TRUANCY AMONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: ITS EFFECTS ON

THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Erickson G. Hernan
Alvin F. Cabriana
Kyla E. Pancho

Abuyog National High School

Abuyog East District, Sorsogon City

MARCH 2020
 CHAPTER I

The Problem

Background of the Study

The education system of every country aims at

developing the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains

of the citizenry by equipping the individuals with

knowledge, skills, attitudes and values with the view to

promoting the development of one’s country. Development in

whichever form needs educated people.

Therefore, education is development. Education offers

new life and chances for people, decreases the double-

problem of poverty and strengthens a voice in society.

Against this background, attending school becomes most

critical to every country’s development.

Marah (2006) suggests in the school system, it is

required that both the teachers and students are kept in a

permanent school walls as in the case of the western

education. With the structured and permanent walls, it is

expected that both teachers and learners are kept in

constant touch for effective supervision and observation.

This calls for the regular attendance of both the teachers

and students.
 Staying in school is the first step to a good education

and in order to achieve academic excellence, the students

are mandated by the school laws to attend school daily but

due to some factors, most students absent themselves from

formal school activities hence engaging in truancy.

When children attend schools on a regular basis, they

take on important step towards reaching their full

potentials, and are given the greatest opportunity to learn

new things and develop their skills. The more time they

spend around other children whether in the classroom or as

part of a school team or club, the more chance they have of

making lots of friends and feeling included, boosting social

skills, confidence and self-esteem. Growing numbers of

teachers in basic science secondary school in Nigeria have

express concern that students are becoming uninterested in

their class because of their commitment in non-academic

activities outside the school.

Acknowledging the severity of the truancy problems,

educators are exploring creative techniques to increase

class attendance, such as innovative teaching methods and

better equipped classroom.

Truancy behavior of Abuyog National High School

Students is an issue that affects many people, because

truancy has been associated with various criminal behaviors

such as vandalism, burglary, drug use, being involved in

gang, ship lifting, cultism, raping and armed robbery. Also,

truancy can be the symptoms for other emotional, mental,

economic and family situation.

Truancy, or the habitual act of being absent from

school without permission, is a major issue affecting the

overall success of a school. Truancy is increasingly

observed an emerging problem which is delinquently act of

students to miss one or more classes intentionally. Truancy

is observed in About National High School because there are

lot of students who are involved in this case. Adevem (2011)

defines truancy is international premediated and planned

absence of the learners, and it may also refer to those

students who attend school but do not take their classes.

Meanwhile Animasahum (2009) states that truancy is regarded

as irregular and non-school attendance behavior considered

delinquent and anti-social behavior.

Truancy is detrimental to students’ achievement,

promotion, graduation, self-esteem and employment

potentials. Clearly, students who miss school fall behind

their peers in the classroom. This in turn, leads to low

self-esteem and increases the likelihood that at-risk

students drop out of school. Truancy behavior among basic

science students is at alarming rate.

According to Echebiwe (2009), children who engage in

truancy might have found life in classroom dull, boring and

uninteresting. Also, they must have found greatest pleasure

and interest in activities outside the school and the

classroom environment. Such children usually leave their

homes giving everybody the impression that they have gone to

school, but stooped on the way side to participate in what

they like to enjoy most. This they do until it is time for

school dismissal and they return home. Some others are

caught playing round the street with others truants,

engaging in gambling and loitering round the school

premises.

This is because some truants get scared of some

unfriendly treatment from teachers, unpleasant encounters

during classroom work, unnecessary harassment and

embarrassment by the senior students. These leads to loss of

interest in academic by the students. Besides, some truants

engage in truancy because of the feeling of inferiority

among their classmates, laziness to class work, challenges

of classroom test and assignments, verbal abuse and threats

of classroom instruction, school phobia, anxiety, bullying,

lack of skills needed to perform well at school, lack of

priority to education and academic.

Tenibiaje (2009) opines that the impact of truancy is

very obvious and usually a negative one on the truant’s

students, parent and the society at large. Truancy results

in loss of intellectual development and lack of improvement

of individual. Also, it leads to poor academic performance

at the end of school periods, school terms and school year.

Truancy as a threat to academic performance of the students

is believed by Nwachukwu (1998) to reduce the quality of

education the child receives. It reduces the standard of

academic achievement of a child, it leads to the fall of

educational standard in schools. It increases the rate of

examination malpractice and poor examination results in both

internal and external examination.

Truancy is also a factor that contributes to

joblessness, unemployment and underemployment of most adults

today, just because they engaged in the act of truancy

during their school days.

Parental Socio-economic status is a major factor that

contributes to the increase in truancy behavior among basic

science students. Children from high socio-economic homes

are usually prepared for school, they are encouraged to

wake-up early or are woken and prepared for school. Whereas

students from low socio-economic background are often

engaged in commercial activities, they are hardly encouraged

to attend school and they also sacrificed their time to be

in school in generating income for the family. Metcalf

(2003) confirmed that students from low socio-economic

background are likely to be disadvantaged educationally by

their need to engage in paid employment and it is obvious

that students gain financially in their commercial

activities, but this cannot be said of students’ academic

gains.

