Chapter I

The Problem

Introduction

One of the most frustrating situations to most educators and

classroom teachers is when they try so hard to provide the education

that students need but these students are always absent. Teachers

prepare lesson plans, colorful instructional materials and all other

things that will help the students learn conducively but sadly, some of

the students are always either tardy or absent. In present times, there is

a difficulty in achieving perfect attendance because no matter how

interesting and well-prepared teaching materials are, there are students

who are likely to miss out on the days activities- willingly or

unwillingly. Absenteeism also affects the teachers ability to present

classes in a sequential and organized way. This can have an effect on

the progress of all the students in class. Moreover, the teacher will have

a limited time to be in contact with students with difficulty in their

lessons because most of them may be absent.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines absenteeism as chronic

absence or, in the context of school, the habitual or intentional failure to

attend classes. Due to these absences, students become absent from

school activities and exams. Absence, hence, becomes a problem when

the student is away from school for several days.

1
 Going to school regularly is crucial and important for a students

education and social skills. Students who are frequently absent are a

disadvantage both socially and academically. They miss out on critical

stages of social interaction and development with peers, and at the same

time limiting their academic progress. This may result in low self-esteem,

social isolation, and dissatisfaction that could hasten non-attendance in

the first place.

School absenteeism is an alarming problem not only for School

Administrators, teachers and parents but also to society in general.

Unaccepted absences have a negative effect on peer relationships, which

can cause further absences. According to Malcolm, Wilson, Davidson and

Kirk (2003) teachers identified the effects of absenteeism on children as:

academic under-achievement.
difficulty in making friends which could lead to boredom and loss
of confidence.
prolonged absence can have deleterious effects for the child in later
life.
students who are absent from school are at the greatest risk of
dropping out of school early.

Absenteeism is also the topmost problem in Maigo National High

School. Maigo National High School today has a population of 1,140

students, 42 faculty members and 11 staff. It is located at the heart of

Maigo, Lanao del Norte. The number of Grade 7 students reached to 355

2
as the total population. But sadly, almost half of the population of the

Grade 7 students are always absent from class.

The researcher handles English Grade 7 to 4 out of 5 sections, so,

she finds absenteeism as the major problem in relation to their academic

performance. Even the advisers are almost giving up the hope that there

is a solution to this problem. Home Visitation is only effective after the

teacher has visited the absentee students home and having approached

their respective parents, but a few weeks after the visitation, the

students continue being absent, hence, missing out on learning what

they should have gained if only they were present in class. The

researcher herself has been witness to this condition. Hence, there is a

need to something else, something that will motivate the students to go

to school and attend classes regularly.

School absenteeism in Maigo National High School has reached a

crisis point, primarily because it has been linked to school drop-out

rates, which at the higher level has reached the average of 30% for the

Grade 7 students only, based on the reports from the researcher, of the

Form 3 or the School Movement and status form. This means that even

in the lower grade levels of students enrolled in Maigo National High

School, more and more students are already in the list of those who

commit chronic absenteeism and in some cases, truancy.

Additionally, based on the School Registers or School Form 1

presented by the Classroom Advisers of the Grade 7 Students in Maigo

3
National High School to the proponent of this research, there is a great

deal of increased number of students who are always absent which can

affect their academic performance. Moreover, based on the information

given by the Guidance Counselor of whom the proponent interviewed on

the major problems of Maigo National High School, Mrs. Elena Labajo,

said that absenteeism rates the number one problem. Mrs. Labajo also

showed the result of the Summative Tests this Grading period given to

the students who were always absent showed that they (the absentee

students) had poor academic performance because their exam results

were low than those who come to class frequently.

The researcher would like to minimize the problem of extreme

absenteeism, if not eradicate it completely. This is the purpose of this

study to understand the learners better and perhaps make a proposal of

the program or programs that will help eradicate the current problem of

the school in terms of attendances, specifically, the Grade 7 students.

Framework of the Study

The 1987 Constitution mandates that the state shall give priority

to education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports, to

foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress and promote

total human liberation and development; the citizens have the right to

quality education which should be accessible to all; it requires the

establishment and maintenance of free public education in both

elementary and high school levels.

4
 The theory central to this study is Norma Haans Theory of Ego

Processes. Haan (1977) postulated that there are certain generic ego

processes (coping, defense and fragmentation) that can be used for

adaptation. These processes can be used consciously in order to adapt to

and/or change the situation as it is, with awareness of what one is doing

and why; such conscious processes are classified as coping.

Defense is a method of adaptation or self-protection that involves

unyielding fortification of beliefs or behaviors; while fragmentation is a

form of adaptive failure. Optimally, the individual copes with adversity

and maintains self-consistency. Less optimally, the individual defends

against internal and external threats to self-integration. And in time of

extreme stress when the maintenance of self-consistency is precarious,

fragmentation ensues.

Further, according to Haan, an individual constructs a response

to his environment, rather than reacting to it. As cognitive development

proceeds, the individual is able to respond to internal and external

stresses in an interestingly sophisticated and adaptive manner. (Martz

and Livneh: 2007) Haan in this theory suggest that defense operates on a

preconscious level and are not inherently conscious or unconscious in

nature. The individual is an active and rational agent in constructing

his/her response to the environment.

According to The Free Dictionary (2003), some students are "de-

motivated to come to the school and the young ones who find it

5
extremely difficult to get up early in the morning" are some of the causes

of the phenomenon of either absenteeism or tardiness. This can affect

their learning since students who frequently skip classes are missing out

from what they can learn. Sometimes, students skip classes because

they have been coming to school on time or primarily not being present

in the time set by the school.

