“FACTORS AFFECTING ABSENTEEISM AMONG STUDENTS OF LIM-AO NATIONAL

HIGH SCHOOL (S.Y. 2019-2020)”

A Study
Presented to the
Department of Science and Mathematics
Lim-ao National High School
Senior High School

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements of the Course
PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2 (Applied Research: An Introduction to Quantitative
Research Methods and Report Writing)

Presented by:

Batalla, Nelvin Aliawan

Donasco, Rinalyn
Gonzaga, Charlyn Pancho
Pernitis, John Lloyd
Roda, Jhona Cabugoy
Ronquiz, Klent Daniel
Sumalinog, Febelyn Dariguez

October 2019

Aldrin Cormanes Dela Cruz

Research Subject Teacher
Acknowledgement

The researchers have great pleasure to acknowledge the efforts of all those who
have helped in finalizing this research. First of all the proponent would thank to
God for having bestowed His blessings, strength, guidance and protection in
everything the researcher did and even in accomplishing and making this
research successful. The researcher would also like to thank to the Practical
Research || teacher Mr. Aldren Cormanes Dela Cruz for his timely advice,
sustained guidance and encouragement throughout the period of research
work.
The proponent would also like to recognize and say thank you to all people who
contribute and help the researcher to accomplish this research .

Chapter I

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 day’s activities- willingly or unwillingly.
Absenteeism also affects the teacher’s 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.
Going to school regularly is crucial and important for a student’s 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 Lim-ao National High School.

Lim-ao National High School today has a population of more 500 students, and
32 faculty members. It is located at the mountainous place of Kananga, Leyte
Philippines. The number of Grade 7 students reached to 123 as the total
population. But sadly, some of the students from the population of the Grade 7
students are always absent from class.

Statement of the problem

This study will answer the specific questions as follows:

What are the common causes of absences committed by the students?

What are the conditions in the school that promotes a student’s behavior?
What is the level of respondents’ learning performance in terms of:
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
What are the possible solutions to the identified causes of absenteeism as
perceived by teachers and parents?

Objectives :

General :

The key objective of this study is to identify the common causes of students
absenteeism and to distinguish the various factors why students cannot come to
school.
Specific :
Particularly this study aims to;
✓To identify the various factors that lead to absenteeism of Lim-ao national high
school students.
✓To find out the problem of absenteeism.

✓To study the impact of social factors on absenteeism, and to analyze the reason
for the absenteeism.

HYPOTHESIS:

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.

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 to 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 child’s regular truancy. Knowing the impact of absenteeism to
their child’s 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.
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 Lim-ao 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.

Definition of Terms Used

The 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 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 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 can’t 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.)
Students- In this study, some selected students are the students belonging
to the K + 12 Program of the Department of Education, currently enrolled in
Lim-ao National High School. They are the respondents of this study who are
taught English by the proponent of the study.
Individual learning performance. The variation on the learning of a student
being monitored in different ways (e.g. class interaction, test results, quizzes,
Independent Variable Dependent Variables
etc.)
Teacher Factor- One of the causes why Level of Learning
students of Student
do not come to school
✓Health Issues (Sicknesses) Performance in terms of:
regularly is the behavior of some teachers which could be linked to higher
✓Walking up Late a. participation to oral
(Time Management Issues)
dropout rates due to too much absenteeism among students.
discussions
✓Noise inside the Classroom b. Performance in group works
Truancy, according to Bell et. al. (1994) is an “unexpected and unlawful
(Classroom-related/Classroom c. Scores in Quizzes
Environment)absence from school without parental knowledge.
✓Parents asking them to be d. Techniques in coping up
absent e. Social relation with Teachers
✓ Conceptual Framework with
Pre-Occupation f. Social relations with classmates
household chores g. Contribution to lesson
The Independent Variables presented in the study are the profile of the
✓Bullying/ Students get bullied application
student respondents
by classmates or schoolmates. h. General Average
and their chronic absenteeism. The Dependent Variables
✓Teacher Factor-
present Behavior
in this study i. Speed of analysis
is theofacademic performance and
of learners or student
teachers that could cause comprehension
respondents
students to shun of this study. than
school
regularly attending class.
Theoretical 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.
The theory central to this study is Norma Haan’s 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 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”.
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 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 country’s needs because the government has placed a
high proportion of budget going to the education sector. Reportedly, the
Department of Education (DepEd), the country’s 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 is
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, diseases, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination
against women. These goals have been mainstreamed in the country’s 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 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 student’s 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.
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 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, 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
than 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 than 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

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. 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 University 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 University Putra
Malaysia. As a result, this problem more or less adversely affected the school’s
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). 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 still 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 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
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 that a student who commits
absenteeism is sought to be still socially connected with his fellow student. In their
study, Gonzaga et. Al. 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 teacher’s

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 School’s 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:

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 absent
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:
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 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
based 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 made 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).

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).

Methodology

All of the 570 students from grade 7-12 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. Strongly disagree

2. Disagree

3. Neutral
 4. Agree

5. Strongly agree

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.

