Date of Award
Fall 9-23-2024
Document Type
Dissertation (799 registration)
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
Department
Graduate Studies
Committee Chair
Kristen Carlson
Keywords
public education, attendance, truancy, belonging, school connectedness, adolescent
Abstract
A strong correlation exists between school attendance and positive school outcomes such as increased graduation rates, stronger sense of belonging, and a higher grade-point average (Churchill et al., 2021; Daily et al., 2020; Allensworth & Easton, 2007). Therefore, school administrators implement strategies that foster positive attendance behavior for students. Attendance data is quantitative in nature and, while quantitative data is needed for decisions related to policy and best practices, qualitative data may better identify root causes of truancy behavior. This study’s purpose was to identify perceived contributing factors that resulted in participants having high rates of in-school truancy, or going to school and skipping classes, compared to their peers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven high school students to understand their lived experiences throughout their educational career that led to their truancy behavior in high school. Attendance data were analyzed to identify participants with the highest rates of in-school truancy during a particular semester. Legal guardians of participants signed an informed consent letter and then participants provided assent prior to beginning the study. The Hemmingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness (Karcher, 2005) is the guiding theoretical framework and guided interview questions. Participants remained anonymous by using pseudonyms and redacting identifying information. Data was analyzed with both deductive and inductive coding. Six major themes were identified: four connecting to the theoretical framework and two as emerging issues. These provide insights to educators as they focus resources to support positive experiences for students and ultimately increase school belonging and attendance rates.
Recommended Citation
Andres, Joshua Donald, "Understanding the Experiences of Secondary Students Identified as In-School Truant and Their Perceived Contributing Factors to Truancy: When and What Caused the Disconnection" (2024). Dissertations, Theses, and Projects. 967.
https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/967
Included in
Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Secondary Education Commons