasons

e. Classroom atmosphere

f. Home-related factors

3. What strategies can be proposed to minimize, if not

totally eradicate

absenteeism among the pupils?

V. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The study of Florencio (2009) entitled “Child, School,

Home: Determinants of Academic Performance” has the

following findings on the causes of student absenteeism

The distance of their house to the school and the

danger posed by walking to the school has the same response.

It means that both are not reasons for them to be absent

from school. Fever/flu is the most common reason of students

for being absent. It is followed by headache. Other diseases

like diarrhea come in third and the least common reason for

them for being absent is stomachache.

The student doesn’t wake up early is the most common

reason why he/she is absent. Another reason commonly cited

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is that they can’t concentrate on their studies and that

they were not able to study their lessons. Feeling lazy and

playing computer games also keep them away from school. When

the students are scolded for their bad behavior by the

teacher, this tends to make them be absent from their

classes. It has the highest average response while the

reason that they can’t understand their lessons follow close

behind. The highest mean was accorded to noise inside the

classroom which means that this is the primary reason why

they tend to be truant. Bullying by fellow student follows.

“My parents ask me to be absent from school” reason

resulted to the highest mean. Household chores come second

and the other reasons include having no money to spend for

snacks and other small expenses in school, no

breakfast/food, and that their parents quarrelled.

Villamar (2013) on her study about pupils absenteeism

states that closed Monitoring of pupils’ Attendance is the

best solution on the pointed problem as stated. If there is

a closed monitoring of pupils’ attendance, tight

communication with the parents will be evident, the rules or

policies will be regarded and implemented, the students’

activities will be monitored and proper actions will be

considered as well as the valuing concern on students

background to improve not only their academic performance

but helping them to grow up in a caring institution, their

second home. Her model was presented and it states that a

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very closed monitoring of student’s attendance id greatly in

needs.

To sum up, she stress the following

explanations: Closed Monitoring of Students’

Attendance - If there is a closed

monitoring of students’

attendance, tight

communication with the parents

will be evident, the rules or

policies will be regarded and

implemented, the students’

activities will be monitored and proper actions will be

considered. Proper Implementation of the policy regarding absences - If

the policy on students’ absences will be implemented

objectively, then the students will be aware on the

consequences of being absent. School activities should be scheduled on

weekends preferably on Saturdays - If the school activities will

be scheduled on Saturdays, students’ absences will be

avoided with due respect with the activities coordinators.

The study of Nakamura (2000) entitled “Healthy

Classroom Management, motivation, Community and Discipline”

have the following recommendation on decisions/strategies to

limit the pupils’ absenteeism and prevent their occurrences:

(1) Educate the pupils on how to take care of their overall

well-being. Emphasis should be given to oral health and

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over-all body wellness. Teach them how to avoid communicable

diseases as well. Give them information on how to properly

wash their hands which is the main source of germs and

bacteria among children. Let them develop proper eating

habits. Since most of the children in the school come from

poor families, point out to them the cheap but healthy

foods. Ask them to pass on this information to their

parents. (2) Time and again, classroom atmosphere should be

made conducive to learning. Noise-reduction among pupils

should be a priority as this really affects them. Older

children like the Grade VI pupils tend to have louder voices

so it should be inculcated in them how to speak softly and

without needing to shout. The key here is discipline. The

teacher must also see to it that the pupils are comfortable

and have no other concerns except the lesson at hand. There

should be a lively interaction between the teacher and the

pupils but the teacher should see to it that it will be in

modulated voices so as not to impair the hearing of the

pupils due to too much noise when doing classroom

activities. Include proper room ventilation and lighting so

as not to distract pupils from their learning. (3) During

parents conferences, inform the parents about the benefit of

keeping their children in school at all times when there are

classes. Emphasize to them that if they keep on asking their

children to be absent, this will set a bad precedence to the

child. If the parents themselves will be the one to keep

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them away from school, they will think that household

concerns are more important than their education, thus the

children will take for granted their coming to school

regularly and suffer the consequences of it. (4) Although it

can’t be avoided that the teacher gets peeved with pupils’

bad behavior, he/she should refrain from scolding the erring

pupils. As much as possible, remind them of their wrong

doing in a most diplomatic manner. Self-control should be a

virtue which the teacher should practice in the course of

her teaching every day of the school week. (5) Give extra

attention to those who are left behind in the lessons. Tap

the bright pupils to teach their slower classmates, for all

we know, these slow pupils might learn/understand better if

persons of their same age are the ones explaining to them.

