Absent on Absenteeism: Academic Silence on Student Absenteeism in Canadian Education

Abstract

Despite mandatory school attendance policies, many students in Canada are frequently absent from school. Absenteeism is linked to numerous negative educational outcomes and is a growing educational issue internationally. This has lead universities in many countries to study the factors associated with absenteeism in order to reduce it. However, the Canadian educational discourse is largely absent on absenteeism. A review of faculty profiles revealed that no Canadian educational scholar investigates absenteeism as their primary area of research. The lack of empirical knowledge concerning student absenteeism is a contributing factor to the high levels of absenteeism evident in Canada. This article serves as a call to action for Canadian academics to research student absenteeism in order to alleviate the behaviour.
 Keywords: school attendance, student absenteeism, truancy, school refusal, school anxiety, school withdrawal

Association Between Area‐Level Income Inequality and Health‐Related School Absenteeism: Evidence From the COMPASS Study

“…Further, it provides much needed insight on the sparse Canadian literature on school absenteeism. 9 Our main finding that income inequality has a detrimental association with HRSA is generally supported by the broader adolescent literature as others have also found income inequality to be linked with adverse experiences and health outcomes in this age group. For example, prior COMPASS studies have found greater income inequality to be associated with bullying victimization and bullying perpetration 27 as well as higher depression scores and lower psychological well-being.…”

“…These findings add to the current literature by examining a specific type of school absenteeism (ie, health related) and whether income inequality explains differences in HRSA by gender and racial identity. Further, it provides much needed insight on the sparse Canadian literature on school absenteeism 9 …”

“…In Canada, there is significant dearth of research on chronic absenteeism, particularly for racialized groups. 9 Addressing chronic absenteeism is imperative for educational attainment and overall health. As such, current evidence is needed to find ways to reduce chronic absenteeism among high school students, especially among certain racialized groups in Canada.…”

“…In Canada, there is significant dearth of research on chronic absenteeism, particularly for racialized groups 9 . Addressing chronic absenteeism is imperative for educational attainment and overall health.…”

Gender Disparities in Access to and Flow Rates of Secondary Schooling in Gamo and Gofa Zones, Ethiopia

“…Regarding the achievement scores, some authors noticed a deeper understanding of the association between school absenteeism and academic achievement by focusing on specific reasons for school absences (Birioukov, 2012;Klein et al, 2022;Roorda & Koomen, 2021). For these authors, the behavior, health conditions, and psychological ways account for absenteeism and low academic achievements, and the authors verified that absenteeism was negatively associated with academic achievements (Birioukov, 2012).…”