Teacher Absenteeism Research Articles

The progress of school education in India

This paper provides an overview of school education in India. Firstly, it places India`s educational achievements in international perspective, especially against countries with which it is now increasingly compared such as BRIC economies in general and China in particular. India does well relative to Pakistan and Bangladesh but lags seriously behind China and the other BRIC countries, especially in secondary school participation and youth literacy rates. Secondly, the paper examines schooling access in terms of enrolment and school attendance rates, and schooling quality in terms of literacy rates, learning achievement levels, school resources and teacher inputs. The substantial silver lining in the cloud of Indian Education is that its primary enrolment rates are now close to universal. However, despite progress, attendance and retention rates are not close to universal, secondary enrolment rates are low, learning achievement levels are seriously low and teacher absenteeism is high, signalling poor quality of schooling. Thirdly, the paper examines the role of private schooling in India. While more modest in rural areas, the recent growth of private schooling in urban areas has been nothing short of massive, raising questions about growing inequality in educational opportunity. Evidence suggests that private schools are both more effective in imparting learning and do so at a fraction of the unit cost of government schools, their cost advantage being because they can pay market wages while government school teachers` bureaucratically set minimum wages have large rents in them which teacher unions have fought hard to secure. Lastly, the paper discusses some major public education initiatives such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, mid-day meal and para-teacher schemes. The impacts of these massive interventions (and their sub-components) on children`s schooling outcomes need to be rigorously evaluated to learn about the cost-effectiveness of alternative interventions for better future policy making. However, the existence of some of these initiatives and the introduction of the 2% education cess to fund them suggests increased public commitment to school education and, together with increased NGO education activity, gives grounds for optimism about the future, even though many challenges remain.

Improving Student Performance in Public Primary Schools in Developing Countries: Evidence from Indonesia

This paper investigates the correlates of student performance in mathematics and dictation tests among schoolchildren in Indonesia. This is the first such study to use a new nationally representative sample of Indonesian primary‐school students. Our dataset includes unique data on teacher absenteeism collected through direct observation, the first ever in Indonesia. We find that teacher absenteeism is indeed a significantly negative correlate of student performance, while quality of school facilities predicts better performance. We also find a significant non‐monotonic concave relationship between the pupil–teacher ratio and student’s mathematics performance. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of the results.

Private schooling for low-income families: A census and comparative survey in East Delhi, India

Abstract A census and survey of schools in the slums of East Delhi, India, explored the nature and extent of private education serving low-income families, and compared inputs to public and private schooling. Around two-thirds of all schools were private unaided, with more unrecognised private than government schools. Teaching activity was found to be considerably higher in private unaided than government schools, although teacher absenteeism was lowest in government schools. Most inputs showed either comparable levels of provision in government and private unaided schools, or superiority in private unaided schools. Possible implications are explored, concerning targeted vouchers, increased regulation and self-regulation.

Children’s categorisation of play and learning based on social context

While much time has been spent deliberating about the definition of play, little emphasis has been placed on what children themselves perceive as play. The aim of the present study was to examine social context as a cue for children’s perceptions of play and learning. Ninety‐two children aged between four and six years (mean four years nine months) participated in the study and completed the Activity Apperception Story Procedure. Children were asked to sort photographic stimuli into those they believed depicted play/not play and learning/not learning. Each of the stimuli were identified by independent raters as containing one of the following social cues; teacher absence (solitary activity, parallel activity or cooperative activity) or teacher presence (teacher involved activity or teacher directed activity). Findings revealed that children associated teacher absence with play. More specifically, children made links between play and the presence of peers (parallel and cooperative activity). Findings are discussed in relation to play in the early years curriculum, differences in children’s early educational experiences and the importance of understanding children’s perceptions of play.

Why are teachers absent? Probing service delivery in Peruvian primary schools

A high rate of absence of teachers from their posts is a serious obstacle to delivery of education in many developing countries, but hard evidence on the problem has been scarce. This study, carried out as part of a new multi-country survey project, is the first systematic investigation in Peru into the extent and causes of teachers’ absence from schools. Data from our nationally representative survey of public primary schools, based on unannounced visits and direct observation of teachers, reveals that public school teachers in Peru are absent from their posts 11 percent of the time. While this overall absence rate is low compared with those of other survey countries, the absence rates in Peru's poorest and remotest communities are much higher—16 and 21 percent, respectively. In our multivariate analysis of the causes of public school teacher absence, we identify several important variables that are associated with increased absence: poor working conditions, such as poorer communities and infrastructure; teachers with fewer ties to the school's community; contract teaching; and, perhaps, an absence of private competition. By contrast, proxies for more vigorous top-down and bottom-up monitoring are not associated with lower absence. These results, together with the relatively high overall public school teacher attendance rates in an environment where financial incentives for performance are weak, suggest that non-pecuniary incentives are important determinants of teacher performance.