In terms of peer pressure influence, some students tend

to stay from school because their peer subscribe to the

idea. Children find it easy to absent themselves from school

because some children leave home on the pretext of going to

school but they will never reach school. Others do go to

school only to follow their peer and vanish after a few

hours stay.

In term of the teacher’s personality, Davodoss and

Foltz (1996) explained that teachers who have won teaching

award, tend to attract a higher percentage of students to

their classes. Specifically, classes taught by such

instructors reflected approximately a nine (9) percent

higher attendance rate than those taught by teachers with no

professional experience. Some teaches are autocratic in

their classroom management skills, making the student to

learn in fear and such this classroom management skill can

encourage truancy among students. Most teaches are abusive

in their classroom communication and as such some students

tend to stay away from classes to avoid teacher’s abuse,

embarrassment and harassment. Clearly, this is an important

finding since it confirms that a good and professional

teacher can make a significant difference, not only by

increasing class attendance but also by stimulating students

to understand the subject matter and improve the

participation.

In terms of self-concept, the truant feels that his

parents and other adults have little regards or sympathy for

him, and as a result he manifest ego-defense of truants who

are poor students who have achieved little success in their

academic work. The beginning of their dislike for the school

can usually be traced to the first or second grade where

they had difficulty in attaining even a degree of success.

Slow progress in reading, slower progress in arithmetic and

inadequate achievement in other subjects and activities is

the usually early school history of the truant. Ezewu (1982)

described that truancy appears to have in itself, on the

negative side, a hierarchy of patterns of behavior that have

resulted as outright reactions to role expectations, and on

the positive side, it represents breaking away with the old

in a revolution way. These deviations in the role

expectations arise mainly because of the increasing gap or

incompatibility between external objects of orientation, on

the one hand and need dispositions of ego, on the other

hand. The problem of the truancy, like other emotional

and personality problems should be the joint concern of the

school and the home.

The research will provide solutions for the following

problems that are related in truancy in Senior High School

students, their reasons why they keep on doing it. This

research stated that truancy is caused by child personality,

family background, some students are being truant because

they want attention they couldn’t get from their families,

and also financial crisis, because of the problem

financially some students are involved in a case that they

didn’t mean to, they go to school with an empty stomach and

its main reason is poverty.

Truancy is one of the major problems that Abuyog

National High School is facing, that’s why the researchers

conduct a study to know the reason why lots of students are

involved in truancy. This study is to be conducted to

identify the reasons behind and to identify how many percent

of Junior High School students are involved in this

particular problem, the possible effects in their school

performance, if they failed which will cause a big problem

for them to pass the grade level, they are in.

Statement of the Problem

The main objective of the researchers is to provide

students with academic and vocational skills as well as

moral ethics, but it is quite unfortunate that these

objectives have not been fully achieved due to the high

level of students’ involvement in truant behaviors.

This study intends to identify truancy among Junior

High School students and its effects on their school

performance and aims to understand the impacts of truancy in

the class and the truant students’ ability to learn. This

study attempts to answer the following questions:

1. What is the student’s profile, including:

a) sex,

b) age,

c) how often students miss their class and,

 d) the grade level when they had started being

truant?

2. What are the factors that drive the students to miss

their school without permission?

3. What are the effects of truancy on their academic

performance?

4. What are the solutions to prevent truancy?

Significance of the Study

Truancy is commonly observed in Junior High School

students. Indeed, truancy is a great problem of teachers as

well as parents. Continuous truancy from school lead to

undesirable consequences. This study is beneficial to the

following:

Students. The research study will be beneficial to

students keeping them informed about the impacts of being

truant and its consequences affecting upon one’s academic

performance. The students will also give the idea of what

is the existing rules in school regarding the prohibition

of truancy. This study will give awareness to the

students about the factors that effect of truancy.

Teachers. As stewards of learning, the teachers will be

able to figure out the steps in mitigating the impacts

truancy, keeping the students focus on academic works,

attaining high performance level and attaining sufficient

learning experience It will grant the teacher about the

reason why students are doing truancy.

Parents. Based on the results of this study, parents

will be informed about the impacts of being truant of

their child/children, therefore they will be able to make

actions regarding their child/children’s behavior. It

will provide answers for their questions why their

children are involved in this particular activity. It may

help them gain additional knowledge on the effects of

having a truant child.

School Head. By this study, the school head will be

able to formulate some interventions to prevent the case

of truancy and improving the students learning ability

with the help of the teachers.

Community. As one of the source of factors affecting

students to be truant, through this study it will help

the entire community to build awareness about their

culture they used to that affect the students’ behavior

towards to their school performance. This will be

beneficial also to all aspect of the community knowing

that youth are the hope of the nation, this will also

encourage them to be part of building solutions to the

present problem.
 Future Researchers. This will be beneficial to the

future researchers for them to have knowledge about the

studies and enable to them to be encouraged in enhancing

the present study.

Scope and Delimitation

The purpose of this research is to determine the

factors that affect and the reasons why students are engaged

in truancy. This inquiry is conducted in Abuyog National

High School and the target respondents are Junior High

School students from Grade 7 to Grade 10 who are involved in

truancy.