Chapter III

Research Methods

This Chapter provides information on the research methods used to arrive

as results. The researcher chooses a Survey Method wherein they 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
Lim-ao National High School and the alarming status of the same student
participants who commit more than 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 students in Lim-ao 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 Lim-ao National High School where the
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 Lim-ao National High School, located in Barangay

Lim-ao, Kananga Leyte. Lim-ao National High School teaches students in grades
seventh through twelfth in Lim-ao, Kananga Leyte. The school has 17 instructional
rooms and 9 non-instructional rooms, which are all powered by a power grid. With
570 students, class size is around 34 students. Nelson M. Payot is in charge of the
school, acting as the school's Principal I.
For the 2019-20 school year, Lim-ao National High School had 570 students
enrolled. This makes the school a big school, with 816 more students than the
average school in Lim-ao. The school has an almost equal number of male and
female students. This is unlike the average gender breakdown in Lim-ao, which
sees on average 0.8 female students per male.
Lim-ao has a total of 26 rooms. 17 of which are actively in use for
instructional purposes and 9 for non-instructional uses. Some 8 new more
classrooms have been built to cater more students (current estimates of Grade
11 enrollees reach to more or less 200 students to enroll in the different Technical
Vocational Tracks offered in Lim-ao 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 434 (as of 2018- 2019) and 570 (as of 2019-2020)students and 17 rooms
actively used for teaching, Lim-ao has an average class size of 34. This puts Lim-
ao's classes on the larger side, as the school has 16 more students per class than
the average of all schools. There are 31 teachers and 1 school head who are
employed in Lim-ao National High School.

There are three teachers handling the Grade 7 sections. These sections are, Grade
7 Apple, Mango, and Guava. The total population for Grade 7 is 123. For Grade 7 Apple,
there are 19 males and 22 females for a total of 41 students. For grade 7 mango, there
are 17 males and 24 female for a total of 41 students. For grade 7 guava, there are 20
males and 21 females for a total of 41 students.

There are three teachers handling the Grade 8 sections. These sections are, Grade
8 Acacia, Narra and Molave. The total population for Grade 8 is 132. For Grade 8 Acacia,
there are 23 males and 21 females for a total of 44 students. For grade 8 Narra, there are
23 males and 21 female for a total of 44 students. For grade 8 Molave, there are 22 males
and 22 females for a total of 44 students. There are three teachers handling the Grade 9
sections. These sections are, Grade 9 Daisy, Rose, and Sampaguita. The total population
for Grade9 103. For Grade 9 Daisy, there are 15 males and 20 females for a total of 35
students. For grade 9 Rose, there are 14 males and 20 female for a total of 34 students.
For grade 9 Sampaguita there are 13 males and 21 females for a total of 34 students.
There are three teachers handling the Grade 10 sections. These sections are, Grade 10
Gold,silver , and platinum. The total population for 84. For Grade 10 gold , there are 12
males and 16 females for a total of 28 students. For grade 10 silver , there are 12 males
and 16 female for a total of 28 students. For grade 10 platinum there are 12 males and _
females for a total of _ students.There are three teachers handling the Grade 11 sections.
These sections are, Grade 11 amber, beryl and crystal. The total population for 71. For
Grade 11 amber , there are 19 males and 7 females for a total of 26 students. For grade
11 beryl , there are 10 males and 10 female for a total of 20 students. For grade 11
crystal there are 14 males and 11 females for a total of 25 students. There are two
teachers handling grade 12 sections. These sections are grade 12 diamond and
emerald.. The total population for 57. For Grade 12 diamond , there are 6 males and 17
females for a total of 23 students. For grade 12 emerald , there are 19 males and 15
female for a total of 34 students.
Participants

In this study, the chosen student- participants will be from Grade 7 up to

Grade 12 sections that will be randomly selected. In Grade 7 Apple, there are 11
students; In grade 7 guava ,there are 15 students. In grade 7 mango there are 8
students of whom are.identified as chronic absentees . In grade 8 Acacia there
are 7 students . In Grade 8 Narra there are 11 students.In grade 8 Molave there
are 18 students of whom are identified as chronic absentees. In grade 9 daisy
there are students. In grade 9 rose there are _ students. Im grade 9 sampaguita
there are _ students of whom are identified as chronic absentees. In grade 10
gold there are _ students. In grade 9 platinum there are _ students. In grade 10
silver there are _ absentees of whom are identified as chronic absentees. In grade
11 amber there are _ students. In grade 11 beryl there are _students. In grade 11
crystal there are _ students of whom are identified as chronic absentees. In grade
12 diamond there are _ students. In grade 12 emerald there are _ students of
whom are considered absentees because their attendances reflect that they are
having more than the allowed and excused absences.

Sampling Procedure

All of these participants were selected through random sampling. This

sampling method is conducted where each member in each grade level
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.
 INSTRUMENT

To gather the data for this study, a carefully structured questionnaire to elicit the
necessary information that will help to determine the effect of factors affecting
absenteeism among student's of LNHS.

Statistical Analysis

Frequency and Percentage Distribution – This consists of summarized data. It is

used to describe how a part relates to a whole. This will be used to describe the
profile of the respondents.
Formula:
P= F/N *100
Where:
P = Percentage
F = Range of Frequency
N = Number of Respondents

Mean - This consists of the average/mean that presents the participants opinion
rate according to the different independent and dependent variables. Likert
scale presents the 5 points rating wherein 5 as the highest and 1 as the lowest.