Kirkpatrick, Crosnoe and Elder (2001) educational psychologists,

stated that school tardiness and absenteeism accelerate if the students

are not committed to their school. In an earlier study, Osterman (2000)

reached at the same conclusion, vigorously stating that if students are

not at home in their school environments, they prefer to be absent or

become tardy at school. Beards George, 1981 asserts it as A delay in few

minutes might delay the hope of lifelong learning.

Conceptual Framework

The Independent Variables presented in the study are the profile of

the student respondents and their chronic absenteeism. The Dependent

Variables present in this study is the academic performance of learners

or student respondents of this study. The output of this study is the

Intervention Program that the researcher will devise to minimize

students chronic absenteeism.

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 Dependent Variables
Independent Level of Learning of Student
Output
Performance in terms of:
Variable a. participation to oral
discussions
b. Performance in group works
c. Scores in Quizzes
d. Techniques in coping up
e. Social relation with
Teachers
f. Social relations with
classmates
Common Causes g. Contribution to lesson
application
h. General Average
of Absenteeism i. Speed of analysis and Action Plan
comprehension

Perceived Solutions to the

Identified Causes of
absenteeism as perceived
by the teachers and
parents of students

Schematic Diagram of the Study

7
Statement of the Problem

Since August of 2015 up to present, there is about 30% or 65 of

the Grade VII Diamond, Amethyst, Sapphire and Emerald students in

Maigo National High School who are always absent and/or late in

attending to their subsequent classes. Some of them are absent during

the morning classes and come to school in the afternoon classes but

some of them are always absent. The sample of this study is the number

of students who are habitually absent, or 65 are always absent from

November of 2015 up to present.

This study will answer the specific questions as follows:

1. What are the common causes of absences committed by the

Grade 7 students?

2. What is the level of respondents learning performance in terms

of:

a) The students participation to oral discussions

b) Performance in group works.
c) Scores in Quizzes
d) Techniques in coping up
e) Social relation with Teachers
f) Social relations with classmates
g) Contribution to lesson application
h) General Average
i) Speed of analysis and comprehension

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3. What are the possible solutions to the identified causes of

absenteeism as perceived by teachers and parents?

Methodology

All of the 65 Grade VII students (from sections Diamond, Sapphire,

Amethyst and Emerald) will be asked to complete a questionnaire. They

will be rated through various situations, reasons, and causes for being

absent from school. All of the data will then 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 will be analyzed using a five-point Likert scale with the

following equivalent:

1. never
2. rarely
3. sometimes
4. very often
5. Always

It should be noted that the questionnaire will be given to students

in their native dialect to increase the chance of accurate responses.

Figures will be rounded signify classification of responses. The

measure of central tendency, specifically the mean, will be used to

determine the average value of response or response average of the

students.

9
Scope and Delimitation

The study will be conducted within the classes of sections Diamond,

Amethyst, Sapphire and Emerald. This group of student belongs to the

K+ 12 Curriculum Program of Maigo National High School. The total of

this group of students for these sections from Grade 7 is 147, with 72

who are male and 75 who are female.

This group of students has English classes under the researcher. The

survey questions will be delimited to obtaining primary and secondary

reasons of tardiness as well as assessing related factors underlying

therewith.

Information acquired and provided by students will be used to

confirm or negate the possible causes of absenteeism. The result of the

survey will then contribute insight in planning and drafting of the

solutions in addressing the said problems being identified that needs

appropriate action.

An Action Plan or Intervention Plan for this problem will be the final

output of the said research to be implemented upon approval of the

School Administrator.

The researcher will use a sampling method with inquiries which is not

answerable by yes or no. The researcher arbitrarily selects this group of

students for they well represent a typical student which his/her primary

aim is to learn and excel in school.

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Significance of the Study

The result of the findings of this study will benefit the following

individuals in their own respective fields:

The Student. When a person will know the effects of his actions

and decisions he or she has done, he or she will look for ways to lessen

the damage done. This study is aimed at raising awareness of the impact

of chronic absenteeism to the lives of the students who commit such acts

by directing the students to do better than what they already are doing.

To students who are chronic absentees, they will be given a new

opportunity to go back to school and may decline the number of the ratio

of absenteeism.

The Teachers. Being a teacher means that one must assume the

role of the second parent to the students he or she is in contact with

students. However, students who commit chronic absenteeism are one of

the stressors to teachers. This study will be helpful to teachers who

encounter the phenomenon of absenteeism among students. The teacher

will be able to devise intervention programs to reduce the number of

students who commit chronic absenteeism. This study may also become

a guide to teachers as they can implement or improve the interventions

recommended by the researcher for future use.

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 The School Administrator. The School Administration is the

primary people affected upon knowing the effects of absenteeism. Their

concerns can then be discussed with the student body and so as the

student body sharing their troubles to the administration. Through a

conference the administration might be able to arrive to solutions which

can be applicable o different situations.

The DepEd Authorities. The Department of Education main goal

is to be able to produce productive citizens of the community.

Absenteeism is one of the factors that disturb the stableness of this goal.

When the results are evident, the DepEd authorities together with the

different school administration may arrive to a step by step planning to

kill the rodents of absenteeism.

The Parent. The parents are the direct and the baseline in

communication in relation to their childs regular truancy. Knowing the

impact of absenteeism to their childs learning performance, a parent will

be at the concerns of convincing their child to attend school and protect

them from the primary causes of their absences.

Definition of Terms Used

There following are the terms used in this study. These terms need to be

defined to clarify the meaning of the words included in this study:

Absenteeism, according to Casio (2003) is any failure of a student

to report in class. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines absenteeism

12
 as chronic absence or, in the context of school, the habitual or

intentional failure to attend classes.

