Matt DePalma

EGEN 3100W

March 21, 2016

The purpose of this case study is to introduce and discuss the topic of student

absenteeism as a whole and as to why students find themselves avoiding the

classroom. In my clinic placement, I have identified not just a single student who

has rampant absenteeism from class, but multiple. I decided to select one of these

individuals to learn what drives his motivations to skip class. Absenteeism in school

is a huge issue and as a teacher it is important and significant to find out what types

of students will be more prone to skip class, and what strategies teachers can

employ to ensure that students stay in the classroom where they belong.

My specific case study is on a student named “Joseph”. He is a sophomore

student at the Hartford School of Rock. This student is a male and is fifteen years

old. An athlete for the school, Joseph enjoys playing basketball in his free time. He is

very outgoing and is always at the center of attention when he is present in class.

The other students truly enjoy his company, as he is always surrounded by friends

and in a social atmosphere. He is very respected by the clinic teacher and always

visits the classroom in which I am placed even though he is not her student

anymore. I have come to know Joseph because he is constantly in the classroom in

which I am placed. When he is in this classroom, this is important because it shows

that he is not in the room in which he belongs. I began to study the impacts of

student absenteeism on Joseph and this paper will reveal why he chooses to skip

class, the consequences he faces by skipping, as well as what I can do in my future as

a teacher to keep students like Joseph in my classroom. My research was guided by

questions that included why does he feel the need to skip class and come into my

teacher’s room. This paper will shine a light and provide insight to the answer to

these questions.

Student absenteeism is a well-researched field across America. A CNN report

concluded that 7 million students (roughly 15% of the k-12 population) are out of

school 18 or more days with many of these students thinking it will never impact

their future (Azuz, 2012). In spite of this fact, the report also mentioned “students

who skip more than ten days in a school year are 20% less likely to enroll in college”

(Azuz, 2012). I think that this is important to note, as Joseph when asked if he wants

to go to college stated he very much indeed wished to move on to secondary

schooling. If his pattern of absenteeism continues, he may fall into the percentage of

students that do not attend college because of his behavior. Moreover the report

also stated “42% of parents never know when their kids are absent” (Azuz, 2012). I

think this is especially true in my case study. As Joseph tends to come to school and

skip classes, his parents are never under the impression that he is not in the

building, because he is. However, and Joseph himself mentioned, his parents have no

idea that he skips classes.

Moreover, in conducting my research I also looked at the school’s attendance

policy and mentioned some of the consequences to Joseph. The policy at Hartford

School of Rock states, “a single marking period where a student accrues (six) or

more unexcused absences will lose credit for that course” (Laverty, n.d.). When I

told Joseph that he is at risk of failing a class that he constantly skips, he was
shocked to learn that he could be facing serious consequences. This supports the

CNN report that the students are unaware of the penalties that come from their

absenteeism. Moreover, the attendance flier distributed by the principle also

discusses and describes what it refers to as “Habitual Truancy”; defined as a

“student who accrues (20) or more unexcused absences. The consequence for this

action is that a “student may remain in the same grade or advance may be

contingent on summer school completion” (Laverty, n.d.). As I mentioned this to

Joseph, shock was apparent on his face – he began to realize that skipping class

might even have him back in school during the summer. A convicted athlete, he may

even be suspended from the basketball team if the school were to punish him for his

absenteeism. The notice also mentions that “responsibility for make-up work lies

within the student” (Laverty, n.d.). Joseph was aware of this aspect, and stated that

he always gets his work done even when he is not in the class. He stated that in light

of understanding the consequences of his behavior, he would attempt to go to more

classes. This supports the findings of the CNN report that states, “better

understanding of consequences could promote attendance” (Azuz, 2012).