Mean=

M=∑ X/N
∑ = the sum of data
X = the value or rating
N = Number of respondents

With the following rating scale:

Value Scale Mean Range Interpretation

5 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
4 3.41 – 4.20 Agree
3 2.61 – 3.40 Neither Agree
2 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree
1 1.00 - 1.80 Strongly Disagree
Chapter IV
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Chapter four presents the results of data and followed by discussion of the
research findings. The findings relate to the research questions that guided the
study. Descriptive Data Analyses like tabular techniques was used to analyze the
results for the demographic profiles of students as well as the factor why students
are involve in absenteeism. Inferential Data Analyses on the other hand was used
to explain the reasons of student’s absenteeism. There would also be discussion
regarding the data that being included.

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILES
One of the researchers’ objectives in this study was to know the profile of
the respondents in this study which was the students of Lim-ao National High
School in Kananga, Leyte. Thus, the following tables/figures presents the
respondents demographic profile.

Figure 1: Distribution of students according to age

The figure below presents the distribution of respondents according to their
age in terms of years.

Distribution of Respondents according to

Age

65
14 - 16 years old
Age categories

42
11 - 13 years old
25
17 - 19 years old
3
20 - 23 years old

0 20 40 60 80
Number of Students
 As depicted on Table 1, there was 135 individuals who participated in this
study. The results showed that majority of the respondents 65% belong to
age group 14-16 years old. 42% out of 135 respondents are between 11-13
years old. 25% are between 17-19 years old out of 135 respondents. Lastly,
only 3% out of 135 respondents are 20-23 years old and above. Based on
the research method. The researcher chooses a survey method wherein
they will be handling out questionnaire to the student-participants of the
study. The random sampling techniques is utilized for the measurement
procedures. The survey instrument has been designed using Likert scale to
measure student- participant responses on the factors that affect
absenteeism among student’s in LNHS.
Figure 2: Distribution of students according to Sex

The following table presents the distribution of the respondents of this study
according to their gender or sex preference.

Distribution of Respondents according to Sex

Sex of Respondents

84
Female

51
Male

0 20 40 60 80 100
Number of Students

In terms of Sex, more than half of the respondents were female which is equal to
84% out of 135 respondents. While less than half or only 51% out of 135 respondents
is male. Base on the sampling Techniques of the researcher, where they have all
list of the respondents 84 are Female respondents and 51 male respondents
participated in this study.
THE COMMON CAUSES OF ABSENTEEISM
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:

Physical Factor

The Researcher identified some common causes of absenteeism and the Physical
Factor is one of those causes why students don't come to school regularly. In these
study, the researcher identified 3 indicators to measure Physical Factor as a
common causes of absenteeism and they are the ff. First; our house is far from
school. Second; it is unsafe to go to school. Lastly, nobody accompanies me in
going to school since it is far. The respondents assessed three indicator variables
comprised of physical factors affecting absenteeism among students of LNHS.

Table 3. Mean Rating Score for Physical Factor as Reasons for Students’
Absenteeism.

Table 3 presents the weighted mean of the three variables that describes
the physical factors as reason for students’ absenteeism.

Indicators Mean SD Interpretation

1. Our House is far from the School 3.42 1.32 Agree

2. It is unsafe to go to school 2.50 1.16 Disagree

3. Nobody accompanies me in going

2.87 1.24 Neutral
to school since it is far
Composite Mean 2.87 1.24 Neutral
Out of 135 students, most agreed that they can't come to school because their
home is far from school. While on average, most students disagree that it is unsafe
to go to school. Thus, we can say that considering the Physical factor as cause
for student's absenteeism, distance from home to school is the leading indicator
of absenteeism when it comes to Physical factor. On the good note the school
environment is not one of the indicator why students can't come to school. Since
most of them somewhat disagreed that our school environment is unsafe.

Health

The Researcher identified some common causes of absenteeism and the Health
related Factor is one of those causes why students don't come to school regularly.
In these study, the researcher identified 5 indicators to measure Health Related
Factor as a common causes of absenteeism and they are the ff. 1. I have a
toothache. 2. My stomach hurts. 3. I have a headache. 4. I'm down with
fever/flu.and Lastly; I have other diseases like diarhea, etc. The respondents
assessed five indicator variables comprised of health related factors affecting
absenteeism among students of LNHS.

Table 4. Mean Rating Score for Health as Reasons for Students’ Absenteeism.

Table 4 presents the weighted mean of the five variables that describes the
health factors as reason for students’ absenteeism.

INDICATORS Mean SD Interpretation

 I have a toothache. 2.79 1.30 Neutral

 I have a headache 2.59 1.26 Disagree

 I'm down with fever/flu. 2.56 1.29 Disagree

 My stomach hurts. 2.54 1.36 Disagree

 I have other diseases like Diarrhea, 2.29 1.24 Disagree

etc.
Composite Mean 2.55 1.29 Disagree
 Out of 135 students, somewhat agree and somewhat disagree that they
cannot go to school because of having a toothache. While on the other side,
most student disagree that they have other diseases like Diarrhea and of other
diseases. Thus, we can say that considering the health as cause student
absenteeism, I have a toothache is the leading indicator of an absenteeism when
it comes to Health. On the good note I have other diseases like diarrhea, etc. Is
not on of the indicator why student can't come to school. Since most of them
somewhat disagree that I have other diseases like diarrhea, etc.