The result of this analysis was drawn from the

available data. The delimitation of this study is the Abuyog

National High School particularly in Junior High School

where a survey can be conducted in 55 students who are

involved in absenteeism and in 30 Junior High School

Teachers.

Definition of Terms

This is defined as the systematic study of nature. This

research will provide information and meaning to the

following unfamiliar words:

 Truancy. The term is the unlawful absence from school

or any school related event. It is also only filled when you

miss so many school days unexcused. Being absent from school

without informing the school for the reason may result in

citation and you and your parents.

The term is used in this research to define the act of

staying away from school or the absence of a child from

school without permission or good reasons.

Truant. Refers to a student who misses school without

permission.

This term is used to recognize and serve as the name or

term for students who stays away from school without

permission.

Academic Performance. Defined as the extent to which a

student, teacher or institution has achieved their expected

educational goals.

The term is operated as a threat in truancy that

results in loss of intellectual development and lack of

improvement of individual. For it reduces the standard of

academic achievement of a child that leads to the fall of

educational standard in schools and factors in the increases

of rate of examination malpractice and poor examination that

results in both internal and external examination.

 Attendance. It is the action or state of going

regularly to or being present at a place (school) or

event.

In this study, the term used in acknowledging the

severity of the truancy problems and as stimulating students

to understand the subject matter and improve the

participation in class to evade from truancy.

Peer Group. It is both a social group and primary group

of people who have similar interest, age, background and

social status.

The term used as identifying one of the factors why

students engaged in truancy.

Self-Concept. Stated a collection of beliefs about

oneself that includes elements such as academic performance,

gender role, sexuality and racial identity.

This term used in this study as a result of students’

manifest ego-defense of truants who are poor students and

who have achieved little success in their academic work.

 CHAPTER II

Conceptual and Operational Framework of the Study

This chapter is a presentation of the related

literature and studies as well as the related empirical

studies that serve as basis of the present study. It also

includes the synthesis state of the art, conceptual

framework, theoretical framework, as well as the definition

of terms that will be beneficial for the researchers to

deepen their understanding about the study.

Related Literature

Truancy is a delinquent act of the students tending

them to stay away from school without permission or

explanation. The habitually act of students to miss out

their classes intentionally can lead them to failed in

academic and school performance

According to Crespo, Paloma, and Mendez (2009),

provides new evidence on the importance of considering

variables related to physical, motivational and emotional

factors that affect the student, a good quality of teaching

and good academic performance. It is required that the

students are regularly assisted in classes. For this reason

absenteeism in education is considered a first order problem

from the educational and personal point of view.

Truancy as defined by Teasley (2005) is a period time

when a student does not do their school work, has become and

continuous problem among high school students in many

countries. It is noted from the study that there are

numerous risk factors that contribute to student’s truancy

such as family health, low income is one of the reasons of

truancy, low income, poor school climate, and drug and

alcohol use and community attitudes towards education.

The result on the relationship between teachers’

personality and basic science student’s academic performance

indicated that a significant positive relationship existed

between teachers’ personality and basic science student’s

academic performance. This could be attributed to teachers’

behavior, knowledge of content matter which could be

positive or negative thereby affecting pupil performance.

Founded at the study of Tenibiaje (2009), who investigated

the impact of teacher personality styles on academic

excellence of secondary students and found a significant

difference among the academic excellence of secondary

students based on teacher personality style.

The impact of truancy is very obvious and usually a

negative one on truants’ student, parent and the society at

large. Truancy results in loss of intellectual development

and lack of improvement of individual. Also, leads to poor

academic performance at the end of school periods, school

terms and school year. Truancy as a threat to academic

performance of the students is believed by Nwachukwu (1998)

to reduce the quality of education the child receives. It

reduces the standard of academic achievement of a child, it

leads to the fall of educational of educational standards in

schools. It increases the rate of examination malpractice

and poor examination results in both internal and external

examination.

While Mangal (1997) in the first Edition of his book

“Our Life and Psychology” gave some factors which are

responsible for truancy: Weak physical health of child,

undeveloped mental health of the child, non-cooperative

behavior of teachers, indiscipline prevalent in the school,

lack of interesting and co-curricular activities and social

and emotional maladjustment.

According to Carter (2009), truancy is deliberate

absence from school on the part of student without the

knowledge and consent of parents, for which no reasonable or

acceptable excuse is given. This definition broadens the

concept considerably and make it synonymous with unexcused

absence. Collins (2010) conceptualized truancy in respect to

students who have been registered with a school but

identified as not attending school when the law says they

should. This includes absence from lessons.

Related Studies

A study conducted on Glasgow-School leavers by Ferguson

(1952) produced the results that truants did more detected

crimes than regular school attending students. Students who

are absorbed in truancy and who are habitual truants are

more likely to engage in undesirable and anti-social

behavior such as gang membership, marijuana use, alcohol

use, inhalant and other hard drug use, high risk sexual

behavior, cigarette smoking, suicidal behaviors, theft, and

vandalism. Habitual truants have more employment and mental

problems and are failed for more often than non-truants.