In other words, cooperative learning should be practiced in

the teaching-learning process. Once a slow student fully

understands the lesson, he/she can keep up with his/her

other classmates, thus self-confidence is gained. This way,

they will be more motivated to come to school regularly. (6)

Imbibe in the mind of the children that their academic

success is very much dependent on their attitude towards

school. Motivate them so they will be looking forward to

attending their classes regularly. For those who wake up

late, encourage them to have an alarm clock. Do not scold

the pupils who come late. Give them a time-table to change

their sleeping habit for the better. In line will this,

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studying before retiring to bed instead of watching TV

should be prioritized and instilled to the pupils.

VI. CONTENTS OF THE TOOLS OF THE INSTRUMENT IN BRIEF

The contents of the tools of the instrument to be used

in gathering data are as follows:

a. Physical factors

a.1. House is far from the school.

a. 2. It is unsafe to go to school.

a. 3. Nobody accompanies me in going to

school since it is

far.

b. Health factors

b. 1. I have a toothache.

b. 2. My stomach hurts.

b. 3. I have a headache

b. 4. I’m down with fever/flu.

b. 5. I have other diseases like diarrhea,

etc.

c. Personal Attitude

c. 1. I am not interested in my studies.

c. 2. I feel lazy.

c. 3. My friends influence me to be absent

from my classes.

c. 4. I can’t concentrate in my studies.

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c. 5. I didn't wake up early.

c. 6. I did not study/make my assignments the

night before.

c. 7. I got fond of playing computer games.

d. Teacher-related reasons

d. 1. My teacher scolded me.

d. 2. I can’t understand my teacher’s

lessons.

d. 3. I don’t like my teacher.

e. Classroom atmosphere

e. 1. Our classroom is hot and uncomfortable.

e. 2. It’s noisy inside our classroom.

e. 3. A classmate/classmates bully me.

e. 4. I have no friends in our class.

f. Home-related factors

f. 1. My parents ask me to be absent from

class.

f. 2. My parents quarrelled.

f. 3. My parents don’t care about my studies.

f. 4. I do many household chores.

f. 5. I have no money to buy snacks in

school.

f. 6. We have no food/I did not eat.

All the data gathered from the respondents shall be

organized, tallied, tabulated and presented in a series of

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tables and graphs. Frequency counts, percentage weight

values and weighted mean will be used in the analysis and

interpretation of data. The responses of the pupils will be

analyse using a 5-point Likert Scale with the following

equivalent:

1 – Never

2 – Rarely

3 – Sometimes

4 - Very Often

5 – Always

VII. TOOL OR THE INSTRUMENT

Below are the tools I prepared which I think can best

help of me to find ways and decide with respect to pupils’

absenteeism:

Lagyan ng tsek ang mga sumusunod na katanungan kung ito

ay nagpapahiwatig saiyo na mga dahilan sa pagliban sa iyong

klase. Sabihin kung ito ay Napakadalas, Madalas, Minsan,

Madalang, at Hindi

NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

A. Pisikal na Salik

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NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

1. Ang aming tahanan ay malayo sa paaralan2. Hindi ligtas pumasoksa paaralan3. Walang kasama sa pagpasok sa paaralan dahil ito ay malayo

B. Kalusugang Salik

1. Masakit ang aking ngipin2. Masakit and aking tiyan3. Masaki tang aking ulo4. May lagnat, sipon atubo5. Mayroon akong LBM

C. Sariling Pag-uugali

1. Hindi ako intresado sa pag- aaral2. Tinatamad akong pumasok sa paaralan3. Niyaya ako ng kaibigan na huwag pumasok sa paaralan4. Hindi ako makatutok

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NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

sa pag- aaral.5. Hindi ako nagising ng maaga6. Hindi ko nagawa kagabi ang takdang-aralin7. Naglaro ako ng Computer