Personal Attitude

The Researcher identified some common causes of absenteeism and the

Personal attitude is one of those causes why students don't come to school
regularly. In these study, the researcher identified 5 indicators to measure Personal
attitudes as a common causes of absenteeism and they are the ff. 1. I am not
interested in my study. 2. I feel lazy. 3. My friends influence me to be absent from
my classes.4. I can't concentrate in my study .5. I didnt wake up early. 6. I did not
study / make my assignments and 7. I got fond of playing computer games. The
respondents assessed seven indicator variables comprised of Personal Attitude
affecting absenteeism among students of LNHS.
Table 5. Mean Rating Score for Personal Attitude as Reasons for Students’
Absenteeism.

Table 5 presents the weighted mean of the seven variables that describes
the Personal Attitude factors as reason for students’ absenteeism.

INDICATORS Mean SD Interpretation

10. I didn't wake up early. 2.63 1.22 Neutral

11. I am not interested in my studies. 2.55 1.21 Disagree

12. I did not study/make my assignments 2.55 1.17 Disagree

the night before.
13. My friends influence me to be absent 2.39 1.13 Disagree
from my classes.
14. I got fond of playing computer games. 2.24 1.27 Disagree

15. I can't concentrate in my studies. 2.16 1.26 Disagree

16. I feel lazy. 2.14 1.28 Disagree

Composite Mean 2.38 1.31 Disagree

Out of 135 students, respondents rated somewhat agree & somewhat

disagree that they can't wake up early because of different activities they make.
While on average, most students disagree that they cannot go to school because
of lazzinessThus we can say that considering the Personal Attitude factor as cause
for student’s absenteeism, they didn't wake up early is the leading indicator of
absenteeism when it comes to Personal attitude. On the good note they feel lazy
is not one of the indicator why students can't come to school. Since most of them
somewhat disagreed that they feel lazy.

Teacher-Related Factors

The Researcher identified some common causes of absenteeism and the teacher
related factor is one of those causes why students don't come to school regularly
these study the researcher identified three indicators to measure Teacher related
factor as common causes of absenteeism and they are the following; First, My
teacher scolded me.Second, I can't understand my teachers lessons.Third, I dont
like my teacher.The respondents assessed three indicators variables comprised of
teacher related factor affecting absenteeism among students of Lnhs.

Table 6. Mean Rating Score for Teacher-Related Factors as Reasons for Students’
Absenteeism.

Table 6 presents the weighted mean of the four variables that describes the
Teacher-Related Factors as reason for students’ absenteeism.

Indicators Mean SD Interpretation

 I can't understand my teacher's Disagree

2.46 1.21
lessons.
 My teacher scolded me. 2.37 1.18 Disagree

 My teacher scolded me. 2.37 1.18 Disagree

 I don't like my teacher. 2.02 1.15 Disagree

Composite Mean
2.31 1.18
Disagree

Out of 135 students, most of them disagree that the students can't
understood their teachers lesson. On the same case, most students rated
disagree that they don't like their teacher. Thus, we can say that considering the
Teacher Related Factor as cause for student’s absenteeism, there is no problem
with regards to teacher teaching strategy of how they demonstrated their lessons.

Classroom atmosphere
The researcher identified some common causes of absenteeism and the
classroom Atmosphere is one of those causes, why students don't come to school
regularly. In these study, the researcher identified four indicators to measure
classroom Atmosphere as common causes of absenteeism and they are the
following; First, our classroom is hot and uncorportable. Second, It's noisy inside
our classroom. Third, a classmate/ classmates bully me and fourth, I have no
friends in our class. The respondents assessed four indicators variables comprised
of classroom atmosphere affecting absenteeism ong students of Lnhs.

Table 7. Mean Rating Score for Classroom atmosphere as Reasons for Students’
Absenteeism.
Table 7 presents the weighted mean of the four variables that describes the
Teacher-Related Factors as reason for students’ absenteeism.

Indicators Mean SD Interpretation

 It's noisy inside our classroom. 3.21 1.19 Neutral

 Our classroom is hot and Neutral

2.79 1.26
uncomfortable.
 A classmate/classmates bully me. 2.50 1.19 Disagree

 I have no friends in our class. 1.97 1.22 Disagree

Composite Mean 2.62 1.22 Neutral

Out of 135 students, respondents rated neutrally that they can't come to
school because it is noisy in school, while on average, most students disagree that
they have no friends in room. Thus, we can say that considering the classroom
atmosphere as cause for student absenteeism, it is noisy in school is the leading
indicator of absenteeism when it comes to classroom atmosphere. On the good
note the school environment is not one of the indicator why students can't come
to school, since most of them disagreed that they have no friends in school.

Home-Related Factors

The researcher identified some common causes of absenteeism and the

Home Related Factors is one of those causes why students don't come to school
regularly. In these study, the researcher identified six indicators to measure Home
Related Factors as common causes of absenteeism and they are the following;
the first one is, I I'm too pre-occupied with household chores. The second one is; I
have no money to buy snacks in school. While the third one is, my parents
quarreled. Next is, my parents don't care about my studies. Then, my parents ask
me to be absent from class. Lastly, we have no food/I did not eat. The
respondents assessed six indicators variable comprised of Home Related Factors
affecting absenteeism among students of Lim-ao National High School.

Table 8. Mean Rating Score for Home-Related Factors as Reasons for Students’
Absenteeism.
Table 8 presents the weighted mean of the four variables that describes the
Home-Related Factors as reason for students’ absenteeism.

