Wandering Shoes: Perceptivity on the Phenomenon of Truancy among Grade 10 Students

Abstract

Introduction

Education fundamentally acts as a way for a state to convey the knowledge, skills, and attitudes from generation to another. The efforts exerted in education are deliberate which partly focuses on the development and betterment of students' character, behavior, and values. However, some of the students' behaviors are becoming unwanted. Considerably, among the undesirable behaviors of the students is truancy. Truancy is mostly described as an unexcused absence from school without parental knowledge.

Methods

In this study, qualitative research was utilized, focusing on the phenomenological approach. Furthermore, using purposive stratified sampling, a guidance designate, students and teachers all from Pasig National High School were chosen. Permission to conduct the study was obtained. Also, informed consent was secured to each of the participants and ethical considerations were fully discussed. Using an interview guide, the student-participants were able to expose their description on and causes plus effects of truancy. All participants' responses were transcribed verbatim, assigned into key points, codes, concepts and finally into themes.

Results

Using variables such as family, school, economy and student, the results were divulged. Financial difficulty, school climate, working to meet demands and peer influence appeared as the causative factors of truancy. Furthermore, the effects of wandering, on the other hand, were the inability to support family, poor academic performance, future instability and engagement of vices.

Discussions

According to the participants, truancy is relative to the inability to go school, which further regarded as intentional missing of classes. Also, the student-participants exposed the factor that triggered them to become truant. After a thorough assessment of their insights, four themes or categories emerged: financial difficulty, school climate, working to meet demands and peer influence.The student-participants explicitly expressed their viewpoints on the possible effects of truancy on them. These are the inability to support family, poor academic performance, future economic instability and engagement to vices. The viewpoints of the teacher participants and the guidance designate emerged to the following solutions: supporting financial needs, giving moral support, parental monitoring, giving considerations and developing students’ abilities.