Absenteeism in school is the habit of staying away from school

without providing a genuine or any reason for not attending

classes. Absenteeism is a truant behavior that negatively affects

the performance among students.

Absenteeism- In this study, absenteeism is considered chronic if a

student incurs 3 absences within one school week and 40 days

within one school year based on DEPED Order # 88, S. 2010 (See

School Form 1 and School Form 2 Rules on Absenteeism, attached

as Appendix 1).

DECS Order # 92, S. 1990. This is the Department Order which is

the basis of DepEd Order No. 88, S. 2010 which has the

Attendance and Punctuality Clause in both Public and Private

Schools.

DepEd Order No. 88, S. 2010 and 49, S. 2006.

Sec. 157.1 Attendance and Punctuality.

Sec 157.2. Absences. A pupil or student who incurs absences of

more than twenty percent (20%) of the prescribed number of class

or laboratory periods during the School Year or term should be

given a failing grade and given no credit for the course or subject.

Furthermore, the School Head may, at his or her discretion and in

the individual case exempt a pupil or student who exceeds the

13
 twenty percent (20%) limit for reasons considered as valid and

acceptable to the school. Such discretion shall not excuse the

pupil/student concerned from responsibility of keeping up with

lessons, assignments and taking examinations when indicated.

The discretionary authority is vested in the School Head, and may

not be availed of by a student nor granted by a faculty member

without the consent of the School Head. Habitual tardiness

especially during the first period in the morning and in the

afternoon shall not be allowed. Teachers concerned shall call for

the student concerned or visit him or her at home.

Family problem. Family problems can affect student school

attendance. This includes financial support (the family cant afford

education or education is not a primary necessity), differing

community attitudes towards education (the people that surround

the students home and within it education is not given

importance), transportation (the family might live in a very rural

community where in transportation cannot easily reach.)

Grade 7- In this study, some selected Grade 7 students are the

students belonging to the K + 12 Program of the Department of

Education, currently enrolled in Maigo National High School. They

are the respondents of this study who are taught English by the

proponent of the study.

14
 Individual learning performance. The variation on the learning of

a student being monitored in different ways (e.g. class interaction,

test results, quizzes, etc.)

Teacher Factor- One of the causes why students do not come to

school regularly is the behavior of some teachers which could be

linked to higher dropout rates due to too much absenteeism among

students.

Truancy, according to Bell et. al. (1994) is an unexpected and

unlawful absence from school without parental knowledge.

15
 Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

This Chapter presents a review of related literature which includes

the following sections: introduction, importance of attendance,

consequences of absenteeism, overview of the attendance policy in Public

Schools in the Philippines, descriptions of related attendance policies,

descriptions of related attendance programs, and studies (foreign and

local) related to the current study.

Importance of Attendance

Filipinos have deep regard to for education. Education occupies a

central place in Philippine political, economic social and cultural life. It

has always been strongly viewed as a pillar of national development and

a primary avenue for social and economic mobility. (Philippine Education

for All Primer: Implementation and Challenges. 2015)

The National Government, in fact, clearly placed value on

education higher than any of the countrys needs because the

government has placed a high proportion of budget going to the ducation

sector. Reportedly, the Department of Education (DepEd), the countrys

16
biggest bureaucracy, is given the highest budget allocation among

government agencies each year as required by the 1987 Philippine

Constitution. (UN Country Report in 2008) The 1987 Constitution

likewise promises the right to education of every Filipino. It provided

that, The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to

quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make

education accessible to all.

The right of every Filipino to quality basic education is further

emphasized in Republic Act 9155 or the Governance of Basic Education

Act of 2001. Along with Republic Act 6655 or the Free Secondary

Education Act, these laws reaffirm the policy of the State to protect and

promote the rights of all Filipinos by providing children free and

compulsory education in the elementary and high school level. This

pertains to six years of free tuition fees for children aged 6 to 11, and free

four years of secondary schooling for those aged 12 to 15.

Along with Education for All, the Philippines is also committed to

pursue eight time-bound and specific targets under the Millennium

Declaration which it signed on September 2000. The Declaration, in

general, aims to reduce poverty by half in 2015 (22.65 percent proportion

of the population below poverty incidence and 12.15 percent below

subsistence incidence by 2015). With the adoption of the Declaration, the

Philippines likewise affirmed its commitment to the Millennium

Development Goals (MDG) geared towards reducing poverty, hunger,

17
diseases, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination

against women. These goals have been mainstreamed in the countrys

Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) 2004-2010

including policies and plans related to children, access to primary

education and gender equality. Specifically, Part IV of the MTPDP focused

on Education and Youth Opportunity.

However, despite the legal mechanisms, budget prioritization and

increased access, Philippine education has been dogged with issues.

Among the issues that needs to be resolved but have improved lately

include the high dropout rates, high number of repeaters, low passing

grades, lack of particular language skills, failure to adequately respond

and address the needs of people with special needs, overcrowded

classrooms and poor teacher performances. These problems in turn

resulted to a considerable number of illiterate Filipinos and out of school

youths and graduates who are not prepared for work.

The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in January 2002,

provides increased accountability for states, school districts, and

schools, as well as more flexibility for states and local agencies in how

they use federal education dollars, in the US. In the Philippines, the

Department of Education has also adhered to the Education for All Policy

of the UNESCO which states that every Filipino should be in school

regardless of his or her social status because in the first place, education

is a right and not a privilege. The Adequate Yearly Progress measures

18
hold elementary and middle schools accountable for student

absenteeism. http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

Going to school regularly is crucially important for a students

education and social skills. Chronic absentee students are placed at a

disadvantage both socially and academically. Chronic absenteeism is

defined generally as persistent nonattendance from work or school

(McCray, 2006). Webster further defines the word chronic as that which

is marked by long duration or frequent recurrence. Hence, chronic

school absenteeism is absenteeism within the school system that occurs

multiple times over a long period of time.