Indicators Mean SD Interpretation

a) I'm too pre-occupied with household 2.71 1.14 Neutral

chores.
b) I have no money to buy snacks in 2.41 1.19 Disagree
school.
c) My parents quarreled. 2.27 1.32 Disagree

d) My parents don't care about my 2.11 1.25 Disagree

studies.
e) My parents ask me to be absent from 2.07 1.20 Disagree
class.
f) We have no food/I did not eat. 1.99 1.11 Disagree

Composite Mean 2.26 1.20 Disagree

Out of 135 students, the respondents rated neutrally that they can't come
to school because they're too pre- occupied with household chores. On the other
hand, most disagreed that students can't to school because they have no food
to eat.Hence, we can say that considering the home related factor as cause for
students absenteeism, too pre- occupied with household chores had minimally
affects on absenteeism when it comes to home related factor.On the good note,
the food shortage is not one of the indicator why students can't come to school
since most of them disagreed that they have no food to eat.
Figure 9. Composite Mean Score Rating Summary on Factors Affecting Students’
Absenteeism.

Figure 9 below presents the composite mean score rating summary of the
six reasons for student’s absenteeism. Table for Legend was also provided for ease
in interpretation.

Factors Affecting Students' Absenteeism

Physical Factor 2.93

Factors of absenteeism

Classroom Atmosphere 2.62

2.55
Health

Personal attitude 2.38

Teacher Related Factor 2.3

Home-related Factors 2.26

0 1 2 3
Weighted Mean

Legend:

1.00 – 1.79 Strongly Disagree

Disagree
1.80 – 2. 59
Somewhat agree or disagree
2.60 – 3.39 Agree
Strongly Agree
3.40 – 4.19

4.20 – 5.0
 Among six indicators, physical factor has the greatest causes of student’s
absenteeism. While the classroom atmosphere, health, personal attitude, teacher
related factor rated as neutrally causes of absenteeism. On the other hand,
personal attitude has less causes of students absenteeism.

Effect of Absenteeism in Students Learning Performance

Nowadays there are several factors that hinder the learning performance
of students and one of this factor is absenteeism. Students thought that
absenteeism is just a minute problem, but the truth is it holds back their learning
performance to the extent that they were certainly failed.

Table 10. Mean Rating Score for the Effect of Absenteeism on the Academic
Performance of the Students.

Table 10 presents the weighted mean of the 9 variables that describes the
students’ absenteeism that affects their academic performance.

Indicators Mean SD Interpretation

1. Social relations with classmates 3.75 1.17 Agree

2. Performance in group works. 3.60 1.04 Agree

3. The students participation to oral 3.51 1.11 Agree

discussions
4. General Average 3.45 1.03 Agree

5. Social relation with Teachers 3.38 1.15 Neutral

6. Scores in Quizzes 3.35 1.06 Neutral

7. Contribution to lesson application 3.25 1.10 Neutral

8. Speed of analysis and comprehension 3.22 1.04 Neutral

9. Techniques in coping up 2.99 1.22 Neutral

Composite Mean
3.39 1.10
Neutral
 Table 10 presents the weighted mean of the 9 variables that describes the
student’s absenteeism that affects their academic performance. Out of 9
variables 4 of it, had been rated agree 1. Social relations, 2. Performance in group
works, 3. The student’s participation to oral discussions, 4. General average. While
five variables had been rated neutrally 5. Social relation with Teachers, 6. Scores
in Quizzes, 7. Contribution to lesson application, 8. Speed of analysis and
comprehension, 9. Techniques in coping up.

Hence, out of 9 variables most of students had rated neutrally that

absenteeism affects their academic performance. While there are only few
students who rated agree that absenteeism affect their academic performance.
Thus, absenteeism has an affect towards the academic performance of students.

Effect of the Different Factors of Absenteeism to the Academic Performance of

Students.

Nowadays there are several factors that hinder the learning performance
of students and one of this factor is absenteeism. Students thought that
absenteeism is just a minute problem, but the truth is it holds back their learning
performance to the extent that they were certainly failed.

Table 11-12. Cross Tabulation between Students’ Academic Performance

measured in General Weighted Average and Common Causes of Absenteeism
which is the Physical Factor.
Table 11. It is unsafe to go to school.

Table 11 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their

responses based on the question “It is unsafe to go to school”.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 0 10 4 12 2 28

Disagree 1 9 17 20 1 48
It is unsafe to
Somewhat Agree 1 9 12 8 0 30
go to school
Agree 0 8 8 5 0 21

Strongly Agree 0 2 6 0 0 8

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 11, present the frequency of the students responses on the statement
“It unsafe to go to school” and the corresponding average grade based on the
responses as shown in the table out of 135 students 48 of them Disagree that it is
unsafe to go to school, hence 1 get on average grade lower than 79, 9 of them
get an average of 80-84, 17 of them get 85-89, 20 of them get an average of 90-
94, and 1 of them get 95-100 while out of 135 respondents 8 agrees that it is unsafe
to go to school, only 2 of them get average grade of 80-84, 6 of them get 85-89.

Thus, for those students who disagree that it is unsafe to go to school got a
higher grade, compared to those who agree that it is unsafe to go to school got
a lower grade.

