Abstract
This study aimed at finding out factors affecting pupils’ absenteeism at Felicomfort JHS at Amamoma within the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. The total population was 145 covering the JHS1, JHS2, JHS3 pupils and teachers of the school. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 34 respondents. These were made up of 10 out of 15 teachers, 10 parents out of 53 and 14 pupils out of their accessible population of 56. Pretest, posttest, questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from respondents. Case study design was used for the study and data analysis was done, using mean values, frequency and percentage counts with the Predictive Analytical Software (PASW) version 21. Key findings of the study indicated that 71.4 percent of absenteeism was due to teachers’ inability to care and find out from pupils the cause of their absenteeism, while 70 percent of respondents indicated that parental lack of care was the major cause of their absenteeism. However, majority (10) of respondents (71%) disagreed that pupils’ attitudes were part of the contributory factors to their habitual absenteeism. The overall percentage mean (58%) representing 8 of the pupils discounted teacher factor as responsible for their absenteeism. It was recommended that government through the District Assemblies offer some financial assistance to poor and single parents to enable them to adequately cater for their wards at school.
Highlights
Regular school attendance is vital for pupils’ academic and social development
The results show that the form 1 and 2 pupils at the Felicomfort Junior High School (JHS) were relatively old
In order to establish factors that were most responsible for pupils’ absenteeism at Felicomfort JHS, factor analysis of the variables involved was done and the results presented in table 8
Summary
Regular school attendance is vital for pupils’ academic and social development. pupils’ consistent absence from school adversely affects their social and academic progress. According to Loren (2011), absentees miss out on critical stages of lessons and social interactions that are necessary for solid academic development with their peers. School pupils’ absenteeism affects the teacher’s ability to present lessons in a sequential and organised way. This can have a deleterious effect on the progress of all the students in the class. For a poverty-stricken family, it may mean a continuation of the poverty and unemployment cycle that may run in the family. This contributes to family conflicts (Loren, 2011)
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