Chronic school absenteeism differs from the following in that

school absenteeism can also be described under various terms such as

truancy and school phobia, terms that together can provide greater

understanding of school absenteeism. Truancy, by definition, is the act of

staying away from school without permission (McCray, 2006).

School phobia, on the other hand, has been defined as an

irrational fear or anxiety about attending school (Chitiyo, Wheeler, 2006).

However, truancy and school phobia are specific terms that are linked to

possible underlying reasons for not attending school, and while touched

upon will not be the focus of this effort. Instead, chronic school

absenteeism will be used, as the term is more general and denotes the

problem instead of the possible causes.

19
 Due to chronic absenteeism, students miss out on critical stages of

social interaction and development with their peers and at the same time

impacts negatively on their academic progress, as cited in the study of

Batingal (2014). This can result to low self-esteem, social isolation and

dissatisfaction that could well have precipitated non-attendance in the

first place.

Educators have long emphasized the importance of class

attendance. Only in the classroom may the student hear the teacher's

presentation, participate in class discussions, and enjoy the benefits of

spontaneous interactions between the students and teacher. It comes as

no surprise that students with high absence rates earn lower grades

than students with better attendance (Redick & Nicoll 1990). Fleming

and Zafirau found that over three-fourths of school failure rates were

explained by the attendance rate (Fleming & Zafirau 1982).

Consequences of Absenteeism:

A. Increased Number of Dropouts due to too many students who are

frequently absent from school

B. Students who do not go to school regularly are at risk of becoming a

menace to society as they can commit crimes or they become juvenile

delinquents

There are both personal and societal costs of dropping out. The

loss of taxes, loss of production and the cost of assistance provided to

20
dropouts make the problem of high school non-completion an issue for

every taxpayer. Each year's class of dropouts will cost the country over

$200 billion (Hale, 2014) or more than Php 92 Trillion Pesos during their

lifetimes in lost earnings and unrealized tax revenue. Dropouts comprise

nearly half of the heads of households on welfare and an even higher

percentage of the prison population. The average annual cost of

maintaining a prisoner is at least three times higher than the annual

monetary fund expended to educate a school-age child (Greenberger, E.

and Steinberg, L. (2003)). This cost does not take into consideration the

costs of adjudicating the crimes that sent these dropouts to prison and

the monetary and personal costs of the crimes themselves.

The personal costs of dropping out include earning only half as

much annual income as a high school graduate by the time prime

working age is reached, while the likelihood of living in poverty is nearly

three times higher for high school dropouts than for those who finished

high school. The following students are at risk of dropping out due to too

much absenteeism in their classes.

Students with poor academic performance are the single strongest

predictor of dropping out of school. This is also interlinked with too many

absences from class. Andrea Canter, a School Head of the Minneapolis

Schools (2014) said that poor grades, low test scores and poor

performance task ratings may increase student frustration and reduce

motivation to stay in school and strive for higher education. Additionally,

21
retention in the same grade level is highly related to dropping out of

school due to too many days of absenteeism. Moreover, some research

indicates that retained students are three times more likely to dropout

that those who are non-retained students.

Another consequence of student absenteeism is behavioral

problems. Students who drop out are more likely to have a history of

serious behavioral problems that those who complete high school, and

this history may be traces back from their primary grade levels wherein

teachers do not address these behavioral problems, instead, the teachers

promote the elementary pupils from their elementary grade levels to

pass on the burden to the secondary level teachers. A case in point is

what is happening in the Public Schools in the Philippines wherein, the

teachers may not have targeted or corrected the behavioral problems of

their students in the fear that these students, when retained will be their

(teachers) burdens again (Batingal, 2014).

School Dropouts have higher rates of chronic truancy and

tardiness than those who stay in school. Attendance problems can be an

early indicator that the student is disengaging from the schooling process

Gausted, Joan (1991). According to Canter (2014), daily school

attendance reflects both student motivation and parental support.

Descriptions of Related Attendance Programs

22
 OHSP (Open High School Program). The Open High School

Program is a program that caters to the need of those who want to finish

high school but prevented by employment, poverty, physical handicap

and other reasons. Through modular instructions, students are not

required to report duty in school. They are given modules to work at

home and are required to report once a week.

(http://www.depedmakati.org/ohss)

Review of Related Studies

In a study made by Malik, Ladhani and Bhamani (2003) in Karachi

India, they examined continual student tardiness within an urban

middle school in Karachi. The primary aim of the study was to improve

the punctuality of identified middle school students by providing them

with rewards and incentive on the observation of each decrease in their

tardiness. In addition to their findings, they have developed a new

intervention program which focuses on facilitating and transforming the

behavior of the parents and teachers towards student tardiness in the

school. Malik, Ladhani and Bhamani, Faculty, Department of Education,

Institute of Business Management devised an intervention which lasted

for six weeks. The strategy they devised is a motivation-based

encouragement to learners who frequently miss out on their classes and

commit too many absences for the whole school year. After the weeks of

intervention the post test was carried out using the similar measures.

23
The data included observations in two phases; pre-intervention

observation and a post-intervention observation by reviewing the

attendance register. The results revealed a significant change in the

students tardiness in the school post intervention. The findings of the

said study highlight the importance of a relationship between

institutional practices of reward and behavior modification in students.

In a study conducted by Suhid, Asmawati, Aroff, Abdul Rahman

Md. Ph. D. and Kamal, Norlaina, (2012), one of the members of the

Faculty of Educational Studies in Universiti Putra Malaysia, who studied

about Factors Causing Student Absenteeism According to Peers, there

are many factors involved in motivating students to attend school.

Students who are not motivated, hence, will usually decide not to be

present in school. Based on several researches conducted, the rate of

absenteeism among students increases annually in the Universiti Putra

Malaysia. As a result, this problem more or less adversely affected the

schools reputation. Thus, their study was conducted to identify factors

that cause students to play truant. A set of questionnaire was used to

collect the information needed. The quantitative data was analyzed using

Statistics Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to obtain descriptive

statistics indices. The research findings were duly discussed.

One of the factors that affected students motivation in going to

school is indiscipline, according to the findings of the study of Suhid,

Asmawati, Aroff, Abdul Rahman Md. Ph. D. and Kamal, Norlaina, (2012).

24
Indiscipline among students is a perennial problem. One common

discipline problem found globally is truancy. Davies and Lee (2006)

found that school children in the United Kingdom are inclined not to go

to school or choose not to attend certain classes during the school hours.

Truancy also occurs among Malaysian students, and according to Ee Ah

Meng (2003), it has become a social moral issue. Indeed, what is of

concern is that the spread of the truancy problem has given rise to

various moral and social problems among students. This cannot be

treated lightly, because in Malaysia it has been reported that truancy

nearly tops the list of acts of misbehavior among students. Indeed,

Circular 6/1995 of the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia stated

explicitly that truancy was, and stiil is, a behavior that violates school

rules. Various papers have reported cases of Malaysian school children

involved in truancy. This problem of absenteeism is regardless of gender,

race and religion. The act of truancy among students occurs when there

is an attitude problem among students towards schooling to seek

knowledge. Based on the records of MOE, a total of 24,840 students in

2006 and 21,060 in 2007, were found to have committed truancy. Of the

eight types of discipline problems listed by MOE, truancy was then

ranked second highest after lack of politeness. Other discipline

problems were actions that are criminal in nature, time wasting,

personal neatness, delinquency, vandalism and obscenity. The issue is

students who stay away from school without permission will not only be

25
left behind in the learning process, but worse still they will probably end

up in drug abuse, gangsterism, alcohol consumption, free sex, gambling

and loitering. Certainly, playing truant is a discipline problem, and where

do these truants go to and what they do during the time of their absence

from school are related concerns. There are many factors why children

stay away from school without permission. In Malaysia, these factors

include influence of peers (Mohd. Shubari, 2000; Suseladevy, 2004), fear

of being bullied, fear of teachers, dislike of certain subjects, thinking that

they will fail (Thi, 1994; Supramaniam, 1986), no encouragement from

parents or family problems (Mohamad Yatim, 1999), and the school

factor (Hussein, 1993; Tan, 2006). All of these factors have resulted in

students having no motivation to learn, therefore they turn their

attention to hang around at other places or loitering. Research findings

have also shown that students who do not support and participate in any

school programs or activities are those who are not interested to be in

school (She, 2002). This study has attempted to revisit and identify

factors contributing to the act of truancy. This study is probably quite

unique in Malaysia as it did not focus on students who skip school.

Instead, this study explored the perceptions of students regarding the

reason their truant friends were not motivated to attend school or why

they were absent from certain classes.

Local Studies on Factors Affecting Students Absenteeism

26
 Another study conducted by Gonzaga, Mhizelie Jave F. (2009) in

Agusan National High School, entitled The Effect of Absenteeism to

school and Individual Learning Performances among Third Year Science

High Students of Agusan National High School: Basis for a Conference

Dialogue, where there is a majority of the student respondents who are

females or 20 individuals or the 56% of the Third year High School

Students in the said National High School. Findings to this study show

that for the effect of absenteeism to student individual learning

performance, both teacher and student population agreed that students

perform fairly in class even if they go through regular truancy. In this

certain study by Gonzaga, et.al. (2009) there is a recognizable fact that in

a total of 34.39 at a verbal description of Fair and at a total standard

deviation of 15.04 at a verbal description of Good the students look at

absenteeism as a factor that fairly hinders the quality of education the

students can have since they are absent. This conclusion is not so far to

what the teachers have perceived. At a total mean of 30.00 at a verbal

description of fair and a total standard deviation of 14.41 at verbal

description of Good, the teachers also sees absenteeism as not good nor

too bad for a students learning performance.

Evidently, the social relation with classmates has the highest in

mean which means that outside influences may be one of the factors that

greatly affect student participation and attendance. Due to the said

statement from Gonzaga, et.al (2009), a line of judgment can be drawn

27
that a student who commits absenteeism is sought to be still socially

connected with his fellow student. In their study, Gonzaga et. At.

observed that the student respondents who commit to such habit of

being absent from class have low performances in summative exams and

major performance tasks.

As a summary to the study of Gonzaga et.al. (2009) for the

teachers comprehensive result, the students scores in quizzes and

variation on abilities have a total mean of 2.36 with a verbal description

of fair. And that indicator 4 and 9 got the peak of the lowest that had a

total mean of 1.71 at a description of fair each. It can then be derived

from the results that the teachers sees a great difference in the

techniques of coping up and speed of analysis and comprehension of a

student who commits to regular truancy.

Factors Affecting Absenteeism

A Study conducted by Melchora Batingal, School Principal of Rufino

Rodriguez on Maigo National High Schools Student Attendance Problems

In the same study conducted by School Principal Melchora

Batingal (2013-2014), a former faculty member of Maigo National High

School (currently the School Head of Rufino Rodriguez Elementary

School), findings show that the prevalent causes of absenteeism among

High School or Secondary students of Maigo National High School are as

follows:

28
 1. Health Issues/ Sicknesses

2. Waking up Late (Time Management Issues)

3. Noise inside the Classroom (Classroom-related/Classroom

Environment)

4. Parents asking them to be asbent

5. Pre-Occupation with household chores

6. Dental Problems

7. No money to buy snacks in school

8. Bullying/ Students get bullied by classmates or schoolmates.

9. Teacher Factor- Behavior of teachers that could cause students to

shun school than regularly attending class.

The primary factor that causes the chronic absenteeism of the

student-respondents of the study conducted by Batingal (2014) is Health

Issues. Flu and fever are the leading culprits in this category. Oral

health, which according to the Department of Education is the main

reason why pupils or students are absent, is just one of the least reasons

cited in the said category by the students studying in Maigo National

High School for the school year 2013-2014 and as shown in the result of

the survey done by the herein mentioned researcher.

Mrs. Batingal also emphasized in her study that one of the topmost

factors why students are being absent or commit too many absences is

because their (students) parents ask them be to be absent due to the

foregoing reasons:

29
a. parents need their help in attending to the needs of their younger

siblings,

b. parents work far from their homes and the students are the ones who

are taking care of their siblings to help their parents,

c. their parents have to tell their children to be absent for the latter to

help them work for them to have sustenance,

d. their parents have negative view on education (parents tell their

children no one will get rich in going to school, no job will be given to

their children after studying, and going to school will only complicate

their financial situation.),

e. parents sent their children somewhere far from school to have these

children to work in their relatives houses, and

f. students voluntarily submit themselves to work in urban areas in the

hope that they can have better lives if they work than for them to have

finished their studies. Therefore, based on these facts from the study of

Batingal, family plays a great factor in motivating their children to study,

hence, parents should, according to the recommendations of this study,

be educated with the good effects of having a complete higher education.

Classroom atmosphere, personal attitude, teacher factor and

home-related reasons gained higher frequency rating in the study of

Batingal (2014). There were some certain questions that lead to the

answer as to whether or not the student participants of the study are

pleased with their teachers, the physical arrangement and time

30
management skills of participants. Based on the findings of the study,

the student-participants were not so much encouraged with their

teachers because of their teachers negative behaviors. The least reason

they give is related to their physical environment of the classroom.

Teachers Behavior May affect Student Participation in Class

Students contracts influence teacher attendance from the

classroom. The teachers attendance has a positive and negative effect on

interested students achieve. How students absences influences their

teachers-students relationship. Teacher and student absenteeism affect

the student test score performance base on extensive data collection

effect, conducted by authors. It presents an economic analysis using

data from over 700 school district in New York State 1986-1987. It

includes that provisions plays a big rule like (the number of unused leave

day by teacher will accumulate and cash in at retirement may

simultaneously bathetic in teachers and student (Pitkoff, 1993).

Teachers who maid and received low performance making tend to

miss a larger number of days than those who did not. Teachers with

marks do not feel a connection to the workplace and believe they are

ineffective in the classroom. This gives an impetus for school

administration to develop teachers growth plan early in the academic

years for low performing teachers than the later in year (Pitkoff, 1993).

31
 To prevent and correct serious attendance problems, schools need

to change the way they structured improves the quality of the courses

and intensity interpersonal relationship between teachers and students

(Epstein and Sheldon, 2002).

32
 Chapter III

Research Methods

This Chapter provides information on the research methods used

to arrive at results. The researcher chooses a Survey Method wherein she

will be handing out questionnaires to the Student- Participants of the

study and they will be answering the questions in the said questionnaire.

The answers of the student-participants will determine the certain

factors that affect student absenteeism in Maigo National High School

and the alarming status of the same student participants who commit

more that twenty (20%) percent of absences for the whole School Year.

The Random Sampling Technique is utilized for the measurement

procedures. The Survey Instrument has been designed using Likert Scale

to measure student-participants responses on the factors that affect

absenteeism among select Grade 7 students in Maigo National High

School. The Data Collection and Data Analysis (or Interpretation) will be

presented in this Chapter.

Research Design

The aim of the survey is to obtain pertinent data to achieve the

research objective which is determining the topmost reasons for students

committing too many absences. The site of the study is Maigo National

33
High School where the Grade 7 student participants are currently

enrolled. Representative samples were taken using a random sampling

approach. In this research study, the critical determination of the major

factors that affect student absenteeism in school was made. The

responses, observation and approval of the student participants towards

the questions in the questionnaire will be evaluated.

Research Locale

The research locale is Maigo National High School, located in

Purok 5, Labu-ay, Maigo, Lanao del Norte. Maigo National High School

teaches students in grades seventh through tenth in Maigo, Lanao Del

Norte of Northern Mindanao (Region X). The school has 22 instructional

rooms and 4 non-instructional rooms, which are all powered by a power

grid. With 1,082 students, class size is around 52 students. Claudia G.

Burgonia is in charge of the school, acting as the school's Principal.

For the 2013-14 school year, Maigo National High School had

1,082 students enrolled. This makes the school a big school, with 832

more students than the average school and 816 more students than the

average school in Maigo. The school has an almost equal number of male

and female students. This is unlike the average gender breakdown in

Maigo, which sees on average 0.8 female students per male.

Maigo has a total of 26 rooms - 21 of which are actively in use for

instructional purposes and 4 for non-instructional uses. Some 13 new

34
more classrooms are still being built to cater more students (current

estimates of Grade 11 enrollees reach to more or less 300 students to

enroll in the different Technical Vocational Tracks offered in Maigo

National High School) expected for the full implementation of the K+ 12

Program of the Department of Education. All in all, the school has at

least one canteen, clinic, computer lab, general academic classroom,

laboratory, library, and office. Of the instructional rooms, all of them are

standard rooms, meaning they meet the DepEd's guidelines for safety

and usability.

With 1,082 (as of 2013- 2014) and 1,140 as of 2015-2016,

students and 21 rooms actively used for teaching, Maigo has an average

class size of 52. This puts Maigo's classes on the larger side, as the

school has 16 more students per class than the average of all schools,

and 14 more students per class than the average in Maigo, Lanao Del

Norte.

There are 41 teachers and 12 Administrative Assistants who are

employed in Maigo National High School. Due to the abrupt rise of

enrollees, and that is from 1,082 in 2014 to 1,140 in the year 2015,

these faculty members or teaching staff will have an increase in number

for the next two years. This is due to the full implementation of the K +12

Program in Maigo National High School. According to Ms. Wendy

Labastilla, the teacher in charge for the survey of enrollees and the

updates of these facts, there are already 400 students who will be
35
enrolling in Maigo National High School for this School Year, from the

previous enrollment rate which is more or less 300 students for Grade 7.

Moreover, due to the addition of the Senior High School Science,

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM and General

Academics Strands or the GAS, it is expected that the number of Grade

12 students will relatively be increasing in number.

There are eight teachers handling the Grade 7 sections. These

sections are, Grade 7 Gold, Diamond, Silver, Pearl, Sapphire, Amethyst,

Emerald and Jade. The total population for Grade 7 is 355. For Grade 7

Gold, there are 15 males and 30 females for a total of 45 students. For

Grade 7 Diamond, there are 22 Males and 21 females for a total of 43

students. Grade 7 Amethyst, on the other hand has 23 males and 20

females for a total of 43 students. Grade 7 Sapphire has an enrollee

number of 20 females and 29 males for a total of 49 for this section. For

Grade 7 Emerald, there are 38 male students and 18 female students.

For Section Jade, there are 20 male students and 18 female students, for

a total of 38 students. Grade 7 Pearl has 18 male students and 24 female

students, for a total of 42 students. Grade 7 Silver has 38 male students

and 18 female students for a total of 46 students in this section.

Since the researcher of this study mainly aims to pick out the

main factors of absenteeism among Grade 7 students, then the

proponent only tackles about the number of participants who are in

36
Grade 7 only. However, the researcher will only pick out via random

sampling, 65 of the 355 students from Grade 7.

Figure 2 shows the exact location of Maigo in the Philippine Map. Photo
courtesy of Nothern Mindanao Regional Development Report 2011, from:
http://nro10.neda.gov.ph/downloads/plans/RDR_2011.pdf

37
 The figure above shows the geographic location of Maigo and its nearby Municipalities.
The Municipality of Maigo has a College where the students who graduated from Maigo National
High School can enroll to and that College is the Mindanao State University- Maigo School of
Arts and Trade or MSU- MSAT as an acronym.

Participants

In this study, the chosen student- participants will be from Grade

7 sections that will be randomly selected. In Grade 7 Emerald, there are

49 students; 29 of whom are identified as chronic absentees. In Grade 7

Amethyst, there are a total of 43; 15 of whom are considered absentees

because their attendances reflect that they are having more than the

allowed and excused absences. Grade 7 Diamond has 42 students; 10 of

whom are chronic absentees based on the data from the School Form 1.

Grade 7 Sapphire students reached a total of 49 and 15 are always

absent from class and reportedly, their adviser said that most of their

students are only present when they are releases of monetary funds from

the 4Ps. Interview questions will focus on the research problems and

questions.

Special Case of Absenteeism: Ronilo Layasan, Jr., a Boxer and

Student

Ronilo Layasan Jr. is a Grade 10 section Mahogany student of

Maigo National High School. He is a 3-time boxing Champion at the age

of 17 (current age) and he will be having a set of bouts in April for the

National Boxing Team Competition. He started training for boxing

38
competitions when he was in the Elementary. Ronilo Layasan Jr. is a

student who comes from a family with minimal financial resources to

support his studies. His father merely makes a living and his mother is a

housewife but this economic status is not a hindrance to his success. He

studies hard and does good in school even when he is absent from class

for a series of boxing trainings. His subject teachers of Maigo National

High School gives him (Ronilo) Modules to read and take home exams for

him while bringing honor to Maigo High (this is how locals call Maigo

National High School). This is a special case of success. Ronilo Layasan,

although absent from class for two (2) weeks every bout while training for

boxing competitions, is an example that even if there are other things he

has to do. Ronilo, whenever he has a boxing competition to join in, still

manages to answer the Learning Modules that the teachers from Maigo

High send him. He also has good grades as a result of studying hard.

Teachers of Ronilo sometimes tracks his achievements and they are

amazed with the results because he can top summative tests and major

exams more than those who regularly come to school. Although Ronilo

has already been absent, he still manages to go to school whenever he

has no bouts to be training for. This is a manifestation that absenteeism

cannot affect the academic performance of students if only they have the

determination and drive to succeed in their studies.

Sampling Procedure

39
 All of these participants were selected through random sampling.

This sampling method is conducted where each member of the Grade 7

population has an equal opportunity to become part of the sample. As all

members of the population have an equal chance of becoming a research

participant, this is said to be the most efficient sampling procedure for

this study. In order to conduct this sampling strategy, the researcher

defined the population first, listed down all the members of the

population, and then selected members to make the random sample. For

this purpose, a standardized survey questionnaire in Likert format will

be given to the student-participants to answer. The questions in the

questionnaire will be translated in the vernacular (Cebuano) to arrive at

reliable and realistic answers from the student-participants.