Table 12 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to

their responses based on the question “Nobody accompany me in going to
school since it is far”.
Table 12. Nobody accompany me in going to school since it is far

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 4 4 11 1 21

Nobody
Disagree 1 6 11 17 1 36
accompany
me in going Somewhat Agree 0 12 12 6 0 30
to school
Agree 0 11 14 10 0 35
since it is far

Strongly Agree 0 5 6 1 1 13

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 12, presents the frequency of the students responses on the

statement “ nobody accompany me in going to school since it is far” and the
corresponding average grade based on the responses as shown in this table, out
of 135 students 36 of them disagree that nobody accompany them in going to
school since it is far hence 1 of them get an average grade lower than 79, 11 of
them get an average grade of 85-89, 17 of them get an average grade of 90-94
and 1 of them get an average grade of 95-100, while out of 135 students 13
strongly agree that nobody accompany them in going to school since it is far,
hence 5 of them get an average grade of 80-84, 6 of them get an average grade
of 85-89, 1 of them get an average of 90-94, and 1 of them get an average grade
of 95-100.
Thus, for those students who disagree that nobody accompanies them to
go to school since it is far got a higher grades compared to those who strongly
agree that nobody accompany them to go to school get a lower grade.
Table 13-15. Cross Tabulation between Students’ Academic Performance
measured in General Weighted Average and Common Causes of Absenteeism
which is the Health Factor.

Table 13 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to

their responses based on the question “I have a toothache”.

Table 13. I have a toothache

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 7 6 12 3 29

Disagree 1 7 11 14 0 33
I have a
Somewhat Agree 0 6 10 7 0 23
toothache
Agree 0 13 14 11 0 38

Strongly Agree 0 5 6 1 0 12

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 13, presents the frequency of the student’s responses on the

statement “I have a toothache” and the corresponding average grade based
on the responses, as shown in this table, out of 135 students, 38 of them agreed
that they have a toothache, hence 13 of them get an average grade of 80-84,
14 of them get an average grade of 85-89, and 11 of them get an average grade
of 90-94.

Table 14 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to

their responses based on the question “My stomach hurts.”
Table 14. My stomach hurts.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 8 10 17 2 38

Disagree 1 11 16 11 1 40
My
stomach Somewhat Agree 0 5 5 9 0 19

hurts.
Agree 0 8 7 7 0 22

Strongly Agree 0 6 9 1 0 16

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 14 present the frequency of the student’s responses on the statement

“My stomach hurts” and the corresponding average grade based on the
responses as shown in this table. Out of 135 students, 40 of them disagree that
their stomach hurts. Hence, only 1 of them get an average grade lower than 79,
11 of them get an average grade of 80-84, 16 of them get an average grade of
85-89, 11 of them get an average of 90-94 and only 1 of them get an average
grade of 95-100. While out of 135 students 16 strongly agree that their stomach
hurts. Hence, 6 of them get an average of 90-94.
Thus, for those student who disagree that their stomach is hurts got a highest
grades compare to those students who strongly agree that their stomach hurts
get a lower grade.

Table 15 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their

responses based on the question “I have other diseases like diarrhea, etc.”

Table 15. I have other diseases like diarrhea, etc.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100
 Strongly Disagree 1 10 14 20 1 46

I have other
Disagree 1 8 14 13 2 38
diseases
like Somewhat Agree 0 8 11 7 0 26
diarrhea,
Agree 0 7 5 4 0 16
etc.

Strongly Agree 0 5 3 1 0 9

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 15 presents the frequency of the student’s responses on the statement “I

have other diseases like diarrhea, etc.” and the corresponding average grade
based on the responses. As shown in table 15, out of 135 students 46 of them get
an average grade lower than 79, 10 of them get an average grade of 80-84, 14
of them get 85-89 and 20 of them get 90-94. While out of 135 respondents, 9
strongly agree that they have other diseases like diarrhea, etc. Thus, 5 of them got
80-84 average grade. The next 3 students got 90-94 average grade.
Therefore, this means that students who have no other diseases like diarrhea, etc.
got higher grades than those who have. Whereas most of them strongly disagree
that they have diseases like diarrhea, etc.

Table 16-17. Cross Tabulation between Students’ Academic Performance

measured in General Weighted Average and Common Causes of Absenteeism
which is the Personal Attitude.

Table 16 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their

responses based on the question “I can't concentrate in my studies.”

Table 16. I can’t concentrate in my studies

Variables Average Total

 75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 9 17 21 2 50

I can't Disagree 1 15 17 16 0 49
concentrate
Somewhat Agree 0 4 3 4 0 11
in my
studies. Agree 0 6 4 4 0 14

Strongly Agree 0 4 6 0 1 11

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 16 presents the frequency of the student’s responses on the statement “I

can’t concentrate on my studies” and the corresponding average grade based
on the responses as shown in table 16. Out of 135 students, 50 of them strongly
disagree that they can’t concentrate in their studies. 1 get an average grade
lower than 79, 9 of them get 80-84, 17 of get 85-89, and 21 of them get 90-94.
While out of 135 students only 11 of them strongly agree that they can’t
concentrate in their studies. Thus, 4 of them got 80-84 average grade. The next
students got 85-89 average score, then the other 1 got 95-100 average grade.
Consequently, this means that those students who haven’t concentrated on their
study got lower grades compared to those students whose concentration is within
their studies since most of them disagreed that they can’t concentrate in their
studies.

Table 17 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their

responses based on the question “I got fond of playing computer games”

Table 17. I got fond in playing computer games.

 Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 12 14 23 1 51

I got fond of Disagree 1 12 12 10 0 35

playing
Somewhat Agree 0 10 6 7 1 24
computer
games Agree 0 2 10 3 0 15

Strongly Agree 0 2 5 2 1 10

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 17 presents the frequency of the student’s responses on the variable “I got
fond of playing computer games” and the corresponding average grade based
on the responses. As shown in table 17, out of 135 students 51 of them strongly
disagree that they got fond of playing computer games. 1 get an average
grades 79 below, 12 of them get an average grade of 80-84, 14 of them get 85-
89 and 23 of them get 90-94. On the other hand, out of 135 respondents, only 10
of them strongly agree that they fond of playing computer games. So 2 of them
got an average grade of 80-84. The next 5 students got 85-89, then 2 of them got
90-94, and the last one student got 95-100 average grade.

Hence, this means that students who’s not fond of playing computer games got
higher grades.

Table 18. Cross Tabulation between Students’ Academic Performance measured

in General Weighted Average and Common Causes of Absenteeism which is the
Teacher-Related Factor.
Table 18 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their
responses based on the question “My teacher scolded me.”

Table 18. My teacher scolded me.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 10 10 16 0 37

My Disagree 1 10 16 16 2 45
teacher
Somewhat Agree 0 10 10 6 0 26
scolded
me. Agree 0 6 8 6 0 20

Strongly Agree 0 2 3 1 1 7

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 18 shows the frequency of the student’s responses of the variable “My
teacher scolded me” and the corresponding average grade based on the
responses. As shown in table 18, out of 135 respondents, 45 of them disagreed
that their teacher scolded them, 10 of them get an average grade of 80-84, 16
of them get an average of 85-89, 16 of them get an average of 90-94, and only 2
of them get an average grade of 95-100. While out of 135 students 7 of them
strongly agree that their teacher scolded them. 2 of them get an average grade
of 80-84, 3 of them get an average grade of 85-89, 1 of them get an average
grade of 90-95 and only 1 of them get an average grade of 95-100.
Hence, this means that their teacher isn’t an indicator why students can’t come
to school since majority of them disagreed that their teacher scolded them.
Table 19-21. Cross Tabulation between Students’ Academic Performance
measured in General Weighted Average and Common Causes of Absenteeism
which is the Classroom-Related Factor.

Table 19 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their

responses based on the question “Our classroom is hot and uncomfortable.”

Table 19. Our classroom is hot and uncomfortable

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 7 10 7 0 25

Our
Disagree 1 9 10 15 0 35
classroom is
hot and Somewhat Agree 0 9 11 12 1 33
uncomforta
Agree 0 10 10 8 0 28
ble.

Strongly Agree 0 3 6 3 2 14

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 19 shows the prevalence of the student’s response on the variable “our
classroom is hot and uncomfortable” and the corresponding average grade in
congruence with the students response. As shown in table 19, out of 135 students,
35 of them disagreed that their classroom is hot and uncomfortable. Thus
researcher found 1 student whose average grade is below 79. 9 students got 80-
84, next 10 students got 85-89, and the last 15 students got 90-94 average grade.
On the other hand, out of 135 respondents, only 14 of them strongly agree that
their classroom is hot and uncomfortable. Thus 3 of them got 80-84 average
grade, the next 6 students got 85-89, then 3 of them got 90-94, and the last 2
students got 95-100 average grade.

Therefore, it means that their classroom isn’t an indicator why students can’t
come to school considering that most of them disagreed that their classroom is
hot and uncomfortable.
Table 20 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their
responses based on the question “It's noisy inside our classroom.”

Table 20. Its noisy inside our classroom.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 0 4 8 4 0 16

Disagree 1 4 7 5 0 17
It's noisy
inside our Somewhat Agree 1 11 13 18 0 43
classroom.
Agree 0 14 12 14 1 41

Strongly Agree 0 5 7 4 2 18

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

table 20 come out with the frequency of the student’s response on the variable
“its noisy inside our classroom” and the corresponding average grade in
accordance with students response. As shown in table 20, out of 135 students, 43
of them are somewhat agree that its noisy inside their classrooms. Thus, researcher
found 1 student whose average grade is below 79. 11 students got 80-84, 13
students got 85-89, then 18 of them got 90-94. On the other hand, out of 135
respondents, 16 of them strongly disagree that it’s not noisy in their classroom.
Thus, 4 of them got 80-84 average grade, the next 8 students got 85-89 and the
last 4 got 90-94 average grade.
Hence, this means that being noisy inside the classroom is an indicator why
students can’t come to school whereas majority of them have somewhat agree
that it is not noisy in their classroom.
Table 21 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their
responses based on the question “A classmate/classmates bully me.”

Table 21. a classmate/ classmates bullies me.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 0 9 14 8 1 32

A Disagree 2 10 13 16 0 41
classmate/
Somewhat Agree 0 12 9 12 1 34
classmates
bully me. Agree 0 5 6 8 0 19

Strongly Agree 0 2 5 1 1 9

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 21 come out with the prevalence of student’s response on the variable “A
classmates bully me” and the corresponding average grade based on the
student’s response. As shown in table 21, out of 135 students, 41 of them disagreed
that their classmates bullied them. Thus, researcher found 2 students whose
average grade is below 79, 10 students got 80-84, next 13 students got 85-89, then
16 of them got 90-94. On the other hand, out of 135 students only 1 strongly agree
that their classmates bullied them. Thus, 2 of them, got 80-84 average grade, the
next 5 students got 85-89, then 1 of them got 90-94, and the last 1 got 95-100
average grade.
Consequently, this means that their classmates isn’t an indicator why they can’t
came to school considering that most of them disagreed that their classmates
bullied them.
Table 22-23. Cross Tabulation between Students’ Academic Performance
measured in General Weighted Average and Common Causes of Absenteeism
which is the Home-related Factor.