D. Salik na mayKinalamansa Guro

1. Pinagalitan ako ng aking guro2. Hindi ko maunawaaan ang mga aralin3. Hindi ko gusto ang aking guro

E. Salik na mayKinalaman

sa loob ng Silid-Aralan1.Mainit sa aming sild-aralan2. Maingay sa aming silid- aralan3. Inaaway ako ng akingmga Ka-klase sa silid-aralan4. Wala akong mga kaibigan

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NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

sa sild-aralanF. Salik na may

Kinalamansa loob ng Tahanan

1. Pinapaliban ako ng aking mga magulang sa pagpasok sa paaralan2. Nag-aaway ang aking mga magulang3. Walang paki-alam angaking mga magulang sa pag-aaral4. Marami akong mga gawaing-bahay5. Wala akong baon na pambili sa tuwing nagre recess6. Wala kaming pagkain o makain

VIII. GUIDELINES ON HOW TO USE THE INSTRUMENT

After which the questionnaire will distribute to the

pupil-respondents, pupils will answer the questions

described by putting check mark across the question stated

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below the corresponding columns. Pupils will describe which

among the factors affect them why they are always absent in

the class. As always stated, all the data gathered from the

respondents shall be organized, tallied, tabulated and

presented in a series of tables and graphs. Frequency

counts, percentage weight values and weighted mean will be

used in the analysis and interpretation of data. The

responses of the pupils will be analyse using a 5-point

Likert Scale and shall be the basis for identifying

conclusions what and why the pupils frequently absent in

their classes.

IX. VALIDATION OF THE INSTRUMENT

The descriptive-survey method will be adapted to

accomplish the purpose of this study. Descriptive research

was chosen because according to Best and Khan (1998), it

describes “what is” of the variables under study. It

involves descriptive recording, analyses, and the

interpretation of the present nature, composition or process

of a certain phenomenon. The focus is on the prevailing

condition, or how a person or group behaves or functions at

present.

The method will used in the study to determine the

causes of absenteeism among the Grades V and VI pupils of

Macaingalan Elementary School. It is best fits in bringing

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out the picture, nature and characteristics, a group or a

phenomenon from a large study of data through accurate

recording, analysis, and interpretation. The collection of data

will made use of a set of questionnaire checklist devised for this purpose.

The responses of pupil respondents will be tallied, computed, and analyzed

so that causes of absenteeism among the Grades V and VI pupils of

Macaingalan Elementary School will determine.

Documentary analysis through BEIS (Basic Education

Information System), School Report Card (SRC), Nutritional

Status based from the International Reference Standard of

Grade VI will be used to get some profiles of the grade six

pupils.

This design determines how the variables in this study

differ and how they affect the absenteeism among the Grades

V and VI pupils of Macaingalan Elementary School.

This study will be limited to the Grade V and VI pupils

of Macaingalan Elementary School for school year 2013-2014.

All of the thirty-one (31) Grade V and twenty-seven (27)

Grade VI pupils to a total of fifty-eight (58) pupils will

be made as respondents. They will be asked to accomplish a

questionnaire for the purpose.

The response average or the mean will be computed by

multiplying the percentage of responses by the equivalent

value of each frequency and then adding them all.

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e.g.(5 x 0%) + (4 x 3%) + (3 x 13%) + (2 x 7%) + (1 x 77%) =

1.42

1.42 falls on “Never”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bangcaya, Melinda J. “The Importance of In Service Educationof Teachers in

our School System” The Modern Teacher Vol. LIII, No. 2;July 2004

Bennett, Paul W Student Absenteeism – What’s the Problem –and the Answer?,

Educator’s Blog, January 30, 2010

Best, John W. and Khan, James O. (1998). “Research inEducation” 8th Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon

22

Florencio, Cecilia A. “Child, School, Home: Determinants ofAcademic Performance” 2009. www.wikipedia.com.

Gallagher, H. A. “The Relationship between Measures ofTeacher Quality and Student Achievement: The Case ofVaughn Elementary” www.wikipedia.com.

