A Comprehensive Impact Assessment Of Truancy On Students Academic Performance

Project and Seminar Material for Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate influence of truancy on students’ academic performance in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State of Nigeria. To achieve the aim of this study, two hypotheses were formulated to direct the study. Literature related to the variables under study were reviewed accordingly. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. A sample of three hundred (300) students were randomly selected for the study. The selection was done through the simple random sampling technique. The questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. To test the hypotheses and to ascertain whether to reject or retain them, chi-square statistical technique. This statistical tool was used because of the nature of the variable in the hypothesis directing the study.

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

In recent times, education has been recognized globally as one of the universal ways of survival and improvement of the well-being of individuals and society. The advent of formal education is considered as the foundation for national development as well as the surest way of making all long-life achievements. For these reasons, families and citizens especially the youth and children now pay more attention to education. Consequently, no nation, government, organization or family makes effective impact and lasting successes in their daily affairs without having educated citizens, officers, workers who had clearer understanding of their obligations, functions or responsibilities, observe the laws, apply policies and co-operate in its affairs. The 6-3-3-4 System of Education established in 1982 was aimed at providing Universal Basic Education for the citizens in order to breed species of individuals with compassion for our great Nation, having National consciousness with the right attitude to life, properties and values required to move national development to the next level. (Ogbonna, Chinasa, and Onwuchekwa, 2009).

However, the effort invested by the federal government of Nigeria on education had over the years proven a fruitful and promising reward to national development posing a lively hope for the better in the immediate future. It is of no doubt that several factors have posed relentless restriction to the trend of the rapid development in education; for which truancy in both student and teachers in Secondary and secondary schools has been a cankerworm to education. This has raised several questions to the quality of education and educational administration in Nigerian Secondary Schools. (Huzinga& Thornberry, 2000).

Furthermore, the impact of truancy is very obvious and usually a negative one on Truants’ present and future life in education. Truancy results in loss of intellectual development and lack of improvement of individual. Also, it leads to poor academic performance at the end of the school periods, school terms and school year. Truancy as a threat to academic performances of the student is believed to reduce the quality of education the child receives. It reduces the standard of academic achievement of a child. It leads to the fall of educational standard in schools. It increases the rate of examination malpractices and poor examination results of both internal and external examinations.

Truancy is also a factor that contributes to idealness, joblessness, unemployment and underemployment of most adults today, just because they engaged in the act of Truancy during their school days. Nevertheless, the aim of this work is to investigate the actual acts, causes, and the effects of Truancy in Secondary Schools visà-vis its effect on the academic performances of these truants. (Oehme and Franzke, 2002)

Truancy is one of the major antisocial discipline problems among secondary school students in Nigeria. The concept and acts of indiscipline have received a lot of attention by researchers. Peck (2003) opined that the various behavioural disorders like stealing, violence, drug abuse, examination malpractice, sexual abuse and truancy have so undermined effective teaching-learning processes that some teachers have become helpless and disorganized in their task of impacting knowledge to the learners. (Huzinga& Thornberry, 2000).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The school has been established as the agent of the society to mould the habits, interest, attitudes and feelings of children and transmit the societal norms, culture, values and traditions from one generation to another. Despite this, some students still do not attend school classes. Many of our youths now run away from schools while in many of the cases, the parents believe they are attending school classes. While they are away from school, they exercise freedom in engaging in a lot of juvenile delinquencies like fighting and drug abuse. This situation in our schools is highly worrisome. Truancy is a problem because the absent students cannot benefit from the various programmes that the school offers. Effects of truancy have been reported to include lower academic achievements, delinquent and criminal activities. It has been established that truancy is cog in the wheel of teaching learning.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The Secondary objective of this study is to examine the effects of truancyon academic performances of Secondary school Students in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. Another objective is to:

Determine whether the acts of truancy exist among students.
Examine the causes/Factors responsible for truancy in our Secondary Schools.
Determine whether peer group influence contribute to the act of truancy in our Secondary school.

1.4 Research Questions

What are the effects of truancy on the academic performance of students in Secondary schools?
Does Peer group influence contribute to the act of truancy in our Secondary school?
What factors are responsible for Truancy in Secondary Schools?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following research hypotheses are formulated:

There are no significant effects of truancy on the academic performance of Secondary School Students in Alimosho Local Government Area.
Peer group does not significantly contribute to the act of truancy in our Secondary School.

1.6 Significance of the Study

It is hoped that the result of this study will be useful to school administrators, as the study will examine the various causes and consequences of truancy and state the ways of curbing it which will serve as a vital instrument for effective school administration.

The study will also give parents insight on how or why their wards engage in truancy. The study will also serve as reference point for students or researchers wising to embark on similar research of this magnitude.

1.7 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The scope of the study is based on the effects of truancy on the academic performance of Students in Secondary schools in Alimosho Local Government Area. The research work will be limited to the analysis based on the questionnaire administered, and the relevant text (literature). Other limitation of the study is: inability of the researcher to cover the entire population of the study, money and time and constrain.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Truancy:

The practice of staying away from school without permission. In other words, it is the act of staying away from school without a reasonable excuse.

Truant:

A child who stays away from schools without permission.

Disobedient:

Failing or refusing to obey.

Abet:

To encourage somebody to do something wrong.

Chapter Five

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations

5.1 Summary

The aim of this study was to find out if there is any form of relationship between truancy and academic performance of Students. The hypothesis was tested, and related literatures were reviewed. The instrument used in collecting data was questionnaire and the data collected was analyzed in the previous chapter.

5.2 Conclusion

The study concluded that truancy hinders effective learning and could lead to poor academic performance of truants. Constant absence from school has serious negative consequences both for truant Students/youth themselves and for communities, which suffer both short and long‐term threats to public safety.

5.3 Recommendations

The following recommendation based on the findings has been made:

Parents should put more effort to ensure that their children are adequately provided for and morally groomed.
The increasing student enrolment at all levels of education should be matched with corresponding professionally qualified teachers.
There should be enlightenment campaigns by government agencies, and non-government organizations for parents and children on the dangers inherent in truancy.
Teachers and counsellors should invite parents of truants for conference with a view to reducing the incidence of truancy in schools.
The current practice of appointing career masters to perform the role of professional counsellors should stop, so that functional guidance services could be provided for students.
The school authority and teachers should ensure conducive school physical environment for good working relationship between teachers and students.
School administrators should supervise adequately the keeping and utilization of attendance registers for effective control of student for higher academic performance. This is possible because, attendance records will help parent, ministry of education officials and researchers identify other factors affecting students’ academic performance and discipline in schools.

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