Table 2 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their

responses based on the question “My parents ask me to be absent from class.”

Table 22. My parents ask me to be absent from class.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 0 9 14 8 1 32

My parents Disagree 2 10 13 16 0 41
ask me to
Somewhat Agree 0 12 9 12 1 34
be absent
from class. Agree 0 5 6 8 0 19

Strongly Agree 0 2 5 1 1 9

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 22 presents the frequency of the students response on the variable” My

parent ask me to be absent from class” and the corresponding average in
congruence with students response. As shown in table 22, out of 135 students, 41
of them disagreed that their parents ask them to be absent on the class. Thus,
researcher found 2 students whose average grade is below 79. 10 students got
80-84, next 13 students got 85-89, then 16 of them got 90-94. On the other hand,
out of 135 respondents only 9 strongly agree that their parents ask them to be
absent from the class. Thus, 2 of them got 80-84 average grade, the next 5 student
got 85-89, then 1 of them got 90-94 and the last 1 got 95-100 Average grade.
Wherefore, it critically means that their parents isn’t an indicator why students
can’t come to school since most of them disagreed that their parents ask them
to be absent from the class.
Table 23 presents the average grade of students’ classified according to their
responses based on the question “My parents quarreled.”

Table 23. My parents quarreled.

Average
Variables Total
75 - 79 80 - 84 85 - 89 90 -94 95 - 100

Strongly Disagree 1 10 17 25 1 54

Disagree 1 10 8 9 0 28
My parents
Somewhat Agree 0 10 11 5 0 26
quarreled.
Agree 0 2 9 5 0 16

Strongly Agree 0 6 2 1 2 11

Total 2 38 47 45 3 135

Table 23 presents the prevalence of the students response the variable “ My

parents quarreled” and the corresponding average grade in accordance with
students response. As shown in table 23, out of 135 students, 54 of them strongly
disagree that their parents quarreled. Thus, researcher found 1 student whose
average grade is below 79. 10 students got 80-84, next 17 students got 85-89, then
25 of them got 90-94. And the last 1 students got 95-100. On the other hand, out
of 135 respondents, only 11 strongly agree that their parents quarreled. Thus, 6 of
them got 80-84 average grade, the next 2 students got 85-89, then 1 of them got
90-94 and the last 2 got 95-100 average grade.

Hence, this means that quarreling of their parents isn’t an indicator why students
can’t come to school, whereas most of them strongly disagreed that their parents
quarreled.
Summary
This research studied the factors affecting absenteeism among students of Lim ao
National high school, the reasons and factors behind and correlations between
academic performance when student make an absences.

The most common reason ranked by the respondents is "Physical factor" second
is "classroom atmosphere" then "health" followed by " personal attitude" next is
"home related factors and lastly " teacher related factor ".

Respondents who indicated "physical factor" in their reasons answered additional

reasons why. They said that their house is far from the school, that end up being
absent.Others said that nobody accompanies them in going to school since it is
far.Addionally, from the respondents that included "classroom atmosphere" as
one of the reasons for being absent. Moreover, those who indicated " health " as
another reasons for absenteeism were mostly referring that they have other
diseases like diarrhea and etc. Afterwards, those who indicated " personal
attitude " as reasons from being absent pertains to the waking up late and the
laziness of students thats why they cannot come to school or absent.Then, those
who indicated "home related factor" as of the reasons why students absent,
specify to the pre- occupied with household chores that reasons to students
absents.Furthermore, those student who choose the teacher related factor as
reason why they make an absents, described the teacher's as boring, thats why
they don't like to come to school or absent. The study also showed that academic
performance and absences of student are statistically significantly to the
learning performace of lim ao nhs students.The academic performance and the
factors why student make an absenses are significantly bases to predict whether
lim ao nhs student will be more or less likely to be absent.

Conclusion
Student's absenteeism impacts not only student's educational progress but also
affects their social development.When examining the Review of related literature
a lot of studies take place about the reasons and effects of student's
absenteeism.

This study contribute to the growing body of school institutions suggesting that
improving students’ academic self-perception, attitudes towards teacher and
school, motivation/self-regulation, and goal valuation contribute students’
attendance and academic performance. This study also provides some
important findings for both counselors and educators.Counselors and educators
can use finding of this study to develop intervention programs for helping students
who suffer from school absenteeism.

Recommendations

In general, the researchers were confident that the problems were

correspondingly answered with the accuracy and reliability it can utmost achieve;
however, there are still aspects in the research study that will improve the research and
yield more accurate and strong data and conclusions. The researchers have the
following recommendations:

1. The sample respondents were relatively small compared to the whole population of
Kananga. Stronger data and conclusions can be derived if a larger sample will be
studied and the margin of error will be at minimum.

2. It will also be helpful if more reasons are served to the respondents. This will expose
more areas of concern and even reveal more interesting correlations.

3. A better and well-organized questionnaire will be needed to derive more accurate

answers and responses from the respondents. Some of the respondents simply put a
check mark on they reasons/factors instead of putting numbers indicating the rank of
these reasons/factors.

Appendices