Herein, there will be sixty (60) participants for the questionnaire

survey and five (5) individuals for the interviews; 65 participants all in

all. The questionnaires will be given on February 3 for the student

participants to answer. The respondents will be given 2 days to complete

the survey questionnaire upon request. After collecting the

questionnaires, the responses will be tallied, computed, analyzed, and

recorded.

One the other hand, for the personal interviews, most of the

interviewees will be given time according to their convenience. Choices

will be given for the interviewees who will answer the interview questions,

through phone, email, online conversation, chat or personal interview. In

40
this study, the researcher will have in-depth interview with the students

who commit absenteeism more frequently and also talk to the parents of

these said student-participants. There will only be five participants who

will answer the questions from the standardized questionnaire. They (the

student participants) should be able to express their ideas and

experiences in the most convenient way that they should.

Scoring Procedure

All of the 65 Grade VII students (from sections Diamond, Sapphire,

Amethyst and Emerald) will be asked to complete a questionnaire. They

will be rated through various situations, reasons, and causes for being

absent from school. All of the data will then 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.

It should be noted that the questionnaire will be given to students

in their native dialect to increase the chance of accurate responses.

Figures will be rounded signify classification of responses. The

measure of central tendency, specifically the mean, will be used to

determine the average value of response or response average of the

students.

Data Gathering Procedure and Treatment of Data

41
 The study used standardized questionnaire as the main tool in

collecting data from a large number of student- participants. The

responses on the causes of absenteeism of the student participants will

be analyzed using a five-point Likert scale with the following equivalent:

1. never

2. rarely

3. sometimes

4. very often

5. Always

For the Part III of the questionnaire which is the Effects of

Absenteeism in Students in their Learning Performance, the researcher

uses the descriptors 5- Excellent, 4- Very Good, 3- Good, 2- Fair, and 1-

Poor. The advisers and subject teachers will be the ones who will rate

their students based on their academic performance of their students

(whether or not they commit absenteeism).

Below is the standardized questionnaire that will be used in this

study. The student-participant will be answering the questions to

determine which among the factors rate highest and which among the

factors can be possibly addressed by the School Administration. The

results of this survey will help in analyzing the possible solutions to the

current problem of absenteeism among Grade 7 students in Maigo

National High School.

42
 Survey Questionnaires
Sample Questionnaire

Dear Respondent,
Please answer the questionnaire truthfully. Read the questionnaire carefully and follow
the instructions in answering the questionnaires. Thank you very much for your cooperation with
the researcher. Rest assured that the data in this questionnaire will not be divulged as every
answer and your identity are considered highly confidential.

Yours truly,

Mrs. Wendy B. Labastilla

Researcher

PART I
Instruction: On the gender write F if female and M if male on the space provided. On the age
write you corresponding age. On the Section: please indicate the section you are currently
enrolled in.

GENDER: __________ SECTION:__________ AGE: ___________

Part II. The Common Causes of Absenteeism

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

LEGEND: 5 Always 4 - Very often 3 sometimes 2 - rarely 1 never

Very
Always Sometimes Rarely Never
Often
(5) (3) (2) (1)
(4)
A. Physical Factor
1. Our house is far from
the school.
2. It is unsafe to go to
school.
3. Nobody accompanies
me in going to school 0 0 0 0 0
since it is far.
B. Health
1. I have a toothache. 0 0 0 0 0
2. My stomach hurts. 0 0 0 0 0
3. I have a headache 0 0 0 0 0
4. I'm down with
0 0 0 0 0
fever/flu.

43
 Very
Always Sometimes Rarely Never
Often
(5) (3) (2) (1)
(4)
5. I have other diseases
0 0 0 0 0
like diarrhea, etc.

C. Personal Attitude
1. I am not interested in
0 0 0 0 0
my studies.
2. I feel lazy. 0 0 0 0 0
3. My friends influence
me to be absent from 0 0 0 0 0
my classes.
4. I can't concentrate in
0 0 0 0 0
my studies.
5. I didn't wake up
0 0 0 0 0
early.
6. I did not study/make
my assignments the 0 0 0 0 0
night before.
7. I got fond of playing
0 0 0 0 0
computer games.
D. Teacher-Related
Factors
1. My teacher scolded
0 0 0 0 0
me.
2. I can't understand
0 0 0 0 0
my teacher's lessons.
3. I don't like my
0 0 0 0 0
teacher.
E. Classroom
atmosphere
1.Our classroom is hot
0 0 0 0 0
and uncomfortable.
2. It's noisy inside our
0 0 0 0 0
classroom.
3. A
classmate/classmates 0 0 0 0 0
bully me.
4. I have no friends in
0 0 0 0 0
our class.
F. Home-Related
Factors
1. My parents ask me to 0 0 0 0 0

44
 Very
Always Sometimes Rarely Never
Often
(5) (3) (2) (1)
(4)
be absent from class.
2. My parents
0 0 0 0 0
quarreled.

3. My parents don't care 0 0 0 0 0

about my studies.
4. I'm too pre-occupied
0 0 0 0 0
with household chores.
5. I have no money to
0 0 0 0 0
buy snacks in school.
6. We have no food/I
0 0 0 0 0
did not eat.

Part III. Effect of Absenteeism in Students Learning Porformance

Instruction: Put the corresponding number that rates the students learning performance in
specific fields when he is regularly absent on the blank provided.

LEGEND:

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

_______ The students participation to oral discussions

_______ Performance in group works.
_______ Scores in Quizzes
_______ Techniques in coping up
_______ Social relation with Teachers
_______ Social relations with classmates
_______ Contribution to lesson application
_______ General Average
_______ Speed of analysis and comprehension

45