The Psychosocial Factors that Cause Truancy in Students

Abstract

By Mackenzie Logan, Social Work

Advisor: Anjanette Wells

Abstract: Most of someone's childhood and possibly some of their early adulthood is comprised of school. There is a reason for this because our brains are still developing at an accelerated rate and that is the perfect time to learn about everything under the sun and beyond the sun. Students missing school for extended periods of time is a problem because they are not learning and progressing with their classmates. Preventing this lack of instructional time is a key element in the development of a student. "Nonattendance has been shown to negatively affect learning and achievement and to place youth at risk for early school dropout" (Maynard, Heyne, Brendel, Bulanda, Thompson, & Pigott, 2015). The research study focuses on psychosocial factors that cause truancy among youth. The study included 125 students that were truant and that were invited to absence intervention meetings to discuss the reasons for missing instructional time. The research suggested that preventative interventions such as letters home and in-person meetings could work better than punitive actions have in the past and that is where the focus needs to be moving forward.