ABSTRACT
This research work was carried out to find out the causes of pupils’ truancy in
primary schools and its educational implications for pupils in Esan South-East
Local Government Area of Edo State. To achieve this purpose, four (4)
research questions were raised:
1. Is there any difference in punctuality between
pupils from good home background and those from poor home background?
2. Does the attitude of teachers towards pupils
contribute to truancy in pupils?
3. Is there any difference in behavior between
children in good peer group and those in bad peer-group?
4. Do pupils from ill-equipped schools play more
truancy than those from well equipped schools?
The population of this
study was taken from five primary schools in Esan South-East Local Government
Area. The sampling of the five primary schools was done using random
sampling technique. The instrument used to collect data was the
questionnaire. Analysis of data collected was carried out using simple
percentage and mean scores.
Recommendations were made based on the results from the analysis. If the
recommendations are considered and implemented by teachers, parents and
educational administrators, it would help to solve the problems of truancy,
lateness and absenteeism in primary schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
Background to the
Study
Statement of
Problem
Research
Questions
Purpose of Study
Significance of the
Study
Scope/Delimitation of
the Study
Assumption
Limitation of the
Study
Definition of
Terms
CHAPTER TWO:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Concept of
Truancy
Concept of
Lateness
Concept of
Absenteeism
The
Home
The Peer
Group
The
School
The
Society
CHAPTER
THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research
Design
Population
Sample and Sampling
Techniques
Research
Instrument
Validity and Reliability
of the Instrument
Administration of the
Instrument
Method of Data
Analysis
CHAPTER
FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION,
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Research Question
1
Research Question
2
Research Question
3
Research Question
4
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION,
RECOMMENDATIONS
AND SUGGESTION
Summary
Findings
Conclusion
Recommendations
Suggestion for Further
Research
References
Appendix
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The attention and the feelings of school heads, classroom teachers,
parents/guidance, educational administrators, the governments and National
Universities Commission (NUC) have been drawn towards the irregular school
attendance coupled with continuous poor academic performance of secondary
school students.
A major problem facing primary schools is that of irregular school attendance
and continuous poor academic performance of primary school pupils. In the
United States, each state and District of Columbia have enacted compulsory
school attendance laws that date from the earliest adoption in Massachusetts in
1852 to the latest in Alaska in 1929. Students who choose not to attend
school regularly are in violation of the law and are, therefore, the focus of
many public school systems.
The question now is, is irregular school attendance the violent destruction of
academic performance?
Irregular school attendance is regarded by Psychologists and Psychiatrists as a
sign of disturbance in students. The assumption is that assessment should
be given to the students by professionals.
Truancy will be viewed from sociological perspectives. Here it is based
on individual response to occurrences in the school or society.
There is no really specific definition of truancy. Truancy, according to
Oxford Dictionary “is the practice of staying away from school without
permission. A child who absents himself from school without good reason
is playing truant. Some writers see truancy as all absentees irrespective
of their reasons.
According to Manroe (1998) “the pupil who plays truancy is generally difficult,
anxious and highly sensitive person who need to escape from reality. He
also has a low status in class and has difficulties in dealing with other
people there. He wanders away from these difficulties and in at least
half the cases drifts into delinquency”.
Marklund (2002) “the typical persistent truant is unhappy at home, unpopular at
school and unsuccessful in his class work. He is rarely an articulate
critic of contemporary society and its educational values. He is usually
a child failing to cope satisfactory with his difficulties and in need of
help”. Healy (1995) regards truancy as the kindergarten of crime.
Truancy is regarded by psychiatrists as anti-social behavior.
Recently, there was Easter holiday which started from Friday, 22nd and
end on Monday, 25th March, 2008 which students are expected to
resume the next day which is on Tuesday, 26th March, 2008, but
some of the students refuse to resume at that day of resumption (A case study
in the University of Benin). This attitude is seen by some of the
students as carry over from primary and secondary schools, as it is peculiar
with the secondary schools at the beginning of every new term or some days of
resumption after any public holiday.
Truancy in primary schools is not only peculiar to schools in Edo state but
also all over Nigeria and outside Nigeria. Truancy is currently top of the
government’s list of educational issues to be addressed (“Ken Reid, Swansea
Institute of Higher Education, U.K). Truancy is applicable to difficult
situation but here if focus on irregular school attendance and continues poor
academic performances.
Statement of Problem
Different pupils have their peculiar problems and should be considered on
individual bases and help should be given that suits their particular
circumstances. This has been their overall approach to help late comers,
truants and absentees. Upon this background the researchers intends to
find out the causes of truancy among primary school pupils and its educational
implications with the view of providing useful suggestion to eradicate the
social threats caused by these problems in the system.
Research Questions
To investigate this research study, the following specific questions were
raised:
1. Is there any difference in punctuality between
pupils from good home background and those from poor home background?
2. Does the attitude of teachers towards pupils
contribute to truancy in pupils?
3. Is there any difference in behavior between
children in good peer group and those in bad peer-group?
4. Do pupils from ill-equipped schools play more
truancy than those from well equipped schools?
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this research is:
1. To examine the rate of lateness, truancy and
absenteeism in secondary schools.
2. To investigate the causes of truancy in primary
schools.
3. To investigate the effect of truancy on the
academic performance of students.
4. To find out solutions to control lateness,
truancy and absenteeism.
Significance of the
Study
The significance of this research are:
1. To provide solutions which can assist educators,
parents, educational support services and the government to improve educational
system and reduce the rate of drop out, improve better performance in the
primary schools.
2. To assist parents to make decisions that will be
useful to improve the child performance in the school and society.
3. To assist the pupils by providing solution to
their peculiar problem.
This will help to
improve the educational achievements of the new generation of our society,
especially in Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Scope/Delimitation of
the Study
The study covers some selected primary schools in Esan South-East Local
Government Area of Edo State.
Assumption
There are assumptions that regular school attendance is the first step to attain
higher – intelligence and success in Education. Truants are always dull
in class and outside school and some of them perform poorly in their class test
and exams.
This research is based on the following assumptions:
1. Lack of encouragement from parents causes
truancy.
2. Too much freedom given to the students by their
parents causes truancy.
3. Lack of interest in school activities e.g.
labour causes truancy.
4. Lack of encouragement from teachers and school
heads causes truancy.
5. Lack of god relationship between teachers and
pupils causes truancy.
6. The location of the school if too far from home
could cause truancy.
7. The kind of peer group of the child could cause
truancy.
8. Lack of educational facilities in schools causes
truancy.
Definition of Terms
Clientele: All the clients of an organization.
Delinquency: Bad or criminal
behavior.
Deviant: Different from what most people consider to be
normal and acceptable.
Neurotic: Not behaving in a reasonable, calm way, because you are
worried about something.
Phobia: A strong unreasonable fear or hatred of
something.
Department | Education |
Project ID Code | EDU0015 |
Chapters | 5 Chapters |
No of Pages | 70 pages |
Reference | YES |
Format | Microsoft Word |
Price | ₦4000, $15 |
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Contact Us On | +2347043069458 |