Regular attending of schools is a very important factor in the success of school studies for both the teachers and students. Too much absenteeism in schools is mostly connected to poor academic achievements in schools. For that reasons, the importance of attendance for both students and teachers plays a very critical role in student’s success as well as their advancement in educational levels in any institutions of academics, and all the enrolled students in the various institutions. Studies reveal that good attendance in schools has a direct relationship to the achievements of students academically from all possible backgrounds. In particular, the cases normally apply for the students from the children who come from the families with a lower status economically. Just beginning from the foundations of studies, kindergarten, students who normally attend classes on a regular basis get better grades than those who rarely attend.
Reduced Educational Instructions
It is vital that any school employs teachers who are dedicated and attend schools physically to administer the quality to every student. Too much absenteeism from the can greatly bar the creation of a good learning environment as well as the achievement of students academically whenever there is the absence of their instructors. According to Malcolm, Thorpe & Lowden, when the teachers in schools are absent, the academic institutions have to rely on teachers who substitute to instruct the students. Nevertheless, many substitute/alternative teachers may not be having the required qualifications to give quality education and instructions to the students. They are not mostly required to have good teaching certificates and in several public schools, they are only allowed to teach with just high school certificated. There can be a loss of quality time for teaching/instructing for students hence resulting in the lack of learning of given objectives and skills as well resulting in a reduction of the scores of students in the class.
Poor Progress Academically
The schools that are successful cannot be able to survive without the physical presence of teachers and students as well. According to research done on absenteeism, too many students’ absenteeism may lead to students not learning the various materials meant for their courses as a result of fewer learning hours. It may also result in disruption of teaching in classes by teachers who do administration of remediation for the various students who are absent whenever he/she returns to school. Regular students’ absenteeism may also lead to poor achievements of the set academic goals and grades since the students do not get instructions on a basis that is consecutive. The problem too leads to very low scores when standardized since students who are absent do not get the chance to learn the various main concepts as well as skills that get tested on their standardized examinations.
Future Problems
Too much absenteeism in students can result in hiked lack of interest in academics and schools for students generally. As per research done, absenteeism to excessive levels heightens the chances of the students finally becoming schools dropouts, leading to very great consequences in long-term for the given students. Effects that may befall the students in future include average to low incomes, many unemployment incidences, as well as very great incarceration likelihood. Researchers also assert that the students who end up as school dropouts face a very great poverty risk since they have the inability to secure good employment that pays well as they lack the required resources and educational levels.
Reduced Budget of Schools
Too much absenteeism also puts a strain that is extreme in the budget of schools and the finances in every public school. The average attendance per day is the rate that students attend schools each year. The countries and states that make use of the region attendance of each day in every school in the region determine how much of funds get allocate the schools involved. The schools may experience a reduction in the funding of their activities and operations because they have no students who operate on a full-time basis. The reduced budget that comes as a result of absenteeism of students leads to a reduction in materials and resources for students in the various schools. As per USA Today, an estimated one in each three teachers normally misses ten days or more in school days annually in public schools. Provision of substitutes for the absentees makes schools incur a lot of costs, a cumulative of $4 billion annually. There were further reports that in some States in the US, about 50% of their teachers miss above ten days in a typical year of schools containing 180 days.
Evaluation Methods
Objective/Goal-Based Evaluation Method
While evaluating the program, the goal-based method of evaluation was used, and it got divided into four. The strategy or method normally begins a program with set goals in the mind of the researcher. Students were asked what they felt was the main reasons for absenteeism and the effects, and they responded positively. The four divisions during evaluation are given below:
Reaction
The students and teachers’ reactions and responses to the research question were measured. They were asked what they thought was the main cause of the absenteeism and its various impacts on both the teachers and students. Mostly, it was aimed at the effects of students academically and their social lives as well.
Learning
It was done to measure how much students had learnt in schools about the effects of absenteeism. It could be through class teachings or even experience. The students that learn through experience are those who have been hit by the consequences of the lack of attendance in both class and school as well.
Behaviour
The changes in behaviours of students, as well as teachers as a result of absenteeism, were also measured. Lack of interest in class and studies as well were evident in schools that are heavily hit by absenteeism.
Results
A measure of the effects and results of absenteeism were measured by the researcher and then noted down. They were used to craft down recommendations for change in the affected sector of schools, and other academic institutions.
Reasons for Using the Object-Based Evaluation Method
One of the main reasons that the object-based approach got used is its direct approach. It involves measuring the impacts of absenteeism in real life situations. The programme helps in providing insight on how various activities in schools should be carried out to deal with the problem of absenteeism. Thus, this proves the method to be advantageous over the other methods of evaluation.
Another viable reason for using the method is because the method helps the researcher to gain a lot and propose methods that will lead to a change in the practice of the various activities in schools. According to Solomon & Rogers, that action will help teachers and students to know what they will need to do to avoid such cases that affect the performances of students, as well as the reputation of the teachers found in the affected public schools. The method also applies evaluation that is focused on utilisation, determining the centre of what will be the most important factor to the affected parties.
Another third and final reason for using the approach enables assessment of the effects of the subject matter and assesses the affected people in the research. The method also enables examination of the relationship that exists between the consequences observed and the programme activities. The participants who are affected are evaluated to determine who get to participate in the research, making it a catalyst to change that is self-directed. The procedures used in the process of evaluation will create an influence that is positive.
Conclusion
As noted above, absenteeism can be a very great factor contributing to either the success of a student or his/her failure. Their academic performances are determined by the frequency of attendance in classes by students. The future lives of students also tend to be affected by their current attendances in class. The reason for that is because if they score poorly in class, they are likely to land poor jobs, or even end up unemployed. Teachers’ presence or absence also affects the performance of students. If teachers do not attend classes to tutor their students, then the students will most likely fail to complete their syllabuses in good time, leading to poor grades in the end. The absence of teachers also leads to a negative kind of behaviour in students as their teachers are not present to mentor them. Thus, the trend of absenteeism in classes should be shunned in the current society for there to be a success in the students’ curriculum.
Effects of Absenteeism