While Mueller (2006) tried to compare truancy with the

classroom disorders. He stated that unhappiness,

unsuccessfulness is responsible for making a child, a

truant, and physical conditions also affect the truancy

rate. Home and community environment play an important role

in the development of the child. He observes that truancy is

the result of classroom disorders, home problems, such as

grade retardation, reading disability and personality

problems.

Another study led in a few selected schools of Delhi by

Bahuguna (1980) about the cause of irregular attendance. The

investigator concludes that truancy is due to following

causes: poor achievement, poverty and in some cases early

marriage and poor study atmosphere, dislike for teacher and

curriculum, administrative laxity.

A survey of the problem of truancy among high school

students made by Sharma (1981) observed that truants are

mostly boys and they are generally quite healthy. Main

contributing factors are uneducated father, illiterate

mother, overcrowded houses, bad economic conditions, low

intelligence, and bad company.

From the investigation on finding all the causes of

truancy of the students of reward did by Parmel (1988)

discovered the main causes which strike most were: family

cause, academic cause, economic cause, social cause, natural

calamities defective teaching and miscellaneous cause. To

reduce the truancy rate, Parents and teachers should be

guided properly.
Synthesis of the State of the Art

Truancy is one of the major antisocial discipline

problems among secondary school specifically in Junior High

School students at Abuyog National High School.

Adodo (2007) together with the works of Teasley (2005),

Mangal S.K. (1997) and Tenibiaje (2009) opined that the

various behavior disorders like stealing, violence, drug

abuse, examination malpractice, sexual abuse and truancy

have so undermined effective teaching- learning processes

that some teachers have become helpless and disorganized in

their task of impacting knowledge to the learners.

Herzberg’s motivation hygiene theory postulates that

motivators’ factors account for student positive self-

concept and will reduce truant behavior among students.

Students that are motivated by their teachers, or parents

developed strong passion for school and are likely to

perform well in school. The reinforcement theory considers

the use of positive or negative reinforces to motivate or

create an environment of motivating in other to increase

student interest in school and decrease truancy.

A review of the concepts of truancy conceptualized it

as a deliberate absence from school without parental

knowledge. With the work and studies of Natividad Crespo,

Maria Teresa Paloma, and Mariano Mendez (2012) Nwachukwu

(1998) and Carter (2009) the devastating effects of truancy

in our secondary school cannot be underestimated because it

is multidimensional and multifaceted, disciplinary problem

in school. It been seen from the reviewed literature how

family socio-economic background, peer group influence,

student self-concept, and teacher’s personality affect the

academic performance.

In terms of socio-economic background, students from

high socio-economic status are encourage adequately to

involve in school activities while students from low

socioeconomic status are likely to be disadvantaged

educationally by their need to engage in commercial

activities during school hours. Student’s self-concept was

considered from the reviewed literature as a principal

factor for the high rate of students’ truancy in secondary

schools.

The review clearly indicated correlation between

truancy and students’ academic performance. Many authors

agree that truancy has a significant relation with student

academic performance. This study is therefore an attempt at

examining the gap through finding out the truancy in Junior

Secondary Schools in Abuyog National High School.

Gap Bridged by the Study

The related literatures and studies contribute to the

current study of the proponents to build the foundation of

knowledge and information about the data needed.

Even though, there are already lots of researchers who

conducted a study about the Truancy among Junior High School

Students : Its Effects on their School Performance but the

researchers still chose this topic because there is a

limited study about the percentage of an each causes and

effects of the said problem at Secondary Level specifically

in Junior High School At Abuyog National High School that’s

why the researcher are being challenged and motivated to

create a study and build an aim to contribute in solving the

problem through the use of this research with the credible

data given.

Conceptual Framework

In developing the topic, the factors that the

researchers would consider are the effects and impacts of it

towards their behavior and the reason behind why did they

tend to be truant in school. The main objective of this

study is to find out the impacts of being truant and its

effect on their academic performances.

In this study, a learning style questionnaire will be

given by the researcher as an evaluation in gathering data

in effects of truancy to Junior High School students of

Abuyog National High School of Abuyog East District,

Sorsogon City that had been distributed. Researchers made

some questions like the effects of truancy to the students

in their academic performance, and the reasons for being

always truant. Through survey questionnaire it will help the

researchers to gather information and to know the exact

numbers of students who are being involved in truancy. The

result of the evaluation will be used in determining the

exact number of students that who are being involved in

truancy.

Survey questionnaire will be given to determine the

number of students who are involved in truancy together with

the Junior High School teachers to gathered possible

solutions to the present problem. After conducting the

survey, the researcher will then analyze the results. The

suggestions and recommendations will be considered and will

serve as a guide in proposing an interventions that will

help and resolve the problem.

 INPUT PROCESS
OUTPUT
Junior High Factors that
School Survey Drives the
Students' Questionnaire Student to Miss
Profile their Class
a. sex
Interview
b. age Effects of
Truancy on
c. how often
their Academic
students miss
Performances
their class
and,

d. the grade Proposed

level they had Interventions
started being
truant.
 Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

CHAPTER III

Research Design and Methodology

Various methods and approaches were employed in this

study in order to collect the relevant data which can give

solutions to the problem. It covers the research design,

areas of the study, the sample of the study population and

the sampling techniques. It also includes a description of

the data gathering instruments and the data analysis plan.

By this, the researchers prove the causes, effects and

impacts of truancy in school and what are the possible

methods to mitigate and address this problem.

Research Design
 In this study the researchers used the Descriptive

Survey Research Design. This is used to identify and to know

the different reasons, effects of truancy among junior high

school students and its effects on their school performance

and how many percent are being truant in class in Abuyog

National High School and for interpreting the data gathered

from the survey that has been conducted by the researchers.

In order to gather relevant information, the researchers

will give survey questionnaire to selected students of

Abuyog National High School from Junior High School who is

involved in truancy that will serve as the respondents of

this study and together with the Junior High School teacher.

The researchers believe that this method will be effective

in obtaining information needed for the study of

understanding the impacts of truancy.

The Sample

In this study the selection of participants is done

through purposive sampling technique. This sampling

technique enable the researchers to select the people who

meet the requirements for the research. The study was

conducted in Abuyog National High School the sample size

used was 55 students. From the sample obtained the

respondents are responsible to actively engaged in answering

the survey questionnaire prepared by the researchers.

The target population which were used to get

information were students of Abuyog National High School

specifically the Junior High School Students and teachers.

The respondents of this research study are composed of (85)

eighty-five; (55) fifty-five students from Junior High

School Grade 7 to Grade 10 and (30) Junior High School

teachers. The researchers used Purposive Sampling, by which

respondents are easily identified and to provide an in-depth

account of the experiences of the student within a

particular context.

Each section of every grade level has respondents

depending on the number of students who are involved in

truancy, the researchers gathered all the names of the

students from the adviser of each section and a total of 55

students from Grade 7 to Grade 10 and all Junior High School

teachers that served as the respondents of this study.

TABLE 1
Respondents (Students)

Respondents F %
Grade 7 17 30.91%
Grade 8 14 25.46%
Grade 9 12 21.82%
Grade 10 12 21.82%
Total 55 100%
 TABLE 2
Respondents (Teachers)

Respondents F %
Grade 7 8 26.67%
Grade 8 7 23.33%
Grade 9 7 23.33%
Grade 10 8 26.67%
Total 30 100%

Research Instruments

There are two instruments employed for data collection

in this research study: An interview and a survey

questionnaire. A survey was designed by the researchers to

help identify the age and reason why they stopped studying.

An interview design was applied to investigate the research

questions. The “survey questionnaire is the easiest and

effective way of gathering data from the chosen

respondents”. Our survey questionnaire is composed of four

(4) questions corresponded with choices related to our topic

that will fulfil and answer our research problem for the

respondents and a different set of question for the Junior

High School teachers.

 Questions were administered to students and teachers.

The questionnaires were used to seek information as to why

most students are always truant at school. The respondents

were given questions which they were have to fill by

themselves at their environmental setting in order to tell

what real cause truancy at their school. The open questions

are probing questions which were trying to focus on the

possible causes of truancy in schools. The question was

given and the respondents were supposed to read and put

check if the factor is true or and not and free to suggest

answers from them.

Sources of Data

Data collection was done through both primary and

secondary sources. Primary data sources included key

informants for each case study also the respondents itself.

Secondary data covered different sources and provided an

essential preparation for the interviews. Secondary data

helped to cross-check official information, learn about

major events, technical details, historical decisions and

main organizational players and roles. They also supported

the exploring of particular responses during interviews and

survey.
Data Collection Procedures

The questionnaires were administered in the school

premises after class hours and other times that the school

administration thought will not affect the normal school

programs. To ensure maximum reliability and validity of the

study the questions were clearly stated, variety of wording

of the sentences were employed and respondents were allowed

to tick the response which they feel is the appropriate

answer from the given selection and set of choices for the

factors provided.

Respondents were also assured that their responses are

confidential. The information was obtained from the class

attendance register for each class and try to see to what

extent students are truants. Further information came from

students’ adviser and subject teachers.

Data Analysis Procedure

Data analysis is defined by Kothari (1990) as a process

that implies editing, coding, classification and tabulation

of collected data. Since the study is quantitative in

nature, content analysis will be used where by data need to

be generalized that means the data from questionnaire and

observation will be tabulated and computed in to graphs to

show the variations of findings. Also, some explanation will

be given for more analysis of the obtained findings.

To begin the data analysis process, descriptive

statistics were calculated on the independent variables to

summarize and describe the data collected. Survey results

were measured by category. After gathering data through

questionnaire, the researchers, gave deep interpretation and

have critical analysis from the given data and information

from the respondents.

 CHAPTER IV

Truancy among Junior High School Students: Its Effects on

their Academic Performance

This chapter mainly includes the proper data

interpretation regarding the gathered information from the

respondents that will be significant to the study. In order

to infer the data, the researchers presented the data in

table and chart form.

The subject is systematized as follows: 1.) Profile of

the Students 1.1) in terms of age and 1.2) sex, 1.3) Number

of times that the student were involved in truancy, 1.4)

Grade Level started when students were truant, 2.) Factors

that drives students to miss their school without

permission, 3.) Effects of truancy on student’s academic

performance, 4.) Solutions to prevent truancy.

1.) Profile of the Students

This section presents the profile of the students

includes the respondent’s age, their sex, the number of

times that they were involved in truancy and the grade level

when the students were truant. The information and data was

gathered through the help of set of questionnaires and

interview.

1.1 Profile of Students in terms of Age

The following discussion is data about the profile of

the student in terms of their age that is shown in table 3.

TABLE 3
Age of Respondents

Age Number of Percentage

Respondents (F) (%)
12 2 5.36%
13 4 7.27%
14 13 23.64%
15 9 16.36%
16 14 25.45%
17 10 18.18%
18 3 5.45%
Total 55 100%
 The table (3) shows the age of the respondents of this

study. Based on the survey, the age of the respondents

ranges from twelve (12) to eighteen (18) years old. The

researchers found out that most of their respondents were

sixteen (16) years old with 14 respondents and it is 25.45%

of the population coming from different grade level in

Junior High School, while twelve (12) years old is the least

number respondents of this study with 5.36% in population

percentage.

1.2 Profile of Students in terms of Sex

The table below shows the distribution of data gathered

from the respondents and its corresponding percentage about

the student’s profile in terms of sex.

TABLE 4
Profile of Students in terms of Sex

Sex Number of Percentage

Respondents (F) (%)
Male 49 89.09%
Female 6 10.91%
Total 55 100%

One of the contents of the survey questionnaires that

was considered in this study was the sex of the respondents,

classified as male and female. Founded at the table 4, it is

visible that most of the respondents being truant were male

and it is 49 or 89.09% of the population while female were

only 6 or 10.91% in population percentage coming from the

different grade level in Junior High School at Abuyog

National High School.

1.3 Number of Times that the Student were involved in

Truancy

From table 5, shows the number of times that the

student being involved in truancy in Junior High School from

Grade 7 to Grade 10 at Abuyog National High School.

TABLE 5
Number of Times that the Student were involved in Truancy

Number of Percentage (%)

Respondents (F)
No 0 0%
I have tried it once. 2 3.63%
I have tried it several 53 93.36%
times.
Total 55 100%

Note: The “several” term used to identify that the students

tried being truant more than twice.
 As seen from table 5, the number of times that the

student being involved in truancy in Junior High School from

Grade 7 to Grade 10 at Abuyog National High School. Data

illustrates ninety-six percent (96%) or fifty three (53) out

of 55 respondents are involved in truancy in school in

several times and four percent (4%) or (2) tells that tried

truancy at least once. It is transparent that almost of the

chosen respondents are truly involved in truancy.

1.4 Grade Level Started when Students were Truant

From table 6, projects the year started does the

student begin to be truant in school. The table shows the

distribution of data gathered from the respondents and the

percentage.

TABLE 6
Year Started when Students were Truant

Number of Percentage
Respondents (%)
(F)
In my primary school. 2 5.36%
In my intermediate school. 8 7.27%
Grade 7 23 41.82%
Grade 8 17 30.91%
Grade 9 5 9.09%
Grade 10 0 0%
Total 55 100%
 Data shows that the leading grade level that the

student started to be truant at school having 42% or twenty

three (23) respondents is at Grade 7.

2.) Factors that Drives Students to Miss their School

without Permission

The table 7 shows the factors that drives students to

miss their school without permission.

The table below shows the distribution of data gathered

from the respondents and its corresponding percentage.

TABLE 7
Factors that Drives Students to Miss their School without
Permission

Factors Number of Percentage

Respondents (%)
(F)
Bullying. 7 12.73%
Family Problem. 2 5.36
Unfriendly School Environment. 33 60%
Child Labor 2 1.82%
Peer Pressure 12 21.82%
Total 55 100%

Sustained by the data gathered shown in the table 7, it

is clear to conclude that the common factors that drives

students to become truant is the unfriendly school

environment added up here the attitude of being lazy, loss

of interest in attending class, relationship between

teachers and students and boredom having 60% or thirty-three

(33) respondents. Boredom usually strikes those students in

some factors such as depending on the topic or subject they

had or sometimes the subject teacher itself that makes them

bored. Aside from it maybe lack of some extra-curricular

activities because for them it is quite hard to just focus

on academics performance they also wanted to build their

holistic aspects as a student

5.) Effects of Truancy on Student’s Academic Performance

These are the effects of truancy on their academic

performances once they are engaged in truancy.

The table 8 below shows the distribution of data

gathered from the respondents and its corresponding

percentage.

TABLE 8
Effects of Truancy on Student’s Academic Performance

Number of Percentage
Effects Respondents (%)
(F)
Decrease in one’s ability to 11 20%
learn.

Low interest in school 22 40%

resulting to low academic
 performances.

Decreased opportunity for 5 9.09%

career advancement.

Lack of opportunity to 8 14.55%

graduate in Senior High School
and college.

Limited of employment options. 7 12.73%

Increased likelihood of lower 2 3.64%

salary and unemployment.