Herrera, Elena “A SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunityand Threat) Analysis of Performance of Teachers” TheModern Teacher Vol. LV, No. 7; December 2000

Hyman, Robert M. (1994). A New Clue to Transfer of Learning.Minnesota, Harvard University Press.

Nakamura, Reymund M. (2000) Healthy Classroom Management,motivation, Community and Discipline. Harvard UniversityPress.

Seyfarth, John T. (2005) Human Resources Development forEffective Schools. Boston, Person Education, Inc.

Sheldon, Steven B. and Epstein, Joyce L. Getting Students toSchool: Using

Family and Community Involvement to Reduce ChronicAbsenteeism

Villamar, Liza A. (2013) Project Proposal on Closed Monitoring of Students’

Attendance. Guronasyon Foundation Inc. National High School Paper.

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Appendix A – Letter of Request to the District Supervisor

Division of RizalDistrict of Rodriguez II

MACAINGALAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

June 10, 2013MRS. EDNA Q. RAMOSDistrict SupervisorDistrict of Rodriguez II, Kasiglahan VillageBrgy. San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal

Madam:

Greetings!

May I have the honor to conduct a study about the“Causes of Absenteeism among the Grades V and VI Pupils ofMacaingalan Elementary School: Basis for Project Proposal”.This is for the purpose of identifying factors why pupilsare always absent in their class and to understand andcorrect such undesirable pupil behavior. Base on thefindings, methods/strategies shall be recommended tominimize, if not eradicate absenteeism or truancy in ourschool.

I assure your good office that whateverinformation/data gathered will be treated with utmostconfidentiality and will be used solely for researchpurposes for possible adoption in our district if the resultbecome successful.

I’m Anticipating for your kind consideration and mostfavorable action in this matter.

Very truly yours,

RICHARD Z.

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ZONIO Teacher In-Charge

Approved:

MRS. EDNA Q. RAMOS District Supervisor

Appendix B - Data of School Enrollment as of June 7, 2013

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Appendix C – Questionnaire

Pangalan _______________________________

Grado _________

Lagyan ng tsek ang mga sumusunod na katanungan kung ito

ay nagpapahiwatig saiyo na mga dahilan sa pagliban sa iyong

klase. Sabihin kung ito ay Napakadalas, Madalas, Minsan,

Madalang, at Hindi

NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

A. Pisikal na Salik

1. Ang aming tahanan ay malayo sa paaralan2. Hindi ligtas pumasoksa paaralan3. Walang kasama sa pagpasok sa paaralan dahil ito ay malayo

B. Kalusugang Salik

1. Masakit ang aking ngipin2. Masakit and aking

26

NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

tiyan3. Masaki tang aking ulo4. May lagnat, sipon atubo5. Mayroon akong LBM

C. Sariling Pag-uugali

1. Hindi ako intresado sa pag- aaral2. Tinatamad akong pumasok sa paaralan3. Niyaya ako ng kaibigan na huwag pumasok sa paaralan4. Hindi ako makatutok sa pag- aaral.5. Hindi ako nagising ng Maaga6. Hindi ko nagawa kagabi ang takdang-aralin7. Naglaro ako ng Computer

D. Salik na mayKinalamansa Guro

1. Pinagalitan ako ng aking

27

NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

guro2. Hindi ko maunawaaan ang mga aralin3. Hindi ko gusto ang aking guro

E. Salik na mayKinalaman

sa loob ng Silid-Aralan1.Mainit sa aming sild-aralan2. Maingay sa aming silid- aralan3. Inaaway ako ng akingmga Ka-klase sa silid-aralan4. Wala akong mga kaibigan sa sild-aralan

F. Salik na mayKinalaman

sa loob ng Tahanan1. Pinapaliban ako ng aking mga magulang sa pagpasok sa paaralan2. Nag-aaway ang aking mga magulang3. Walang paki-alam angaking mga magulang sa

28

NapakaDalas (5)

Madalas (4)

Minsan(3)

Madalang(2)

Hindi(1)

pag-aaral4. Marami akong mga gawaing-bahay5. Wala akong baon na pambili sa tuwing nagre recess6. Wala kaming pagkain o makain