“Factors of Absenteeism that Affect the Academic

Performance of Grade 11 major in Shielded Metal Arch

Welding (SMAW) S.Y 2018 – 2019.”

An Action Research Paper

Presented to Professor Linda P. Tello
Lyceum Northwestern University
Dagupan City, Pangasinan

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

in Methods of Research

Virmar G. Ramos
MED Major in Filipino
 ABSTRACT

It is the aim of every school to lessen if not eradicate absenteeism among its students. Habitually

absent students are at a disadvantage both academically and socially. It is imperative that our school should

conduct a study that involves not only advisers, school head, teachers, guidance teacher, parents, and

stakeholders.

Botao National High School Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan is one of the large schools in Sta.Barbara District

II Division of Pangasinan I and with a big number of populations and the leading problem is ABSENTEEISM. Out

of 44 students of Grade Eleven major in SMAW, some incurred 10 and above absences for the months of July

2018 to January 2019.

Based on the DepEd Order No. 11 s 2011 sec. 157, a student who incurs absences of more than

twenty percent (20%) of the prescribed number of class or laboratory periods during the school year or term

should be given a failing grade and given no credit for the course or subject.

Thus, it was found out that several students incurred more absences than what the DepEd prescribed.

With this, the researcher conducted a study on Factors of Absenteeism That Affect the Academic

Performance of Grade Eleven major in SMAW students at Botao National High School which deals primarily to

lessen the number of absentee students from 10 and above to the least 50 percent.

The result findings show that there were three main factors which badly affected absenteeism among

students. With the given data, the top factor that affects the absenteeism of Grade Eleven major in SMAW was

Health Factor with a response of 30%, second was Personal Attitude with 26.53% and the third factor was

Home Environment with 22.50%.

 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Context and Rationale

Education is not merely the delivery of knowledge, skills, and information from teachers to students,

what is important is about being and becoming educated. Being an educated person means you have access to

an optimal state of mind regardless of the situation you are in. You can perceive accurately, think clearly and

act effectively to achieve self-selected goals and aspirations. (Rajput, S. 2009)

The study of absenteeism is very important to any school. It is the aim of every school to lessen, if not,

to eradicate absenteeism among its students. One way of addressing this problem is to identify the

factors/causes why students become truant from school. Once they are singled out, understood, and analyzed,

specific actions and measures can be undertaken. This will eventually lead to a better performance from the

students, teachers, and the school in general.

The word absenteeism means the absence of a student from class when he is scheduled to be present

at school. When the teacher has no information in advance, then the student will not be reputed for class if he

has taken leave to which he is entitled or on ground of sickness or in case of accident. Thus, absence may be

authorized or unauthorized willful or caused by circumstance beyond teacher's control. Attendance is an

important factor in school success among children and youth. Studies show that better attendance is related to

higher academic achievement for students of all backgrounds, particularly for children with lower socio-

economic status. Starting with kindergarten, students who attend school regularly score higher on tests than

their peers who are frequently absent.

Absenteeism is an archaic school problem that has been negatively affecting the performance among

students. Based on the different studies of absenteeism, students without good homework habits are more

likely to miss school. These students are characterized by being disorganized and unsure of their assignment

responsibilities. Pupils identified with chronic absenteeism are purposefully selected. Through a reflective
interview process the study sought to “hear the silenced voices” (Creswell, 2007) of those pupils identified

with chronic student absenteeism.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, absenteeism means chronic absence. In the context

of school, it is habitual or intentional failure from going to school. It cannot be denied that every now and

then, students may miss some school activities and lessons. But it becomes a problem if the student will be

away from school for many days. Going to school regularly is crucially important for a student’s education and

social skills. Chronic absentee students are placed at a disadvantage both socially and academically. They

missed out on critical stages of social interaction and development with their peers and at the same time

impacted negatively on their academic progress. This can result in low self-esteem, social isolation and

dissatisfaction that could well have precipitated non-attendance in the first place.

School absenteeism is an alarming problem for administrators, teachers, parents, and society in

general, as well as for the pupils in particular. Unaccepted absences have a negative effect on peer

relationships.

According to Malcolm, Wilson, Davidson, and Kirk (2003) teachers identified effects of absenteeism on

children as: academic under-achievement, difficulty in making friends which could lead to boredom, loss of

confidence. Also, prolonging the absence can have deleterious effects for the child in later life. Students who

are absent from school are at the greatest risk of dropping out early in school.

Absenteeism also affects the teacher’s ability to present class work in a sequential and organized way.

This can influence the progress of all the students attending the class. The families of habitual absentees can

also suffer. For a poverty-stricken family, it may mean a continuation of the poverty and unemployment cycle

that may run in the family. This also contributes to family conflicts. Society also suffers as the children of

school age hang around on the streets. They can be found just gallivanting around. Since they have nothing to

do, they resort to petty crimes like stealing other people’s belongings and property. Others may resort to

drug addiction and other behavior that is detrimental to society. Thus, if the student keeps on being away from

school for too long, he may grow up to be a liability of his community and of his country. (Obrador, J. 2014)
 Much has been read about the causes of absenteeism. Causes of absenteeism are underestimated and

understudied at the school level. This encourages the researcher to venture on finding out the factors of

absenteeism that affect the academic performance of the pupils.

Action Research Questions

This study attempts to determine the causes of absenteeism which affects the academic performance of

student at Botao National School. It aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the participants in Grade 11 major in SMAW at Botao National High School

Sta.Barbara, Pangasinan in terms of:

1.1 Age

1.2 Family Background

1.3 Economic Status

2. What are some factors of absenteeism that affect the academic performance of the respondents in terms

of:

a. Physical Factors

b. Personal attributes

c. Teacher Related Reasons

d. Classroom Environment

e. Home Factors

3. Based on the findings of the study, what recommendation may be offered?

 Chapter 2

ACTION RESEARCH METHODS

A. Research Design and Population

This research used descriptive design. Descriptive design in research is all about describing people

who take part in the study (Kowalczyk. D). For Calderon (1993), descriptive research is “… a purposive process

of gathering, analyzing, classifying, and tabulating data about prevailing conditions, practices, beliefs,

processes, trends and cause and effect relationships, then making adequate and accurate interpretation about

such data with or without the aid of statistical method. As such, the researcher in this study gathered and

analyzed data concerning the factors of absenteeism that affect the academic performance of Grade 11

Section SMAW at Botao National High School during the SY 2018-2019. The researcher later made accurate

interpretations of the gathered data without the aid of statistical methods.

B. Sampling Methods

This research utilized the purposive method in sampling. This type of sampling involves choosing the

research samples based on certain characteristics or reasons. In this research, 9 students were purposely

chosen from a population of 44 students of Grade 11 major in SMAW class for convenience of having taught

the said class. Moreover, the 9 students were chosen since their records revealed the highest number of

absences from class during the school year. Their being most truant among all the other pupils in the class

became crucial in identifying the factors of absenteeism among the Grade11 major in SMAW students at Botao

National School during the S.Y. 2018-2019.

C. Research Method

This research is qualitative in nature. Qualitative research, according to Crossman (2019), is a type of

research that collects and works with non-numerical data as it seeks to interpret meaning from them which

helps the researchers to understand social life through the study of targeted populations or places.

In terms of the methods, this research employed interviews and observations to gather the needed

data from the ten pupil-respondents.

D. Data Gathering Procedures

Various instruments and techniques were used to gather pertinent data. This study primarily used the

questionnaire and document analysis.

Questionnaire. To develop the questionnaire for this study, the steps enumerated below were

followed:

Preparation. Reading and studying samples of questionnaires from related studies, the researchers

prepared their own questionnaire. The researcher saw to it that there were enough items to collect data to

cover all aspects of the problem and to answer all the specific questions under the Action Research Questions.

Validation. To validate the questionnaire, this was presented to the principal for correction and

approval. A try-out was done for a group of pupils who were not involved in the research. From the discovered

flaws were corrections incorporated in the final copy.

Administration. Before the actual administration of the questionnaire for the students, the

researcher secured a letter to the principal of Botao National High School for permission in communicating

their intention to use 10-15 students as respondents whose records revealed the most numbered of absences

in class for S.Y. 2018-2019 in the action research to be conducted. While waiting for the approval of the

principal, the researchers will start preparing the important documents such as the letter to the experts

involved and the guide questions that will be used.

Interview. Once the principal approves the conduct of the action research, the researcher, being the

adviser of the chosen respondents, will properly inform the students that they will be part of the study. The

motivational activity will then be introduced and practiced for smooth flow of usage during the actual

interview. After a week of interview, the researchers must gather, analyze, classify, and tabulate the data

concerning the factors of absenteeism. After of which the researcher evaluated the results for interpretation.
 Chapter 3

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This part answers the following questions that were raised in Chapter 1.

1. What is the profile of the participants in Grade 11 major in SMAW at Botao Nationa High School in

terms of:

1.1 Age?

A. Analysis of Demographic Data

Respondents’ gender and age:

Part of the demographic data that was required from the respondents was their gender and age. The

results were placed according to Table 1 below.

The range of respondents’ age is 16 - 18 years old. According to the data from School Form 2, it was

found that out of 9 respondents, 55% were 16 years or a total of 5 students, 11% or 1 female student were 17

years old, 11% or 1 male student were 17 years old and 22% for both male and female students or a total of 2

students were 18 years old.

Table 1

Gender Age

16 17 17 18
Male Female
Male Female Female Male Male Female

5 4 3 2 1 1 1 1

56% 44% 33% 22% 11% 11% 11% 11%

1.2. Family Background?

a. Number of siblings

Numbers of siblings of the respondents were gathered to see how this might affect the

respondent’s absenteeism. The number of siblings of the respondents ranged from 2 to 14 siblings.

33% or 3 of the respondents have 2 siblings, and 22% or 2 respondents each have 3, 4, and 14 siblings

respectively which were shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2

No. of Siblings Percentage

2 3 33%

3 2 22%

4 2 22%

14 2 22%

Total 9 100%

1.3. Economic Status?

a. Parents’ Work

It was shown from the Graph 1 below that out of 9 respondents, 56% or 5 respondents have

fathers working, while 44% or 4 respondents have fathers without work. Where in 67% have mothers

working and 33% have mothers who were housewife.

 Graph 1

Chart Title
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
With Work Without Work
Father Mother

b. House that the Family is Living

From the Graph 2 below, it was shown that majority of the respondents’ households were renting a

house which is 56% while the 44% owned were they were living.

Graph 2

House that the Family is Living

60% 56%

50%
44%
40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
owned rented

c. Amount of Allowance Given Daily

Respondents who go to school are given allowance daily by their parents or guardians. 67% of the

respondents have an allowance of 10 – 20 pesos daily and 11% or 1 respondent each have 25 – 30 pesos, 35 –

40 pesos and 45 – 50 pesos respectively which were shown in Graph 3 below.

 Graph 3

Amount of Daily Allowance

80%
70% 67%

60%

50%
40%

30%

20%
11% 11% 11%
10%

0%
10 - 20 25 - 30 35 - 40 45 - 50

2. What are some factors of absenteeism that affect the academic performance of the respondents in

terms of:

A. Physical Factors?

Among the items cited, the distance of the school from home and danger posed by walking to school

has 0%. This means that it has nothing to do with the absenteeism of the respondents.

B. Health Factors?

The highest response for the health factors reason was fever/flu which got 12.50%. It was

followed by headache and toothache with 5% each and third was stomachache, diarrhea, and other

diseases with 2.50% each.

C. Personal Attitude?

The top reason that the student was absent was the pupil didn’t wake up early with 15%.

Ranked second was laziness with 7.50% and the third was fond of computer games or gadgets.

D. Teacher – Related?

Teacher-related concern was not the reason why the pupils didn’t want to go to school. It got

0% from the data.

E. Classroom Environment?

The highest reason was being hurt by classmates with 7.50%, second was being teased by

classmates, with 5% response and third was the unruly classmates with 5% response.
F. Home Factors?

It is at home that plays the biggest part in the child’s development, especially with their

learning. It is at home that greatly affects how the child will perform at school. 10% said that their

parents asked them to be absent from school, while 7.50% said their parents didn’t help them do their

assignments. 5% said their parents didn’t care about their absences.

Graph 4

Graphical Representation of the Factors of Absen-

teeism
35.00%
30.00% 30.00%
30.00%
25.00% 22.50%
20.00% 17.50%
15.00%
Responses

10.00%
5.00%
0.00% 0.00%
0.00%
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 Chapter 4

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Presented in this chapter are the conclusions and recommendations based on the previously

presented, analyzed, and interpreted data on the Factors of Absenteeism that Affects the Academic

Performance of Garde 11 major in SMAW at Botao National High School.

A. CONCLUSIONS

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions arrived at:

1. Health factor like having flu/fever, headache and toothache was the main reason of absenteeism among

Grade 11 – SMAW

2. Personal attitudes like woke up late, laziness, didn’t do their assignments and fond of computer games

was the second reason of absenteeism.

3. Home environment like their parents asked them to absent in class, not getting helped from their

parents in doing their assignments and parents didn’t care about their absences was the third reason of

absenteeism.

B. RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings and conclusions, the following are recommended to lessen absenteeism of

pupils:

1. home visitations. Through home visitations, teachers will be able to see the student’s family setting and

environment.

2. feeding program. Food given at school can help students to have healthy bodies to avoid getting sickness.

3. regular homeroom parent teacher meetings. All the problems that arose will be addressed through regular

meetings. To engage the parents more in the welfare of their children.

4. have symposiums and seminars. Symposiums and seminars like Good Parenting and Academic

Motivation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Crossman, Ashley.2019, January 14. An Overview of Qualitative Research Methods.

https://www.thoughtco.com/qualitative-research-methods-3026555

Kowalczyk. D. Descriptive Research Design: Definition, Examples & Types. Retrieved

from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/descriptive-research-design-definition-examples-types.html

Murcia, L. 2015. November 10.Action Research on Student and Pupil Absenteeism in

School. Retrieved from https://owlcation.com/academia/action-research-on-student-
absenteeism

Obrador, J. 2014. Absenteeism – Determinants and Effects to the Students’ Individual

Learning of Payapa National High School. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/10614063/Absenteeism

Rajput, Shalini. 2009. A Qualitative Research Study on School Absenteeism Among

College Students. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/3307957/A_Qualitative_Research_Study_on_School_Absent
eeism_Among_College_Students?auto=download

Sculles, K. 2013. Chronic Student Absenteeism: Implications for School Leaders.

Retrieved from
https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/46721/Kelly_Sculles.pdf

The Study of Absenteeism, Part of a Research Essay. Retrieved from https://www.bartleby.com/essay/The-Study-

of-Absenteeism-Part-of-a-F3CL9TUSTC
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

BOTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

HERMINIA V. QUIAMBAO

Principal III

BOTAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan

Madam:

I have the honor to request permission to conduct action research titled “Factors of Absenteeism that Affect
the Academic Performance of Grade 11 major in SMAW S.Y. 2018 – 2019”.

Rest assured that ethical considerations will be properly addressed.

I am hoping for your favorable action on this request.

Truly Yours,

VIRMAR G. RAMOS

Teacher II

Approved by

HERMINIA V. QUIAMBAO

Principal III
 APPENDIX B

Name of Respondent: _____________________

Gender: Male: _______ Female: ________

A. Demographics

1. How old are you? (Ilang taon ka na?) _________

2. How many siblings do you have in your family? (Ilan kayong magkakapatid?) ________

3. Do you still have brothers or sisters studying? In what grade? (May kapatid ka pa bang nag-aaral ?
Anong grade?)
_____ Kinder
_____ Elementary
_____ High School
_____ Vocational
_____ College

4. Do your parents work? (Nagtatrabaho ba ang mga magulang mo?) Yes ____ No ____

5. What does your father do for a living? (Ano ang trabaho ng tatay mo?) ______________

6. What does your mother do for a living? (Ano ang trabaho ng nanay mo?) ____________

7. Do your parents own or rent the house you are living? (Sa inyo ba ang bahay na tinitirhan ninyo o
nangungupahan lang kayo? Yes ____ No ____

8. How much is your allowance every day? (Magkano naman ang baon mo araw-araw?) ____________

A. Factors (Encircle all the applicable letters answered by the student)

a. Physical
9. Describe your school. (Anong masasabi mo sa iyong paaralan?)
A. Our house is far from the school.
B. It is unsafe to go to school.

b. Health
10. What do you usually feel when you feel like not going to school? (Ano ang karaniwan mong
nararamdaman kapag lumiliban ka sa klase?
A. I have toothache.
B. My stomach hurts.
C. I have a headache.
D. I’m down with flu/fever.
E. I have diarrhea.
F. I have other diseases like dengue, mumps, measles, etc.

c. Personal Attitude
11. Do you have other personal reasons for your frequent absences from class? (May iba ka pa bang
dahilan ng madalas mong pagliban sa klase?)
A. I am not interested in my studies.
B. I feel lazy.
 C. My friends influenced me not to go to school.
D. I didn’t wake up early.
E. I didn’t study/make my assignment the night before.
F. I got fond of playing computer games/gadgets.

d. Teacher-Related
12. Is your teacher the reason why you are always absent? (Ang guro mo ba ang dahilan kung bakit ka
lumiliban sa klase?) (If yes, proceed with the multiple choice, if no, proceed to the next question.)
A. My teacher scolded me.
B. I can’t understand my teacher’s lessons.
C. I don’t like my teacher.

e. Classroom Factors
13. How do you find your classroom?
A. It is hot and uncomfortable.
B. It is noisy inside our classroom.
C. The classroom is overcrowded.

14. Describe your classmates. (Anong masasabi mo tungkol sa mga kaklase mo?)
A. My classmate/s hurts me.
B. My classmate/s teases me.
C. I have no friends in our class.
D. They are noisy.
E. They are unruly.

f. Home Environment
15. Describe your parents in relation with your studies. (Anong masasabi mo sa mga magulang mo?)
A. My parents asked me to be absent in class.
B. My parents don’t help me with my school works or assignments.
C. They don’t care about my absences.
D. They don’t give me money for baon and transportation fare.
 APPENDIX C

Table 1

Gender Age

16 17 17 18
Male Female
Male Female Female Male Male Female

5 4 3 2 1 1 1 1

56% 44% 33% 22% 11% 11% 11% 11%

TABLE 2

No. of Siblings Percentage

2 3 33%

3 2 22%

4 2 22%

14 2 22%

Total 9 100%
 GRAPH 1

Chart Title
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
With Work Without Work
Father Mother

Graph 2

House that the Family is Living

60% 56%

50%
44%
40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
owned rented
 Graph 3

Amount of Daily Allowance

80%
70% 67%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
11% 11% 11%
10%
0% Graph 4
10 - 20 25 - 30 35 - 40 45 - 50

Graphical Representation of the Factors of

Absenteeism
40.00% 36.73%
35.00%
30.00% 26.53%
25.00% 20.41%
20.00% 16.33%
15.00%
Responses

10.00%
5.00%
0.00% 0.00%
0.00%
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Ph
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