Chronic absenteeism: Caregiver perceptions of barriers to children's school attendance
Abstract
Chronic absenteeism is a hidden national crisis. Routine and consistent school attendance is necessary for students to academically succeed and develop into successful citizens. Educators and policy makers across the nation have been and are trying to better understand this hidden national crisis of chronic absenteeism. When key stakeholders understand what it is and why it is happening, then they can better understand how to deal with it. One area of chronic absenteeism that has been largely overlooked is that of elementary aged students. Students of this age rely on their caregivers to ensure they attend school regularly. This qualitative case study focuses on the caregiver perceptions of barriers to school attendance and caregiver perceptions as to the importance of school attendance as they relate to actual school attendance. Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory is utilized to explore the interrelatedness of family perceptions of the importance of school attendance and family perceptions of barriers to student attendance as it relates to actual student attendance. When school boards, teachers, and staff members recognize exactly what barriers parents perceive as preventing their child from attending school, then they can be better informed when making programming decisions for their schools which will help improve student attendance, reduce chronic absenteeism, and support families as they strive to overcome perceived barriers to school attendance.
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- OSU Dissertations [11222]