Project Partner: Intervention Towards Decreasing Truancy Rate among Grade Seven Section Earth Students of Lodlod Integrated National High School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Among the 39 Grade 7 Earth students, only an average of 35 students attended classes every day, which is very alarming on the part of the teachers for the following reasons: (1) it leads to dropping out of classes; (2) the possibility of getting failing grades; and (3) poor performance of the school in the NationalStandardized Test. It proves that absenteeism is a vital factor that hinders the achievement of the school's goals and objectives.

METHODS

This study used both quantitative and qualitative data to assess the result of the interventions addressing the problem on high truancy rate among Grade Seven section Earth students of Lodlod Integrated National High School. The data was based on the interview with the parents and students. More so, it used the data from the submitted School Form 2 of the aforementioned section.

RESULTS

It was found out that most reasons for committing frequent absences in class fall under lack of discipline. They sleep late at night because of watching TV and using cellular phones which caused them to feel lazy to go to school the next day. More so, no one claimed that they have problems in school and in academics that cause them to be absent. Meanwhile, lack of discipline, which is attributed to having attitudinal problem, is caused by the lack of support from the parents. Given the root cause of the problem, the researchers conducted series of parenting seminar which led to the decrease of 2.10% in the sections absenteeism rate. From 10.89% absenteeism rate before the conduct of conferences, it lowered to 8.79% after.

DISCUSSIONS

After the implemented intervention, there is still a need to help students to decrease truancy rate. Reporting of the Completion of the Action Research to the school body may clarify the importance of conducting a Monthly Parenting Seminar to parents of students who will commit five or more absences in a month in the school's student manual. There will also be a strict compliance on the heightened students' attendance through monitoring the daily attendance notebook.