Expanding School Enrollment by Subsidizing Private Schools: Lessons from Bogotá

Previous articleNext article No AccessExpanding School Enrollment by Subsidizing Private Schools: Lessons from BogotáClaudia Uribe, Richard J. Murnane, John B. Willett, and Marie‐Andrée SomersClaudia Uribe Search for more articles by this author , Richard J. Murnane Search for more articles by this author , John B. Willett Search for more articles by this author , and Marie‐Andrée Somers Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 50, Number 2May 2006 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/500695 Views: 90Total views on this site Citations: 12Citations are reported from Crossref © 2006 by the Comparative and International Education Society. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Claudia Díaz-Ríos, Nathalia Urbano-Canal, Nataly Ortegón-Penagos How do national regulations for publicly subsidized private schools work in a decentralized context?, International Journal of Educational Development 84 (Jul 2021): 102437.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102437Donald R. Baum, Isaac Riley The relative effectiveness of private and public schools: evidence from Kenya, School Effectiveness and School Improvement 30, no.22 (Oct 2018): 104–130.https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2018.1520132Leda Kamenopoulou An Ethnographic Research on Inclusive Education in Colombia: Lessons Learned from Two School Visits, (Mar 2019): 347–363.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5962-0_17Ernesto Schiefelbein, Noel F. McGinn Issues in How to Finance a School System, (Jan 2017): 281–314.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-947-8_10M. Najeeb Shafiq and John P. Myers Educational Vouchers and Social Cohesion: A Statistical Analysis of Student Civic Attitudes in Sweden, 1999–2009, American Journal of Education 121, no.11 (Jun 2015): 111–136.https://doi.org/10.1086/678115Stephen P. Heyneman, Jonathan M.B. Stern Low cost private schools for the poor: What public policy is appropriate?, International Journal of Educational Development 35 (Mar 2014): 3–15.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2013.01.002Jonathan M. B. Stern The “Developing” Achievement Gap: Colombian Voucher Reform, Peabody Journal of Education 89, no.11 (Jan 2014): 43–57.https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2014.862471Pedro Rodrigues de Oliveira, Walter Belluzzo, Elaine Toldo Pazello The public–private test score gap in Brazil, Economics of Education Review 35 (Aug 2013): 120–133.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2013.04.003Alec Ian Gershberg, Pablo Alberto González, Ben Meade Understanding and Improving Accountability in Education: A Conceptual Framework and Guideposts from Three Decentralization Reform Experiences in Latin America, World Development 40, no.55 (May 2012): 1024–1041.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.11.014Claudia Rangel, Christy Lleras Educational inequality in Colombia: family background, school quality and student achievement in Cartagena, International Studies in Sociology of Education 20, no.44 (Dec 2010): 291–317.https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2010.530855M. Niaz Asadullah Returns to private and public education in Bangladesh and Pakistan: A comparative analysis, Journal of Asian Economics 20, no.11 (Jan 2009): 77–86.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2008.05.004Raegen T. Miller, Richard J. Murnane, John B. Willett Do Teacher Absences Impact Student Achievement? Longitudinal Evidence From One Urban School District, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 30, no.22 (Jun 2008): 181–200.https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373708318019

Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot

Twenty-five percent of teachers were absent from school, and only about half were teaching, during unannounced visits to a nationally representative sample of government primary schools in India. Absence rates varied from 15% in Maharashtra to 42% in Jharkhand, with higher rates concentrated in the poorer states. We do not find that higher pay is associated with lower absence. Older teachers, more educated teachers, and head teachers are all paid more but are also more frequently absent; contract teachers are paid much less than regular teachers but have similar absence rates; and although relative teacher salaries are higher in poorer states, absence rates are also higher. Teacher absence is more correlated with daily incentives to attend work: teachers are less likely to be absent at schools that have been inspected recently, that have better infrastructure, and that are closer to a paved road. We find little evidence that attempting to strengthen local community ties will reduce absence. Teachers from the local area have similar absence rates as teachers from outside the community. Locally controlled nonformal schools have slightly higher absence rates than schools run by the state government. The existence of a PTA is not correlated with lower absence. Private-school teachers are only slightly less likely to be absent than public-school teachers in general, but are 8 percentage points less likely to be absent than public-school teachers in the same village. (JEL: O15, I21, H41, H52)

Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot

Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot

Predicting teacher absenteeism by personal background factors

PurposeTo examine the effects of specific personal and job characteristics on year‐to‐year (2000‐2001) changes in teachers' frequency of absences.Design/methodology/approachWith few exceptions, the population of elementary‐ and middle‐school teachers in the Israeli public education system (N=51,916) was studied. Hierarchical regression analysis was used.FindingsPrior absenteeism, age, education, and supervisory position were found to be significant predictors of absenteeism frequency, accounting for about 50 percent of the variance in absence frequency.Originality/valueThis study focuses on relatively stable individual‐difference predictors, including sociodemographic variables and work‐related characteristics, which have been downplayed in the literature. These predictors can be measured more reliably and validly, compared to complex psychological constructs, and are relatively easy to interpret and implement by decision makers.

Prevalence, nature and risks of voice problems among public school teachers

Voice problems among teachers represent a rising cause of teacher absenteeism, use of sick benefits, and stress among teachers and students. In British Columbia, the BC Teachers Federation and Workers Compensation Board are receiving increasing numbers of claims from teachers experiencing occupational voice problems and in the provincial voice clinic, the percentage of teachers in the clinic population is rising. Previous studies of teachers voice problems have typically had low return rates, which can bias the prevalence estimates, and have not incorporated standardized voice inventories, psychological inventories and acoustic measures. A survey study is in progress in B.C. to probe demographic, environmental, voice-use, health, psychological and personality issues that are thought to contribute to development of voice problems among teachers. To ensure validity of prevalence estimates by high return rates, on-site completion of questionnaires is being used in schools. Acoustical measures are also being made of representative classrooms, to determine the degree to which noise and reverberation contribute to voice problems among teachers.

Private and public schooling in low-income areas of Lagos State, Nigeria: A census and comparative survey

A census and survey of schools in selected poor areas of Lagos State explored the nature and extent of private education, and compared inputs to public and private schooling. Of all schools (71%) were found to be private, with more unregistered private than government and registered private schools. It was estimated that 33% of school children were enrolled in private unregistered schools, and 75% in private schools in general. Teaching activity was found to be considerably higher in private than government schools, and teacher absenteeism was lowest in private schools. Most school inputs showed either comparable levels of provision in government and private schools, or superiority in private schools.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizers for prevention of illness-related absenteeism in elementary school children

BackgroundAbsenteeism due to communicable illness is a major problem encountered by North American elementary school children. Although handwashing is a proven infection control measure, barriers exist in the school environment, which hinder compliance to this routine. Currently, alternative hand hygiene techniques are being considered, and one such technique is the use of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizers.MethodsA systematic review was conducted to examine the effectiveness of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizer interventions in the elementary school setting. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biological , CINAHL, HealthSTAR and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched for both randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. Absenteeism due to communicable illness was the primary outcome variable.ResultsSix eligible studies, two of which were randomized, were identified (5 published studies, 1 published abstract). The quality of reporting was low. Due to a large amount of heterogeneity and low quality of reporting, no pooled estimates were calculated. There was a significant difference reported in favor of the intervention in all 5 published studies.ConclusionsThe available evidence for the effectiveness of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizer in the school environment is of low quality. The results suggest that the strength of the benefit should be interpreted with caution. Given the potential to reduce student absenteeism, teacher absenteeism, school operating costs, healthcare costs and parental absenteeism, a well-designed and analyzed trial is needed to optimize this hand hygiene technique.

Stress, teaching and teacher health

Managers in 281 schools of all types in 20 LEAs in England completed a survey about teacher absence and its causes. This paper reports reasons for teachers' long-term absences in those schools, examining the link between age and ability to report for work. Head teachers' views on the impact of school stress on teacher attendance are also explored. For schools educating children between the ages of 3 and 13 (excluding secondary schools), the main reasons for teacher sickness absence, whether brief or long-term, are reported. These are considered in the context of what is known about stressful working conditions and their effects on both mental and physical health.

Predictors of absenteeism among primary school teachers

The present study was designed in order to examine the contribution of personal attributes, teachers’ organizational commitment, and two organizational attributes, school climate and culture of absence at, school, vis-a-vis two different types of teacher absences from work, namely voluntary and involuntary absence. For that purpose, 200 teachers (74% answered) from Jerusalem (Israel), were required to complete the following scales: the Organization commitment scale, the primary school climate scale and the culture of absence scale. Results indicated that the correlations between attitudes and voluntary measures differ from the same correlations involving the involuntary measures. None of the biographical (gender, age and seniority, education) and/or attitudinal variables can explain the variance for any of the involuntary indices. Lower teachers’ commitment to school, principal’s restrictive behavior and absentee school culture offer a better explanation of variances in teacher absenteeism than any of the biographical variables.

