Prediction of various degrees of vocational secondary school absenteeism: Importance of the organization of the educational system

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study different types of absenteeism in vocational secondary school taking into account the specificity of the school context. Participants were 523 students. First, three school absenteeism groups were established: Students with no absenteeism (nearly 64% of the sample), students with absenteeism (26%), and students with problematic absenteeism (10%). These groups were then compared according to four dimensions directly linked to the school context in order to identify the characteristics most associated with each type of absenteeism. Dimensions considered in this study were: 1) students’ characteristics and their status in vocational secondary school; 2) personal variables of school involvement; 3) relational variables (with parents, teachers, and school climate); and 4) belief variable in school system (belief in school justice). Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that beyond the impact of the personal variables, the organization of the educational system seems to be a major predictor in the explanation of various forms of absenteeism. Implications from the research for psychological providers practice were suggested in order to encourage school attendance by vocational secondary school students.

Factors Associated with Absenteeism in High Schools

“…In the literature, there are many definitions within the scope of absenteeism. For example, Lannegrand-Willems et al (2012) defined absenteeism as, "a student being absent in school with or without an excuse". Robinson (2009) considered absenteeism by describing behavior and defined it as "not attending the school with or without an excuse, miss some classes or being late for class".…”

“…Focusing on absenteeism as a problem, the duration is as important as the type of absenteeism. As Lannegrand-Willems et al (2012) indicated, when absenteeism is rare, it is not considered to indicate a problematic situation. However, increased absenteeism is considered to be an indicator of various risk factors.…”

“…When students fall behind in their learning, they lose interest and fail (Pehlivan, 2006). In addition, students feel an increasing sense of alienation toward their classmates, teachers and their school (Lannegrand-Willems, Cosnefroy, & Lecigne, 2012). Also absent students can set a bad example and encourage absenteeism among other students (Pehlivan, 2006).…”

“…Moreover, as absenteeism increases, students are inclined to experience psychological problems such as depression or behavioral disorders. They may also exhibit behavioral patterns such as becoming involved in violence inside and outside of the school, teenage pregnancy, quitting school and acquiring harmful habits (Gottfried, 2009;Eastman et al, 2007;Lannegrand-Willems et al, 2012;Sinha, 2007;Williams, 2001;Robinson, 2009;Gentle-Genitty, 2008;Jeter, 2011;Casserly, Carpenter & Halcon, 2001). In other words, absenteeism for young people is considered as a predictor of academic failure and leads to many other risk factors.…”

Intención de abandono y abandono durante el primer curso de Formación Profesional de Grado Medio: un análisis tomando como referencia el concepto de implicación del estudiante ("student engagement")

“…El cuestionario, diseñado ad hoc para este estudio, está basado fundamentalmente en el modelo de asociación entre contexto (familia, padres, escuela, comunidad), implicación (cognitiva, comportamental, emocional) y resultados del alumnado de Reschly y Christenson (2012), y en la revisión de distintos instrumentos para su medición. Destacan aquí las aportaciones del Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), utilizado en el proyecto Check&Connect (Appleton, 2012); del kit de evaluación de abandonos potenciales (Trousse d'évaluation des décrocheurs potentiels-TEDP), utilizado en Quebec (Janosz, Archambault, Lacroix y Lévesque, 2007), y de un estudio sobre absentismo en educación secundaria profesional en Francia (Lannegrand, Cosnefroy y Lecigne, 2012).…”