The Effects of Truancy on High School Students

1.1 Statement of Problem

Truancy is defined as an unexcused absence. It is a common problem facing nearly all high schools across the nation (Baker, Sigmon, & Nugent 2001 p.

1). High school truants contribute to many consequences both to themselves and community. According to Garry (n.d.), many police departments report that daytime crime rates are rising in the part because students are committing crimes instead of going to class. According to the report of the U.S Department of Justice Bulletin, “truancy can lead to potential criminal activity, social isolation, and educational failure” (Baker, Sigmon, & Nugent 2001 p.2). Moreover, Truancy indicates high risk for drop-out and failure to graduate, as well as a risk factor for delinquency (Cahill & Limberman 2012, p.1).

1.2 Research Purpose and Research Question

The purpose of this study is to unveil some evidences either to contradict or back our assumption that when high school students play truancy, there will be several consequences hindering them from getting success in their academic performance as well as leading them into delinquency.

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We believe that Truancy can lead to low academic performance and delinquency. All in all, this research will examine the effects of truancy on high school students in order to alert those high school truants to stop playing truancy or to get sense of fear when they do this. Besides, this research aims to raise awareness of schools and parents to form policy to stop their children as well as their students from doing this.

The questions in this research are:
1. How does truancy affect the achievement level of high school students?
2. How does truancy lead high school students to delinquency?
3. How does truancy affect to the relationship between high school truants and community?
4. How do high school students feel after facing those effects?
5. To what extent are they aware of negative consequences of playing truancy toward themselves?

II. Literature reviews

According to a research, truancy is a main problem which faces U.S. school systems that truant are more likely to get involved in criminal activity later in life. This study also examined what the effect of socioeconomic status is, as it is measurable via data typically collected by schools, on truancy.

Besides, this study is obtained from 16,418 eligible students from a total of 21 schools within that district including 12 elementary, five middle, and four high schools by conducing questionnaires as a survey filled out by the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of each student. Also, other student record information such as attendance is obtained by the record of school employees. Last, the researchers have found out that at the end of the 2009-2010 academic years, there were 1,729 students, which equals to 10.53 percentages students who became truant within the observed district.

Moreover, Results for economic status indicate that with 95% confidence, as compared to students paying for their lunch, students who have a reduced lunch status are 1.55 to 2.30 times as likely to become truant (Nolan, Cole, Wroughton, Clayton-Code, Riffe 2013).