Teacher Absenteeism in Urban Schools

School reform efforts aimed at promoting equity and excellence at urban school settings are heavily dependent upon the quality of teaching personnel that are used to deliver the instructional program. Social Justice and other public policy issues related to equity and excellence at urban schools have begun to examine the impact that teacher absenteeism, and by extension the reliance on substitute teachers to deliver instructional might have on educational attainment. This study combines school district data gathering mechanisms on teacher absence rates at school sites with Geographical Information Systems (G.I.S.) to map the association between a school's geographical environmental space and the propensity for teacher absence. The disparity between teaching resources as delivered by the school district vs. teacher resources as actually received by students in the classroom via teacher absenteeism is examined in the context of schools located in positive (high income) and negative (low income) geographical space. The study concludes that there is a strong association between the geographical quality of the school site setting, teacher absenteeism, and the reliance on substitute teachers to deliver instructional programs. Disparity in teacher absenteeism rates across large urban geographical areas threatens the promotion of equity and excellence in the schools by attenuating or lessening the effect of school resources to support instruction and amplifying the risk factors of students in the classroom.

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Teacher Absenteeism and Ill Health Retirement: a review

Teacher Absenteeism and Ill Health Retirement: a review

Effect of hand sanitizer use on elementary school absenteeism

Background: Several studies have indicated a connection between handwashing and illness-related absenteeism in school settings. The difficulty of ensuring consistent and effective handwashing among student populations has also been noted. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the use of an alcohol gel hand sanitizer in the classroom to help decrease the illness-related absentee rate for elementary school students. Methods: This study involved 5 individual school districts, 16 individual schools, and more than 6000 students in Delaware, Ohio, Tennessee, and California. Individual schools in each district were paired into product and control groups. In the product group schools, an alcohol gel hand sanitizer was used by the students and staff when entering and leaving the classroom. Absenteeism due to infection was recorded, and the data were statistically analyzed. Results: The overall reduction in absenteeism due to infection in the schools included in this study was 19.8% for schools that used an alcohol gel hand sanitizer compared with the control schools (P <.05). Data from the school system with the largest teacher population (n = 246) showed that teacher absenteeism decreased 10.1% (trend) in the schools where sanitizer was used. Conclusion: Elementary school absenteeism due to infection is significantly reduced when an alcohol gel hand sanitizer is used in the classroom as part of a hand hygiene program. (AJIC Am J Infect Control 2000;28:340-6)

Discussion

Teacher absenteeism is an important obstacle to sustained learning gains in many developing countries. We report the results from a randomized evaluation of an adult education program in Niger, which included an additional intervention designed to improve teacher accountability and students’ learning. Villages were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first was a two-year adult education program, with normal visits by non-governmental organization (NGO) and Ministry staff. The second included the same curriculum and visits as the first, but villages also received a mobile intervention: weekly phone calls to the teacher, village chief and two randomly selected students. The third was a pure control group, with no adult education program or calls. We find that both interventions improved students’ learning outcomes: across both years of the program, students in the standard adult education program increased their math and reading test scores by 0.19–0.22 s.d, respectively. The mobile phone intervention led to an additional increase in math and reading test scores of 0.12 and 0.15 s.d., with stronger effects amongst called students. We also address alternative threats to identification, namely, differential attrition and baseline imbalance, and find that the math results are robust across these different specifications. This suggests that using mobile phone technology as a means to communicate with teachers and students can improve learning outcomes, beyond its use as a pedagogical tool within the classroom.

Teachers’ Sickness Absence in Primary Schools, School Climate and Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy

ABSTRACT A high rate of teachers’ sickness absence is supposed to affect the quality of education within schools in a negative way. In the period 1978–88 teacher absenteeism showed a considerable increase in The Netherlands, especially in primary education. Differences between schools in teacher sickness absence are remarkable. The question is whether teacher absenteeism is related to school climate and teachers’ sense of efficacy in primary schools. These factors are selected because it can be assumed that they play a central role in the effectiveness of school development programmes aimed at driving back absenteeism figures. School climates of low absenteeism schools and high absenteeism schools are compared, and teachers’ sense of efficacy is related to absenteeism figures concerning individual teachers. Several school climate characteristics turn out to be strongly related to absenteeism scores at the school level. Teachers’ outcome expectancy is related to individual teacher absenteeism scores. Recom...