Total 55 100%

Data presented in table 8, explains the effects of

truancy to student’s academic performance after playing

truancy, mostly claimed that they probably loss of interest

in school resulting to low academic performance with 40% or

twenty-two (22) respondents deal with it.

6.) Solutions to Prevent Truancy

Shown in table 9 below are the solutions to prevent the

truancy in Junior High School at Abuyog National High School

being agreed by the teachers.

 TABLE 9
Solutions to Prevent Truancy

Solutions Number of Percentage

Respondents (%)
(F)
Teach social and emotional 18 62.07%
learning.
Communicate attendance 26 89.66%
expectation to parents and
students.
Intervene early. 20 68.97%
Track the positivity ratio and
create more positive school 15 51.72%
culture.
Celebrate success and provide
additional support system. 13 44.83%
Reduce class sizes to improve
student achievement and behavior. 18 62.07%
Eliminate high-stakes
standardized testing and rely
instead on assessments that allow 12 41.39%
students to demonstrate what they
know and can do.
Provide the medical and social
services that poor children need 16 55.17%
to keep up with their advantaged
peers.
 Ban for-profit charters and
ensure that charter schools
collaborate with public schools 8 27.59%
to support better education for
all children.
Conduct a symposium to the truant
students together with their 29 100%
parents about the awareness on
truancy.
Total 29 100%

By the help of data gathered above, it is clearly

determined that possible interventions to prevent truancy is

by conducting a symposium about truancy awareness to the

truant’s student and parents with 100% or twenty-nine

respondents deal with it. In conducting this intervention,

the aforementioned may also include in conducting the

intervention and applying it in daily routine in classroom

such as the communication of attendance expectation to the

parents and students, the practice to intervene early, ban

for-profit charters, but it is believed that it is not that

applicable to Abuyog National High School. Some respondents,

gave others solution such having a home visitation and

providing modular activities according to the level of

learner’s capability and understanding.

 CHAPTER V

Summary, Findings, Conclusion and Recommendations

This chapter summarizes all data and information

gathered for this research study. It contains all the

research-related information that are significant to the

attainment of the study. Also, includes all the intuitions

that are formulated after analyzing all the data and

information gathered, included are recommendations on the

existing issue and topics in this research.

Summary

This study uses questionnaires to gather essential

information that will be advantageous to the current study.

The respondents in this study has fifty five (55) students

and twenty-nine (29) Junior High School teachers of Abuyog

National High School at Barangay Abuyog, East District,

Sorsogon City. The primary method used to gather data is

through survey questionnaires and interview. The resulting

data are subject to review and appropriate interpretations

with the help of the existing statistics. Findings,

conclusions and recommendations is being discussed

thoroughly.

Findings

Based on the problem presented and gathered data, the

following findings were revealed:

1. The age of the respondents of this study. Based

on the survey, the age of the respondents ranges were

from twelve (12) to eighteen (18) years old. The

researchers found out that most of their respondents

were sixteen (16) years old with 14 respondents and it

is 25.45% of the population coming from different grade

level in Junior High School, while twelve (12) years

old is the least number respondents of this study with

5.36% in population percentage and the sex of the

respondents, classified as male and female. The most of

the respondents being truant were male and it is 49 or

89.09% of the population while female were only 6 or

10.91% in population percentage coming from the

different grade level in Junior High School at Abuyog

National High School.The number of times that the

student being involved in truancy in Junior High School

from Grade 7 to Grade 10 at Abuyog National High School

is ninety-six percent (96%) or fifty three (53) out of

55 respondents are involved in truancy in school in

several times and four percent (4%) or (2) tells that

tried truancy at least once. It is transparent that

almost of the chosen respondents are truly involved in

truancy. While, the leading grade level that the

student started to be truant at school having 42% or

twenty three (23) respondents is at Grade 7, followed

by 31% or seventeen (17) says that they just decided to

be truant at Grade 8 level, next at intermediate level

having 15% or eight (8) respondent, then 10% or five

(5) respondents deal with the truancy at Grade 9 and

last, 4% or only two (2) respondents says that right

from the primary level they already considered

themselves as truant in school.

2. The common factors that drives the to miss

their class without permission is the unfriendly school

environment the feeling of boredom, loss of interest in

attending class and the relationship between teachers

and students added up their attitude of being lazy

having 55% or thirty (30) respondents. Unfriendly

environment such as loss of interest in attending class

usually strikes to those students in some factors such

as depending on the topic or subject they had or

sometimes the subject teacher itself that makes them

bored. Aside from it maybe lack of some extra-

curricular activities because for them it is quite hard

to just focus on academics performance they also wanted

to build their holistic aspects as a student. The next

reason on top of the list being challenge by their

friends having 16% or nine (12) respondents saying that

they are being pressured of those challenges and high

expectations to them of their friends or teacher. The

next reason on top is bullying (7) respondents answered

that they are being bullied that’s why they prefer not

to go to school and also the reason why they are not

motivated enough because they lost their self-

confidence. And lastly 4% (2) respondents prefer not to

be school at all because of their responsibility at

early age they are engage in child labor instead of

attending class they choose to work for them to earn

money, reasons that’s why they commit truancy.