Going off of this information, I began to follow Joseph around his daily life in

the school. I told him to do everything that he would do in a normal day and to not

change his behavior because I was with him. He agreed to continue his day as if I

was not there. What I found did not surprise me, as Joseph, being a social butterfly

was surrounded by friends who at times would pressure him into skipping class and

going to the lunch room, into another teacher’s classroom, as well as other locations

like the bathroom. As he does when he comes into my clinic classroom, Joseph is
somewhat disruptive and encourages other students to partake in conversations

with him. Most teachers by the beginning of the class will kick him out of the room

and ask him where he is supposed to be. He usually will ask for a pass to go back to

the class that he is scheduled during that time block. I think that his absenteeism is

not as bad as the typical truant student, as he does skip class from social pressures. I

asked Joseph if things were different at home, and he mentioned that he lives in a

loving home with parents who are very supportive of his academics and his

athletics. Despite being unaware of his absentee patterns, his parents push Joseph

to be the best student he can be and aspire for him to go to college at the University

of Connecticut or the University of Hartford.

Interestingly, there is one class that Joseph will always skip – mathematics.

When asked why, he responded that he simply “hates the teacher” and the subject

matter. As I learned this, it became apparent to me that the best way to ensure

students to stay into the classroom is to ensure that the teacher has a good rapport,

even with students who may hate the class. My research led me to the importance of

teacher-student relationships. The CNN report also mentioned, “students said

encouragement from anyone to whom they felt a personal connection could

influence attendance” (Azuz, 2012).

Therefore, in my own classroom it is imperative that I foster positive

relationships with students to create an environment more conducive to learning

and to student’s needs. Through my research, I also discovered that “teachers who

experience close relationships with students reported that their students were less

likely to avoid school, appeared more self-directed, more cooperative, and more
engaged in learning” (Rimm-Kaufman & Sandilos, n.d.). I think that this is extremely

important and relevant to my case study. Joseph reported that he skips his math

class often because he dislikes the teacher. He also goes to my clinic teacher’s

classroom for a reason – because he feels safe and welcomed there. My teacher’s

positive relationship with Joseph allows him to feel that he is comfortable and will

seek her out when he feels he needs attention from a teacher. If students feel that

“my teacher trusts me, he or she is more likely to be interested in class, more likely

to conform to positive social norms of the classroom and even master content”

(Rimm-Kaufman & Sandilos, n.d.). While Joseph is no longer a student of my clinic

teacher, it goes to say that he still feels welcome in her classroom because of their

positive relationship.

In my future career, I will influence my students to want to be a part of my

classroom by creating a positive environment for them to learn. In reflecting on my

research, it is important to note that I selected this student because he reminded me

of myself when I was a high school student. I think this allowed the student and I to

have a stronger connection and be able to have conversations about skipping class

because I would let him know that I used to as well. He understood that I was

simply looking to see what his daily routine is and I was not going to punish him for

it. I think that despite coming from a similar pattern of absenteeism, Joseph is now

more understanding of the consequences that may arise from his action and this will

promote him to be more open to attending class and improving his grades. Through

this research, I have been impacted in many ways. First and foremost, I learned that

student-teacher relationships are critical. My student would go see my clinic

teacher because he knew he could trust her and felt comfortable in her classroom. I

also learned that peer-to-peer relationships might impact students’ absenteeism as

Joseph often followed the crowd and his friends where they were instead of going to

class. Therefore, it is important that I truly build a community within my classroom

that will have fulfilling and rewarding peer-to-peer and teacher-student

relationships. I will also have to make sure my students are aware of the

consequences of skipping class. From working with Joseph, it became apparent that

when he realized the consequences he started to take the initiative to change his

behavior and go to class.

Works Cited

Azuz, C. (2012, September 14). Why Students Skip School. Retrieved March 22,2016,

from http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/14/why-students-

skip-school/

Laverty, J. (n.d.) Hartford Sport and Medical Sciences Attendance Policy. Retreived

March 17, 2016 from http://sportandmedicalsciences.org/Daily

%20bulletin/Attendance.pdf

Rimm-Kaufman, S. and Sandilos, L. (n.d.) Improving Students’ Relationships with

Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning. American Psychological

Association. Retrieved March 17, 2016 from

http://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx