Factors that contribute to truancy among students in public senior high schools in the Atwima Nwabiagya District

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate into the factors that contribute to truancy among students in public Senior High Schools in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region. The objectives of the study were to find out how students’ truancy is prevalent in Senior High Schools, identify the factors that contribute to students’ truancy in Senior High Schools and to determine the effects of student’s truancy in Senior High Schools. The researcher used descriptive survey design with quantitative research method for the study. The targeted population of the study was all the headmasters and assistant headmasters, teachers and students of the four public senior high schools in the Atwima Nwabiagya District. Purposive sampling was used to select all the 16 headmasters and assistant headmasters. Simple random sampling was used to select 80 teachers and 80 students. This gave a total of 176 respondents. The researcher used closed ended questionnaires to collect data for the study. The study found among others that truancy among students’ was prevalent in senior high schools in the study area. Among the students factors that contributed to truancy among students were influence of peers and disinterest in courses studied. School factors identified as contributing to truancy included the use of students for non-academic duties. Home factors included lack of parental interest in school. Some effects of students’ truancy were school dropout and early sex. Based on the findings it was recommended that supervision should be improved in senior high schools to prevent students from running away from school.