 3. The number of students who compromise to the

answer of what are the effects of truancy in their

academic performance are having 40% or twenty-two (22)

who says that the effect of truancy is loss of academic

performance resulting to poor academic performance.

However 20% or eleven (11) said that the decrease in

one’s ability to learn, 15% or eight (8) answered lack

of opportunity to graduate in Senior High School and

College, 13% or seven (7) are limited of employment

option, 9% or five (5) for the decreased in opportunity

for career advancement and 4% or two (2) believed that

it will increased likelihood of lower salary and

unemployment.

4. Most of the teachers of Junior High School in

Abuyog National High School strongly agreed that the

possible solution to prevent truancy is by conducting

symposium on truancy awareness having a hundred percent

(100%) as interpreted to be highly effective, while 90&

or twenty-six (26) respondents who says to communicate

attendance expectation to parents and students followed

by 70% or twenty (20) believes to intervene early. 68%

deals to reduce the class size and teach social and

emotional learning. sixteen (16) of the respondents or

 55% agreed to provide the medical and social services

that poor children need to keep up with their

advantaged peers and next to it is by tracking the

positivity ratio and create more positive culture with

52%. Celebrating success and providing some additional

support may also be a solution suggested by 13

respondents with correspondence of 45%. While there are

8 respondents who believed to have a ban for profit

charters.

Conclusions

Based on the findings, the following conclusion were

drawn:

1. Profile of the students from Junior High School

coming from Grade 7 to Grade 10 students including

name, grade level and section, sex, age and determine

their profile. The researchers conclude that students

who are involved in truancy are also the students who

has a poor academic performance. There are a huge

number if students who are involved in truancy. They

tried truancy for several times based on our

observations truant students are doing it without

knowing the effect of it. Many of the Junior High

School students started truancy at the time they enter

high school life because some may say that high school

life is the memorable. At grade 7 they started to be a

student who wants to learn but as time pass by many of

them lost their focus on school. Grade 9 is the highest

stage of students who started truancy and they continue

doing it. Those grade level or year of when they

started from being truant in school does not correspond

on their grade level right now. Most of the respondents

from Grade 7 to Grade 8 usually started being truant

either from primary school, intermediate school or

right from the start when they encounter the first

level of secondary level in education: grade 7or grade

8. While respondents from Grade 9 and Grade 10 mostly

take place the truancy in school right from the year

they entered the Secondary Level or at their present

year. And for those particular year that they started

to be in truant may differ on the factors they had

that’s why they are engaged in this problem.

2. There are reasons why truancy exist at school

it is often that you need acceptable reason so that you

can excuse yourself in truancy. Unfriendly environment

is the biggest reason why they commit truancy in school

when they felt bored and loss their interest they will

not go to class and also one of the leading reason of

truancy is bullying they are afraid of judgment,

bullying is also the reason why students prefer to work

and engage in child labor because it’s a way for them

to forget about the problems in school because of the

pressure in school they lost their focus. Family

problem is also the factor that affects the student to

become truant lack of supervision and guidance and poor

household income.

3. Truancy has a big effect on academic

performance. Truant student agreed that loss of

interest in school resulting to poor academic

performances because once you’re not interested to

listen you’ll learn nothing. It also decreased

opportunity to graduate and opportunity for career

advancement. Those truant student will suffer in the

future because of their wrong doings and decisions, as

of now they face the consequences of having poor

academic performances but they didn’t know that in the

future they will suffer a lot and regret why they

choose to be truant instead of studying hard.

 4. Truancy is still preventive by just having a

strong solutions to be provided and for Abuyog National

High School, conducting a symposium about truancy

awareness is one of the effective and efficient way to

at least prevent the truancy problem. With this, other

solutions provided in the questionnaire may also

acquire for all of them are relatable to each other.

The researchers believes that it will be fruitful by

giving the parents and the truant’s students itself an

awareness with the help and cooperation of the students

and teachers it will possibly happened.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions in this study,

the researchers recommended the following:

1. The Department of Education should develop

guidelines for the formulation of effective attendance

policies in secondary schools to check truancy behavior

among students.

2. School administrators and teachers should check

lateness and absenteeism among secondary school

students. Student with high record of attendance should

openly be rewarded in order to motivate students with

the poor attendance records.

3. School counselors should offer the necessary

help and psychological support for students that

exhibit truancy behaviors in order to overcome their

academic and emotional problems.

4. Parents should apportion their time in such a

way that they would be able to aid their children in

doing homework, give them hints on how to become

academically successful.

5. Parents and Teachers should communicate with

one another in order to find out their performance in

class as well as give them all the materials they

required for their studies. In summary, Parents

Teachers Association (PTA) should be encourage.

6. The school must not only focused on developing

the student in academics but also must have a

curricular activities to attract students and to

participate school activities to lessen truancy.

7. Regular PTA Meeting and Seminars to tap the

parents regarding to their school performance, behavior

and attendance.
 8. For future researchers, future research that

has similar study should be investigate and find out

more in alleviating and giving solution to this rising

problem that will be beneficial to all members of the

community and school most especially to those students

that are engaged in truancy.

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