Abstract
Background: Absenteeism among university and college students is a global challenge. Not only does absenteeism result in inadequate learning, but it also disrupts the way in which classes are conducted. Objective: The study sought to explore and understand the reasons for absenteeism from the perspectives of the nursing students in the context of a South African University. Methods: The study used an explorative qualitative design to conduct four focus group discussions with undergraduate nursing students. Tesch’s method of data analysis was followed. Results: One theme and four sub-themes emerged, such as the negative attitudes of lecturers, poor guidance and lack of prompt feedback from lecturers, lack of commitment from lecturers and classes starting late, and inability of the students to cope with the workload. Conclusion: The study revealed that the main reasons for the students’ absenteeism from scheduled learning experiences were related to the lecturers’ behaviour and practices. The poor lecturer-student relationship discouraged the students from attending classes.
Highlights
Class attendance is essential in the academic performance and professional development of medical students [1]
The participants explained that the negative attitudes of lecturers are a demotivating factor towards their nonattendance in class
This study aimed to investigate the reasons for students’ absenteeism from scheduled learning experiences, as well as to identify which strategies can be designed to curb the problem of absenteeism
Summary
Class attendance is essential in the academic performance and professional development of medical students [1]. The issue of student absenteeism in the South African Higher Education landscape has become a complex educational, political, and social problem that is generating increased interest among edu-. Absenteeism is an epidemic peculiar to the universities but to all public and private schools in the developed and developing countries. It is seen that the absenteeism rate in secondary education is much higher than in other stages of the educational system. Absenteeism among university and college students is a global challenge. Does absenteeism result in inadequate learning, but it disrupts the way in which classes are conducted
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